Jayson Rivera thought he knew virtual reality, but what he experienced at the recent launch of English rock band Muse’s world tour blew him away.

The world Rivera stepped into at a pre-show event in Houston, Texas, in late February was unlike anything he’d ever seen. For an hour or so, Rivera and his sister lost themselves in arcade-style virtual reality games set to songs from the band’s new album, “Simulation Theory.”

Donning VR headsets, they defended a spaceship from furry critters, steered a speeding car through futuristic cityscapes and punched geometric objects flying at them down a retro high-school hallway. Taking a break from the games, they surveyed the ’80s-flavored scene with delight as speakers pumped out tunes by The Smiths and Talking Heads, fans strolled around in neon-colored sunglasses and servers passed trays of appetizers.

“I’ve been exposed to VR for a very long time in the medical field, but never anything like this,” says Rivera, who lives in La Porte, Texas, and uses VR in his job training nursing students. “This is something otherworldy. I love it. I love it.

“I enjoy being involved with games rather than sitting with a controller. This puts you in the middle of everything, and it’s so visually stunning,” Rivera says. “It’s so delicious. I want more. I want more color, I want more action, I want a longer play time.”

His sister, Janice Rivera, had never tried VR games before and was equally impressed. “It’s amazing,” she says. “It’s beautiful, actually.”

Nearby, Genesis Twitty pulls off her headset after taking a turn at the driving game. Twitty, who drove 13 hours from New Mexico for the concert, saw the pre-show event at Houston’s Toyota Center as a way to get some insight into the band’s creative process.

“I thought it was going to be a really good experience to see what they’re doing,” she says. “I like that the band is doing a lot more to interact with their fans. It’s interactive, even though they’re not here. It’s very vital.

“And the whole simulation thing, how they’re bringing it to life through the games, that’s really fun.”

Microsoft collaborated with Muse to develop the three games, which blend imagery and themes from the album’s music videos and live show into a retro-inspired sci-fi mashup.

The Houston show kicked off the tour, which will feature the games at pre-show events in more than 40 cities across the U.S., Canada and Europe over the next five months.