Looking to spice up your gaming life with one of the best VR headsets around? As the VR market continues to expand, it’s definitely a good idea – but choosing the best VR headset for you can be a virtual nightmare. Some premium VR headsets will set you back hundreds, and to even use them you’ll need to be tethered to a high-performing PC; On the flip side, there are also VR headsets which cost under £50 and only require a smartphone to run.

In addition to the luxury VR headsets from big-hitters Oculus, Valve and HTC, there's a slew of lesser-known products from manufacturers like Pimax, Zeiss and even HP. Each year brings new possibilities to the VR market – take the Oculus Quest, which is currently the best self-contained VR headset around. And then there’s Sony’s PSVR and Nintendo's Labo VR, which brought virtual reality console gaming to the masses.

There are always numerous VR headset releases on the horizon, but this article features the best headsets available right now – plus a handy buying guide to help you choose the right one.

The best VR headsets you can buy

1. Oculus Quest: The best wireless VR headset

Price: £400 (64GB) | Buy now from Amazon



In 2018, Oculus took the world of VR by storm with its first self-contained virtual reality headset, the Oculus Go. The Oculus Quest is its souped-up successor, and it offers a vastly improved wireless VR experience.

What does wireless VR actually mean, then? Unlike most VR headsets, the Quest does not require tethering to a console or PC for power, nor does it rely on a smartphone. Everything you experience in the Quest happens within the headset itself.

Whereas the Oculus Go operates with only one controller, the Quest comes with one for each hand, and its high-resolution OLED lenses are much superior to the Go's LCD goggles. In addition, its powerful Snapdragon 835 chipset makes it a far more capable gaming machine than its predecessor. It may be twice the price of the Go, but the Oculus Quest is easily worth it.

Read our full Oculus Quest review for more details

Key specs – Display resolution: 2,880 x 1,600; Display type: OLED; Refresh rate: 72Hz; Field of View: N/A; Supported software: Oculus Home; Dimensions: 221 x 193 x 104mm; Weight: 571g

2. Oculus Rift S: The best VR headset for PC

Price: £400 | Buy now from Amazon



Oculus is dominating the wireless VR market right now and, as for PC-powered devices, there's just no competing. The Oculus Rift S has effectively replaced its predecessor, the Oculus Rift, as the best VR headset that PC gamers can buy. It costs substantially less than its main rival, the HTC Vive Cosmos, and offers many of the same premium features. It's also easier to use because all of its sensors are contained within the headset. Happily, the Oculus Touch controllers are included in the price, which was not the case when the standard Rift was released.

Although the refresh rate on the Rift S has been reduced to 82Hz from 90Hz on the previous Rift, every other change has been for the better. The design is sturdier, the headband is more adjustable and it now uses directional speakers instead of clunky over-ear headphones. The 2,560 x 1,440 LCD panel within the headset offers stunning clarity and it uses fast-switch technology to prevent image persistence. Assuming you have the right PC specifications (Oculus recommends Intel Core i5-4590 CPU and Nvidia GeForce GTX 970/1060 as a minimum) then the Rift S will give you an incredibly immersive experience in all the latest titles, from Superhot and Beat Saber to Fallout 4 and Skyrim VR.

Read our full Oculus Rift S review for more details

Key specs – Display resolution: 2,560 x 1,440; Display type: LCD; Refresh rate: 82Hz; Field of View: N/A; Supported software: Oculus Home, Steam VR; Dimensions: 278 x 160 x 210mm; Weight: 563g

3. PlayStation VR: The best (and only) VR headset for PS4

Price: £230 | Buy now from Amazon



If games are your thing, you can’t do much better than the PlayStation VR. Anyone with a PlayStation 4 can pick one up and dive straight in, and Sony’s headset has a library full of brilliantly fun VR games that offer up short bursts of fun or perfect lengthy playthroughs. It’s also the only way to scare yourself silly with Resident Evil 7 in VR.

It’s certainly not the most feature-filled headset on the market – especially compared to the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift – but with almost one million sales in its opening months, Sony has clearly got the price-to-performance ratio almost perfect.

Read our full PlayStation VR review for more details

Key specs – Display resolution: 1,920 x 1,080; Display type: OLED; Refresh rate: 120Hz; Field of View: 100 degrees; Supported software: PlayStation VR titles; Dimensions: 187 x 185 x 277mm; Weight: 610g

4. Oculus Go: The best VR headset for newcomers

Price: from £200 | Buy now from Currys PC World



UPDATE: Facebook is discontinuing the Oculus Go. The headset will no longer receive software updates from 4 December 2020, and while it's a little unclear right now, we assume stock will begin to dry up as no new products are manufactured. Right now, you can still buy one, although we recommend you buy the Oculus Quest (above) instead.

Just like the new Oculus Quest, the Oculus Go doesn't require a smartphone or a PC to run. It's an entirely self-contained Oculus-powered VR experience that bests the Samsung Gear VR in every way and only costs £200 - half that of the newer Quest. The Go was the very first all-in-one virtual reality headset to launch in the West, and it's where the VR industry should have really kicked off if it wanted to achieve early mass-market adoption.

If it wasn't for the advances made with the Oculus Rift, however, we wouldn't have something as sublime as the Oculus Go. If you've been debating whether to dip a toe into the virtual water but have so far resisted the urge, Oculus Go provides a convincing and affordable reason to take the plunge.

Read our full Oculus Go review for more details

Key specs – Display resolution: 2,560 x 1,440; Display type: LCD; Refresh rate: 72Hz; Field of View: N/A; Supported software: Oculus Home; Dimensions: 190 x 105 x 115mm; Weight: 467g

Buy now from Currys PC World

5. HTC Vive Cosmos: The best VR headset for purists

Price: £700 | Buy now from Amazon



The HTC Vive Cosmos is an incredibly well-specced HMD. With a combined display resolution of 2,880 x 1,700 (1,440 x 1,700 per eye), it tops the charts in terms of screen quality, beating its predecessor the Vive Pro and only falling short of the £900 Valve Index. This penchant for the premium extends to all corners of the Cosmos: the build is sturdy, and the visor, more comfortable than that of any headset on this list. The addition of built-in tracking cameras, meanwhile, vastly simplifies the setup.

It's by no means a perfect headset, however. The Cosmos still suffers from a few niggling flaws, not least of which is the bloated price tag. The Cosmos controllers are unwieldy, and the lenses have a pitifully small sweet spot, so you will notice strong blurring if you move your eyes from the centre of the image. HTC's Viveport user interface, moreover, is far less polished than the Oculus or Steam equivalents.

This is a VR headset for HTC loyalists, particularly those who already own additional base stations and/or the Vive Pro controllers (the Cosmos can take advantage of both). If that isn't you, then we strongly recommend heading down the Oculus route instead.

Read our full HTC Vive Cosmos review for more details

Key specs – Display resolution: 2,880 x 1,700; Display type: LCD; Refresh rate: 90Hz; Field of View: 110 degrees; Supported software: Viveport, Steam VR; Dimensions: N/A; Weight: 645g

6. Nintendo Labo VR Kit: The best (and only) VR headset for Nintendo Switch

Price: from £50 | Buy now from Amazon



The most niche entry on this list by far, the Nintendo Labo VR Kit can only be used by those who own a Nintendo Switch already. An extension of Nintendo Labo, the Labo VR is not so much a headset as a collection of wearable cardboard "Toy-Cons" that are built by the user. To enjoy Nintendo's virtual reality creations, you slot the Switch console into a small cardboard unit that straps onto the head, with a pair of plastic goggles acting as the lens between eyes and display. From there, you add the buildable headset attachments, each of which has their own specific set of VR mini-games.

Building times really vary between the VR Toy-Cons; the main headset takes less than 30mins but the larger, more intricate attachments can take over 2hrs to complete. The Labo VR Starter Set costs just £50, which is excellent value for money, while the complete package is only a tad more at £75. Nintendo Labo VR offers something totally different from every other VR headset and is also completely eco-friendly, as all the parts are made from recyclable reinforced cardboard.

Read our full Nintendo Labo VR Kit review for more details

Key specs – N/A. Nintendo Labo requires a Nintendo Switch console, which itself has a 1,280 x 720 LCD display with a max 30Hz refresh rate.

7. Samsung Gear VR: The best VR headset for Samsung users

Price: £120 | Buy now from Amazon



This is the second iteration of Samsung's Gear VR headset, which is powered by Oculus Go. If you happen to already own a Samsung smartphone then you're in luck, because the Gear VR is locked exclusively to Samsung devices. The 2017 Gear VR comes with a wireless controller, unlike the original headset, but it costs more too; it launched at £120, whereas the old Samsung Gear VR can be picked up for around £25.

On the flipside, the newer Gear VR is compatible with a wider range of Samsung handsets. The headset itself is powered by an Oculus chip, creating a fun VR experience with smooth head-tracking. But with no external sensor or camera, it is a bit bare-bones compared to more expensive HTC or Oculus rivals. Of course, the quality of the VR experience also depends on the display quality of the Samsung phone you own.

Read our full Samsung Gear VR review for more details

Key specs – N/A. Samsung Gear VR requires a compatible Samsung Galaxy smartphone. You can find a full compatibility list here.

How to choose the best VR headset for you

What's the difference between virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality?

If you're a newcomer to VR, you will probably have seen or heard the phrases above. But what exactly do they mean?

Virtual reality: Totally artificial environments generated by your PC or games console. You'll be immersed in a 3D world by donning a headset and peering into specially designed lenses at a display.

Augmented reality: Layering computer-generated graphics on top of real-world image capturing technology. If you've ever played Pokemon Go, you've experienced augmented reality (through the lens of your smartphone).

Mixed reality: A combination of VR and AR. Mixed reality takes the concept of AR – layering CGI over the real world – and improves upon it by enabling more complex interactions between the virtual and the real.

Here's the short version:

Requires an HMD? Involves the real world? Virtual reality Yes No Augmented reality No Yes Mixed reality Yes Yes

Confused? Don't be. Every product on our list is a good old fashioned virtual reality headset. You'll find that headsets with the "Windows Mixed Reality" label have been discontinued – but if you do happen across one that's available to buy, know that it's just a VR headset with support for Microsoft's own VR software.

What about the rest of the jargon?

HMD: Head-Mounted Display – The catch-all term for the VR headset itself, excluding any peripherals.

Base stations: Small-ish sensors that track the movement of both the HMD and the motion controllers. Some VR headsets require you to set up a few base stations around the room you intend to play in.

Inside-out tracking: Rather than using base stations, it's becoming more common these days for VR headsets to be dotted with cameras that track your movement, and the movement of your controllers. This is called inside-out tracking, and it's really great: base stations are space-consuming and a pain to set up.

IPD slider: Inter-Pupillary Distance slider – a physical or virtual slider that allows you to widen or shrink the gap between the two lenses inside the HMD. After all, some of us have bigger heads or wider-set eyes than others.

Sweet spot: The area right in the centre of the lens that affords the clearest view of the display itself. The larger the sweet spot, the better.

Screen-door effect: This is when you can see the individual pixels of your headset's display, arranged in a grid that overlays the image. It's an unfortunate side-effect of the current limitations of VR technology; the higher the resolution of the display, the less visible the screen-door effect is.

What type of VR headset should I buy?

That's right: You don't have to spend your life savings on a gaming PC to enjoy VR. Here are the various types of headset you might want to consider:

PCVR headset

Pros: Cons: - Best visual experience - Expensive - Best game library - Requires a gaming PC

If you already own a gaming PC, a PCVR headset is the obvious choice. You'll have access to Steam's ever-growing library of VR games, alongside the libraries of either Oculus or HTC (if you opt for one of their products).

PCVR headsets offer the best displays in the industry, with high refresh rates and resolutions for a more immersive experience. You will need to check that your PC can run VR games before you buy, however – you can do that using Steam's VR benchmark test.

Mobile VR headset

Pros: Cons: - Wonderfully cheap - Requires a compatible smartphone - Easy to use - Not for proper gaming

If you just want something to keep your kids/spouse/colleagues entertained, a mobile VR headset is the way to go. Available from as little as £25, these headsets are really just goggles with weird lenses – you'll need to supply the hardware in the form of a compatible smartphone. Download the relevant app, stuff the phone into the slot behind the lenses and you're ready to go.

Wireless VR headset

Pros: Cons: - Good visual experience - There are only two headsets like this - No requirements - Experience is a little limited

Wireless VR is still in its infancy, but that doesn't mean you should discount it – quite the opposite, in fact. It's a bit of a compromise: the visual experience and game library is a tad less impressive than that of PCVR, but you won't need any extra gadgetry to get started. Perfect for newcomers interested in something serious.

Console VR headset

Pros: Cons: - Proper VR with less fuss - Sparse on features - Cheaper than PCVR or wireless VR - Limited by console type

There are VR headsets (or VR experiences) available for both PlayStation and Nintendo fans – if you're an Xbox owner, I'm afraid you're out of luck. You'll find that the type of VR experience is limited by the power of the console; Sony's PSVR is almost as impressive as full-blooded PCVR, where Nintendo's Labo kits are closer to mobile VR. Both are reviewed here.

What specs should I look out for?

Display resolution: VR headset resolutions are measured both as a whole unit, and on a per-eye basis. Modern PCVR headsets tend to have a combined display resolution of at least 2,560 x 1,440, or 1,280 x 1,440 per eye – the higher the resolution, the clearer the image, and the more you will have to pay.

Display type: You won't need to worry too much about this, but for reference, most PCVR manufacturers are moving to fast-switch LCD panels and leaving OLED displays in the dust. This is because OLEDs are expensive, and produce a blurrier image than LCDs.

Refresh rate: This determines how many new images the display can show in a second (measured in Hz). Fundamentally, a high refresh rate means the moving image you're seeing on-screen will appear smoother, and you might therefore feel less nauseous. Expect refresh rates to vary from 70-120Hz.

FOV: Field of Vision – how much of the virtual world you can see when peering into the lenses of your HMD. Most VR headsets have a FOV of around 100-110 degrees, which is just barely enough to make you feel like you're inside the world, rather than just looking at a screen.