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VR is a place where the impossible can become possible. While there are plenty of games that let you act out things you can do in your everyday life, like play basketball or throw a football around, plenty let you venture to fantastical worlds, wield magic, play as giants, and pretty much anything else you can think of.
The possibilities are endless, and all kinds of different genres have utilized that ability to create incredible game worlds while giving the player a chance to do things that they never before that could be possible.
VR is technically still in its infancy, but already, there are so many amazing genres to choose from. While it seemed obvious we’d get our fair share of shooters and melee combat games, one thing we didn’t anticipate was the influx of anime games that have come out of the VR landscape.
At a glance, it makes a ton of sense as the over-the-top nature of anime seems to fit right it with making the player the controller. What wasn’t as obvious is how that art style would translate into VR, as it essentially requires you to turn into a cartoon character and exist in that world.
How would those visuals affect people when it was literally all around them? Luckily, it hasn’t been too much of an issue so far, and there are several outstanding Anime titles that not only faithfully recreate their source material but also deliver some great games.
For me, VR has been a 5 years journey. I remember my first time trying VR was way back in 2010, and it was the crudest form of the Oculus Rift you could imagine.
The graphics were essentially Nintendo quality, and the games were basically non-existent. I thought that the possibility of it becoming a relevant platform in my lifetime was nil. It turns out that in just 6 years, VR made absurd leaps in both technology and visuals, and it’s only getting better.
Today, I work in a VR game every other day and even do some daily workouts in VR as well. It’s becoming one of the most useful mediums in the world, and I’m proud to be able to share my experiences with you.
The anime VR games on this list are certainly of the niche variety, but don’t let that scare you away. What they might lack in triple-A polish, they make up for in passion and style. Here are some of the best VR Anime games available.
Selection Criteria
- Well-rated games
- Great Gameplay
- Interesting Ideas
- Impressive Graphics
- Smart VR Implemention
Bottom Line Up Front
The best anime VR game is, without a doubt, Zenith: The Last City. It’s got absolutely gorgeous anime visuals, an unbelievable world to explore, slick VR mechanics, and it’s the only MMO in VR that’s worth talking about. As ambitious as it is impressive, there is no other VR game, anime or otherwise, that deserves your time more than Zenith: The Last City.
VR Anime Games
Tokyo Chronos
For fans of visual novels, Tokyo Chronos is a perfect way to try out your first one in VR. It’s not the longest experience, but it has some serious passion behind it and the storyline is engaging enough to make you forget about the lack of any true presence of VR gameplay.Â
Currently, it’s got a phenomenal rating on Steam and a 4.5/5 rating on the Oculus store, making it one of the highest-rated anime games out there currently. It’s got a great soundtrack, and the graphics are outstanding.
Although the gameplay isn’t really all that physically involved, it’s an immersive experience that has some good writing and will intrigue you all the way through. It can also be played while sitting down, which is helpful to a lot of gamers as being on your feet and not moving around can be uncomfortable after a while with the headset on.
Final Fantasy XV VR: Monster of the Deep
It’s no secret that Final Fantasy XV wasn’t a favorite among fans of the series and part of the reason was because of all the new things it tried to do while keeping fans of the series happy at the same time. One of the new things it tried to do was transition into VR.
Instead of putting the whole game into VR which would’ve been quite the undertaking, Square Enix gave us a little taste of Final Fantasy XV in VR with Monster of the Deep. The experience here is pretty brief, but fans of the game will find a decent amount to like. You’ll be undertaking some fishing missions that have a bit of a twist to them.
Your mission is to lure Daemons and once they’ve been caught, you need to shoot at them with a Crossbow and there are several varieties of these missions throughout.
There is also a ton of time spent with the 4 main characters from the game and the time spent with them is probably the best part of the experience.
You won’t be getting the high octane combat from Final Fantasy XV, so don’t go in expecting too much. For fans of the game that loved the world and the characters though, there is plenty to like here.
Sairento VR
Okay, so technically, Sairento is not an anime game, but it has literally everything an anime game could possibly dream of having. You play a futuristic ninja in one of not only the best anime-style VR games out there but one of the best VR games, period. Let me paint the scenario for you.
You burst into a room and see several enemies shooting at you. You leap into the air, spin upside down, slow time to take careful headshots as you float through the air Matrix-style.
You land, and your enemies fall, then a massive futuristic samurai charges at you, and you sprint toward him, slide past him slowing time once again, and whip out your sword to cut him down as you slide on by.
That scenario is literally every level of Sairento VR. It’s an absolute rush of a game, and it’s highly customizable, giving you the option to wield different guns, swords, and other gadgets in between missions.
You can also play co-op with a friend, and the result is one of the most exhausting and frenetic VR experiences out there. You cannot miss this game if you like anime and VR. Take my word for it.
VR Chat
VR Chat is one of the most fascinating experiences in VR. In many ways, VR Chat is the start of what is soon to become the Metaverse. Technically, it’s not really an anime-based game either. The strange part about that is that once you enter the game, you see SO many characters.
It’s not uncommon to walk into the bar area of the game and find Naruto playing Pool with Goku, or finding one of the characters from Persona 5 chasing around Pikachu. It’s complete and utter madness and that’s a compliment.Â
That experience is one of the wildest and most varied you can imagine, as VR Chat is pretty much anything you want it to be. If you want to hang out with friends at a bar, that’s very doable. If you want to attend a concert, that’s available too.
You can also participate in tons of different games, and it’s constantly evolving, so the limit on what you can do in VR Chat is constantly expanding. It’s an essential game to have regardless of the headset you’ve got, and the best thing about it? It’s completely free to play.
Pokemon VR
While it’s not technically the official Pokemon VR game as that doesn’t really exist quite yet, this indie-produced game available off-sidequest is the closest thing we’ve got in VR to a full-fledged Pokemon experience. As a Pokemon fan, you can bet that this is the awesome blend of nostalgia and coolness that you’ve been dreaming of for years.
You start off in Professor Oak’s lab and choose from the classic three starting Pokemon of Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charmander, and from there, you get to explore the Kanto Region.
For being a free-to-play game, Pokemon VR is certainly dedicated to doing everything you’d expect from a Pokemon game. You explore the lands, capturing various Pokemon and you can train them to get stronger, just as you would in any normal Pokemon game.
One noticeable thing absent from the game is the ability to throw your Pokeball to catch the Pokemon, but this game is constantly being updated, so it’s possible that shows up at some point too.
In addition, the game is fully multiplayer, allowing you to explore with friends and challenge each other to fights, which take place in a massive stadium and have you dishing out commands to your Pokemon in a fight.
It is certainly a raw experience in a lot of ways, but nothing comes close to delivering that Pokemon VR experience that we’ve been dreaming of for all of these years.
Hatsune Miku VR
Anime is an important genre to be introduced into VR because it’s far more than just fighting games. Case and point, Hatsune Miku introduces a very popular character from anime to the VR world.
There are tons of rhythm games in VR currently, but very few of them feature any form of a main character and here, that’s just what you’ll get as the entire game takes place with you dancing alongside Hatsune Miku.
As is the case with most rhythm games, this one will get your blood pumping and sweat pouring, so just because it may look pretty casual on the outside, once you start playing, you’ll be in for a pretty solid workout and that’s part of the magic when it comes to VR games.
While this is probably one for strict fans of Hatsune Miku, it’s still a very well made game that shows its passion for not only the VR platform but also the Hatsune Miku, so if you’re looking for a VR rhythm game outside the box, this is definitely a decent one to give a try.
Attack on Titan VR
Attack on Titan is one of the best and most popular anime of all time. It’s extremely unique among most anime because its crazy concept involves the invasion of gigantic, naked humans that terrorize the inhabitants of a walled-in city. That unique concept didn’t exactly scream VR adaptation, but sure enough, just that has happened.
It’s only available on Sidequest, but it is a free-to-play game, so there is no risk in giving it a try. The gameplay is absolutely what you’re looking for when it comes to an Attack on Titan VR game, and you’ll be swinging around the massive monsters of the show trying to take them down.
While it’s not the most expansive gameplay, it certainly gives you what you want, and it’s absolutely thrilling to soar through the air at these horrific beings with your dual swords at the ready to deliver a finishing blow. This one can get pretty dizzying after a while, so don’t play for too long if you’ve had issues with motion sickness in VR in the past.
Sword Reverie
I’ll be upfront here, Sword Reverie is an awesome game for not only anime fans but everyone who owns a VR headset. This game may be looked at years from now as the beginning of something very special in VR, and that is the JRPG genre.
Where are my Final Fantasy fans at? Where’s our representation in VR? That’s been a question that’s been present for quite some time now, and now with Sword Reverie, that question has been answered in a resounding way.
This absolutely gorgeous game throws you right into an original anime title and gives you a ton of tools to play with. You’ve got all kinds of cool weapons to choose from, elemental powers to discover, and some amazingly designed enemies to fight.
The passion from the developer is clearly there as you can feel shades of games like Dragon Quest influencing the proceedings at various times. There’s also a bit of a Breath of The Wild vibe to the graphics as well, so you know you’re in for a beautiful visual experience.
The tagline for this game includes the phrase “Be an anime protagonist.” and Sword Reverie does everything to live up to that name while delivering a strong, 2-5 hour action RPG that shows the beginnings of what could be huge one day.
Spice and Wolf VR 1&2
Spice and Wolf VR 2 is a completely faithful recreation of the anime it’s named after, and with that comes an immersive experience that literally puts you in the anime with the characters. There is a full story mode, but there is also a mode where you can watch the anime with the characters themselves in a theatre together.
It’s a nice touch for the fans of the series, and I can’t really think of any other game that lets you literally sit down with characters from the series to watch it with. It’s both a bizarre and brilliant addition to the game.Â
The gameplay in this is essentially that of an interactive novel, so don’t expect to be doing anything too crazy in this game. For those who enjoy their anime with more subtlety and calm than their over-the-top insane counterparts, both of these games will provide unique adventures that remain incredibly faithful to the anime.
Kingdom Hearts VR Experience
Just as with the Final Fantasy XV experience, Kingdom Hearts VR Experience is much less a game than it is a joy ride through the wonderful and weird universe of Kingdom Hearts.
In this VR experience, you get to travel on the infamous Gummi Ship and you get to experience what the warp speed effect you see in the normal games looks like up close in VR. As a big fan of the series, this experience was mind-blowing, and although there is pretty much no VR activity, just seeing it was good enough for me.
The other part of the experience has you hanging out with Sora, Kaira, and Riku on Destiny Island. This was nostalgic as this moment is truly the last bit of calm in the series before everything ends up going completely crazy in this world.
There is also a final scene here that is both surprising and heartwarming for fans of both Disney and Square Enix that I won’t spoil. The whole experience is free, so if you’re a fan of the series, you need to check this one out.
Zenith: The Last City
Zenith: The Last City is one of the most ambitious games in all of gaming. While attempts have been made to successfully create an MMO in VR, none have really succeeded. Zenith: The Last City has thrown its hat into the ring as an anime-styled MMO that is unbelievable in both its graphics and scale.
You create a custom character at the start, and from there, you join this wild and wonderful world. Here you’ll find enemies of all kinds, and you’ll be doing battle between a variety of melee and long-range attacks that channel everything from Sword Art Online to Dragonball Z.
The environments are outstanding looking, and the combat is some of the most fierce and fun that I’ve experienced in VR. In order to traverse the world, you literally can fly around, and being able to freely soar in any direction you want is just an outstanding feeling that is smoothly implemented.
It’s still in the early stages, and the developers will be supporting it heavily as time goes on, but the initial product offering here is seriously a one-of-a-kind experience. Zenith: The Last City has so many ambitious ideas, and the fact that it even manages to nail any of them is an achievement in itself.
This one is a must-play for MMO and anime fans alike. To put it into perspective, this game was beating out pre-orders for games like Elden Ring and Dying Light: Stay Human, so yeah, it’s certainly worth a look.
Altdeus: Beyond Chronos
This is one of the more unique anime games you can find in VR. This game is a visual novel style game that mixes in some crazy mech-based combat, and the result is a unique combination that manages to work despite the strange mixture.
The robot battles are definitely the highlight here, and the impressive visuals on display mixed with the sharp combat mechanics make every time you get ready to fight an intense experience.
The visual novel aspect of it is pretty pleasant as well, and it’s got some strong writing going on as well as an interesting plot involving the invasion of an alien race.
It’s a shame that there isn’t more mech combat in the game because what’s there is honestly of the best you can get in VR, but the title is still worth checking out for fans of mech anime and visual novels alike.
Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing
While you wouldn’t expect a ton from a VR broom racing game, this is actually an extremely fun racing experience that is fully voice acted with some of the most bombastic music tracks you’ll hear in VR supporting your adventure.
You take up the role of a guest student at a magic academy, and from there, you take on a variety of different kinds of missions and races. The game is based on the hit anime Little Witch Academia, so you can expect to find characters from the show and references throughout the game as well.
It’s not all racing, though, as some levels have you purifying ghosts in the world, and you’ll have to shoot at them to accomplish this.
The action is incredibly intense and colorful, so make sure you can handle that style of game as all of that mixed with the harrowing nature of flying in VR can cause some issues dizziness-wise. If you can handle it, though, Little Witch Academia is a great way to experience a hit anime in VR.
Heavens Tournament
This is a wild game that has you playing as all sorts of anime characters in an intense VR fighting game that will challenge you physically as you will be dodging, punching, ducking, and more as you attempt to survive the gauntlet of anime warriors you’ll go up against.
You’ll also gain access to a variety of weapons and special abilities to go along with them.
Your footwork is incredibly important here and can be the difference between winning or losing a fight. Because of that fact, you want to make sure you’ve got a huge play area available to you as you’re going to need it in order to play the game properly.
You will have to swing your arms with some strength behind them if you want to cause damage in this game. There is no story mode, really, but the anime-style fights on offer here and the great physical aspect of the game are plenty to give this one a try.
Last Labyrinth
Long ago, on the PS2, there was a game called ICO. It was an anime-inspired adventure that had you navigating a castle that progressively got weirder and weirder as it went on. Last Labyrinth is in many ways the successor to that game.
Much in the same way, you will lead a woman through a series of harrowing circumstances that essentially combines the horrors of the movie Saw with Escape Room tendencies of the modern-day. The result is an incredibly intense and sometimes disturbing experience that is both powerful and fun, and terrifying all at the same time.
I haven’t played a game in VR that made me care for the character I was protecting, like Last Labyrinth, and for VR, Anime, and horror fans alike, this is one that should absolutely be checked out. There’s a playable demo, too, so you can check it out before buying the full experience.
My Top Picks
- Sairento VR- Unbelievably cool combat with a lengthy story, multiplayer and tons of customization options
- Zenith: The Last City- An MMO in VR that is a sight to behold, with combat that is both smart and physically engaging.
- VR Chat- A do anything world where characters from anime currently dominate. Hang out, play games in custom-made worlds and spend time with friends or strangers in the first true VR metaverse experiment.
FAQs
Question: Where Can I Play Anime Games in VR?
Answer: You can play anime games in VR in a variety of places. While the vast majority of them reside on Steam, you can also find them on PSVR, Oculus, and other platforms as well. In addition, Sidequest has a ton of anime games that are accessible, and most of them are either free or cost next nothing to purchase.
One such game of that variety is Pokemon VR, so quality is not compromised on Sidequest despite the cheapness of the products.
Question: What’s the Best Anime Fighting Game?
Answer: The best anime fighting game is probably Zenith: The Last City. It’s billed as an MMO, but the fighting taking place here is just awesome and it feels both anime-inspired and action RPG inspired at the same time.
For a game still getting content as the weeks go by, the combat is excellent and gives you a large range of playstyles and abilities that keep the fights against the interest creatures of this world feeling fresh throughout.Â
Question: How Much do Anime VR Games Cost?
Answer: Anime VR games vary in price, and the more ambitious titles might cost you around $40, while the more experimental games and shorter games will only run you about $10. There are also plenty of free anime VR games as well.
The majority of anime VR games can be found on Steam, though you will also find a handful of them on the platform Sidequest. Keep in mind that games found here are generally rougher quality than Steam games, although Pokemon VR started there, so some serious innovation is there as well.Â
Conclusion
Anime is an amazing medium, and its semi-recent introduction into the world of VR has given us some outstanding titles. What’s exciting is that this list will only grow over time, and there are still so many anime franchises that have yet to be implemented in VR, such as Gundam.
Once more developers start to see the light in VR, the anime games will come nonstop, and we’ll soon be engaging in crazy battles side by side with all our favorite characters. Hopefully, you found a game on this list that will cure your urge for VR anime.
Two picks to check out for certain are Zenith: The Last City and Sairento. You’ll have a blast.
Find more games by reading these guides below: