No Man’s Sky Beyond

No Man’s Sky was one of the most ambitious games of all time when it released back in 2016. It didn’t hit its full potential then, but continued updates have gotten the space exploration game closer. With No Man’s Sky Beyond, Hello Games has added VR support, letting you experience the nearly endless universe like never before. Now, you can feel like you’re in a spaceship, battling enemies, or mining resources.

Fitness Potential

Your actions in No Man’s Sky for VR will all be done using your tracked motion controllers. You need to physically reach into backpack to grab tools. To steer vehicles, you’ll manually control the thrusters. You can fist-bump friends you run into, carve up rocks using your movements, or smack enemies. Like the rest of No Man’s Sky, the VR mode is what you make of it. In between sessions, you can switch to regular gameplay without losing progress, as well.

Developer/Publisher: Hello Games

Release Date: August 14, 2019

Compatible With: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index, PlayStation VR

Price: $29.99, free for existing No Man’s Sky owners

Link: No Man’s Sky Beyond

Meu

Part game, part creativity tool, Meu is a new take on the VR music genre. By moving your body in VR, you are able to create a visual representation along with changing music. You can then share your dance with friends, or even create a GIF from within the game. It’s a trippy experience that can change wildly based on your movements.

Fitness Potential

Because of the creative nature of Meu, the workout you get is based entirely on your choices. If you want to create a frenetic and intense dance, you need only move around at lightning speed. If you’re in the mood to send slower messages one day, you just need to slow down your movements. Depending on the number of messages you want to send, you can certainly work up a sweat.

Developer/Publisher: Radix Motion

Release Date: August 14, 2019

Compatible With: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, Valve Index

Price: Free

Link: Meu

OhShape

Previously known as OnShape, OhShape is what would happen if Hole in the Wall were turned into a VR game. You must strike poses that match with the music as well as the cutouts rapidly approaching your position. When red walls approach, you must completely dodge them, instead. You’ll look ridiculous while doing it, but that’s part of the fun.

Fitness Potential

OhShape is designed to give you a great cardio workout, as you’re essentially dancing when you dodge obstacles. You’ll also mix in some punches like in BoxVR, and there are three difficulty modes for when you improve. If your friends beat your high score, you’ll see it on the leaderboard and can work to win it back.

Developer/Publisher: Odders Lab

Release Date: August 15, 2019

Compatible With: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index

Price: $14.99

Link: OhShape

Virtual Boxing League

Have you ever wanted to prove you’re the best boxer in the world without getting a broken nose? In Virtual Boxing League, leaving Early Access this week, now you can! The game prides itself on using realistic boxing physics, so you’ll improve your performance as you continue to play. In single-player mode, you have five ladders of fighters to battle. Future updates will add online multiplayer.

Fitness Potential

Virtual Boxing League is a VR fitness fan’s dream game. In addition to the standard boxing, there are five mini-games that are all great for your fitness routine. When online multiplayer hits, there will also be a spectating mode that can run through a mobile app. This means your friends can be cheering from afar as you go up against a competitor.

Developer/Publisher: Spellbook

Release Date: August 16, 2019

Compatible With: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, Valve Index

Price: $19.99, price increasing

Link: Virtual Boxing League

Crawling of the Dead

Crawling of the Dead mixes skill-based swordplay with classic dungeon-crawling action in an experience built for VR. Using weapons, torches, and shields, you’ll make your way through dungeons and destroy the enemies you come across. They won’t go down without a fight, of course, so you’ll need to stay on your toes. You can even train to increase your level before going into combat.

Fitness Potential

All of the dungeons in Crawling of the Dead are procedurally generated. This means it’s literally impossible for you to have the same experience twice, making it perfect for workouts. Depending on how fast you swing your sword or raise your shield, you can break a sweat in no time. With secrets to discover and loot to gain, it’ll be tough to stop playing, too.

Developer/Publisher: Running Pillow

Release Date: August 15, 2019

Compatible With: HTC Vive, Valve Index

Price: $19.99 to $24.99

Link: Crawling of the Dead