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VR is such an incredible platform these days, and the best part about it is the flexibility when it comes to how you can play it. While some players love the way VR games physically engage them, others prefer to experience VR without standing up. Whether this is because of disabilities or preference, VR is still readily available for anyone that prefers to experience games while seated.
While most games can be played while seated, some require controllers. The problem is that controllers are costly, and let’s say you break one by accident, well, then you’re pretty stuck until you can find a new one. VR games without controllers allow you to use your mouse and keyboard to play instead, and some of these games are just as incredible as their controller counterparts.
I’m a VR veteran that has played every headset out there, and while my preference lies in VR games that use controllers, I’ve had several excellent experiences of the controller-less games that are just as good.
Selection Criteria
- VR games
- No Controllers
- Great Games
1. Snow Strike VR
- Genre-Family
- Developer-Dpid.co
- 6/10
Sometimes it’s good when a game just wants you to have fun, which is what you’ll get with Snow Strike VR. This is a simple game where you have to hit your opponents in the face with snowballs, kind of similar to dodgeball.
You have tons of levels that you can compete against, and you can also play online. The key to winning is accuracy, and while it’s a simple game, it’s a ton of fun and can be played without a controller.
2. End Space
- Genre- Flying/Space Shooter
- Developer- Orange Bridge Studios
- 8/10
There are tons of awesome VR games, but few give you the pure experience of being a space pilot. End Space is one of those experiences, and if you can stomach it, it’s absolutely one of the best VR titles around.
The concept is simple, explore space and defeat enemies in wild dog fights. The game is excellent and looks visually stunning. Still, it also feels incredibly natural to play on a keyboard as it’s easy to picture yourself typing in commands on a spacecraft, and it helps the immersion immensely.
Missions are varied, and the visuals will leave you with your jaw on the floor more often than not. One thing to keep in mind here is motion sickness, though, as it can be straightforward to get a bit woozy if you don’t have supreme control over your spacecraft.
3. Death Sky Walk
- Genre- Wave fighting game
- Developer-Appteeka VR Games
- Personal Rating: 6/10
This game is both simple and completely insane. You are basically tight rope walking while also fighting off enemies. This game is definitely not for you for players with a fear of heights. For the daredevils out there, though? This is easily one of the most fun and frantic experiences in VR. It’s not the most extended experience, but it’s incredibly immersive and addictive once you get into the swing of things.
4. VR X Racer
- Genre- Racing
- Developer- IEC Corp
- Personal Rating: 7/10
One of the most fun things to do in VR is driving a vehicle, and VR X Racer is no exception. You move your head side to side to steer the racer, and things get pretty intense as your reflexes are tested. The game is relatively simple-looking, using cartoon graphics to make up the experience, but the mixture of color and art design is fantastic to see in VR. You don’t even need a keyboard with this game either, as your headset is the only actual thing required to play.
5. Star Wars: Squadrons
- Genre- Space Shooter
- Developer- Motive
- Personal Rating: 8.5/10
When VR first came out, immediately, people wondered which of their favorite fictional universes they could visit. Naturally, one of the first to pop up was Star Wars. While you won’t be wielding a Lightsaber in this game, you will be piloting various spaceships and engaging in incredibly fun and immersive dogfights that bring the Star Wars experience to life.
There is a pretty solid single-player experience here that takes you to both sides of the galactic conflict while having you interact with some famous Star Wars characters as well. The real fun, though, is in multiplayer mode, which you can play time after time again to try and dominate other players around the world.
6. No Mans Sky
- Genre- Space Exploration
- Developer- Hello Games
- Personal Rating: 9/10
No Man’s Sky is one of the most incredible gaming experiences. You have an unlimited universe to explore, multiplayer to engage with players worldwide, and tons of add-on content that comes for free every couple of months. While playing with VR controllers, you can also just play with a mouse and keyboard or a PS4 controller.
The graphics are incredible, and the exploration of foreign planets simply never gets old. You also get some great space combat, an energetic soundtrack, and some fascinating story beats to keep you busy as well.
To make it all the better, you can also play with your friends in VR. The expedition missions are incredibly unique too, and the number of hours you can explore this universe is literally infinite.
7. Elite Dangerous
- Genre- Space Simulation
- Developer- Frontier Developments
- 9/10
While I’ve already mentioned a few different space games, none are on the level of Elite Dangerous when it comes to immersion. Not only will you be the pilot of a massive spaceship in Elite Dangerous, but you’re also in charge of maintaining your ship as well. Speaking of your ship, just getting the thing to turn on is an incredibly tough task, and it really feels like what would be necessary to pilot a monstrous spaceship.
For those who want more Star Trek and less Star Wars, Elite Dangerous is the space sim you’ve been dreaming of. You’ll still be having dogfights in the depths of space, but in between will be much quieter moments where it’s just you and the silent darkness of space. It’s almost a meditative experience to play at times, and it’s all completely playable with a mouse and keyboard. It’s without a doubt one of the most incredible experiences in VR, even if it does lean more towards the hardcore audience.
8. Subnautica
- Genre- Underwater Exploration
- Developer- Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Personal Rating: 9/10
If you like No Man’s Sky, then consider Subnautica “No Man’s Sea.” It’s very much a similar concept, except instead of exploring the endless regions of space, you explore the endless ocean. The feeling of exploring underwater is incredible, and it’s all available without VR controllers. You can use a keyboard and mouse or a console controller to play, and there are hours and hours of content available here.
There is magic to this game, and it’s the creepy unknown oceans that keep the intrigue going. What starts as a somewhat innocent journey becomes far more interesting as you progress, and there’s a reason people praise this game as much as they do.
9. Serious Sam Franchise
- Genre-Shooter
- Developer- Croteam VR
- Personal Rating: 8/10
Just because you don’t have VR controllers doesn’t mean that you can’t have some good old shooting fun. The entire Serious Sam franchise is available here and playable without VR controllers. You can use a console controller or a mouse and keyboard to play, and the action is excellent. If you’re unfamiliar with Serious Sam, he’s basically the mature brother of Duke Nuke’m.
That basically means that there’s going to be a whole lot of gigantic monsters, a lot of bullets, a lot of guns, and a lot of blood. If that sounds like a good time to you, then the Serious Sam Franchise will offer you hours of bloody fun while giving you quite the challenging experience as well.
10. Skyrim VR
- Genre- Fantasy RPG
- Developer- Bethesda Game Studios
- Personal Rating: 9.5/10
While I think Skyrim VR is best experienced with motion controllers, you have the option to play with a normal controller if you wish, and the result is the normal game of Skyrim, but completely in VR.
If you’ve never played Skyrim before, you’re in for an incredibly long experience that gives you some incredible exploration, awesome combat, and so many quests to take part in that you can lose yourself in the game for hours at a time.
The combat is exciting and looks great in VR. Encountering enemies like Dragons in VR is one of the most intimidating and incredible experiences you can have playing a game. You’ll be able to mod the experience as well if you’re on the PC, and this gives you almost endless options for how you want to play.
There are quest mods, character mods, weapon mods, and so much more that you can completely change the experience you have every time you play if you really want to.
11. Doom VFR
- Genre- Shooter
- Developer-Id Software
- Personal Rating: 8/10
Doom is one of the most iconic franchises in all of gaming, so it was no wonder that it would make its way to VR in short order. Doom VFR basically takes Doom 2016 and throws it into the VR world. The result is an incredibly immersive experience that both looks gorgeous visually and is terrifying as well. All of the over-the-top insanity you’ve come to expect from Doom games is in here, and if fighting off waves of demons while wielding guns the size of motorcycles is what you desire, there is no better option in VR than Doom VFR.
12. Batman: Arkham VR
- Genre- Superhero Simulator
- Developer- Rocksteady Studios
- Personal Rating: 7/10
One of the coolest things that a VR game can do is turn you into someone else. When it comes to that, who hasn’t wanted to be Batman at one point in their life?
In Batman: Arkham VR, you become the caped crusader in a few different scenarios. It’s not the longest game for sure, but it lets you briefly experience what it’s like to be Batman, and the graphics are incredible, and the scenarios are pretty creative for the brief experience that it is. I would wait to see this one on sale before purchasing, but it’s still one of the coolest experiences in VR.
13. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Genre- Action/Adventure
- Developer- Ninja Theory
- Personal Rating: 9/10
Hellblade is an incredible experience on a flat screen, and thankfully it’s just as good in VR too. You play as Sensua, a Viking warrior with mental health issues fighting through a mysterious land in this VR experience that will absolutely blow your mind. Immediately, you’ll notice the incredible graphics, which are some of the best that VR has to offer by a longshot.
The VR experience is interesting on a controller, and while it might not be a VR game from the ground up, it’s still awesome to experience the combat and visuals from this perspective.
14. Keep Talking, and Nobody Explodes
- Genre- Puzzle Game
- Developer- Steel Crate Games
- Personal Rating: 9/10
For those of you that like puzzle games and want to feel more immersion from them, Keep Taling, and Nobody Explodes gives you one of the best puzzle games in VR that feels like an escape room brought into the virtual realm. It’s a great party game, and you can play with friends as well, and it’s all done without a controller if you choose.
15. Borderlands 2 VR
- Genre- Looter Shooter
- Developer- Gearbox Software
- Personal Rating: 8/10
Borderlands 2 is one of the best normal games of the decade, so it’s no wonder that it turns into one of the best games in VR too. Borderlands 2 VR is a completely over-the-top experience that thrusts you into a gorgeously cell-shaded world and pits you against one of the better villains in video game history in Handsome Jack.
See, you’re a vault hunter, essentially a treasure hunter in space, and your mission here is to collect as many weapons as you can and kill as many bad guys as you can as well.
Gunplay is completely nuts here, and your weapon variety is astounding as you’ll be picking up flaming shotguns, using a sword, poisonous pistols, and so many more that you’ll never get sick of your ever-growing arsenal. Borderlands 2 VR is also a long experience that is just awesome from start to finish, and it even has a solid story backing everything up.
16. Megaton Rainfall
- Genre- Superhero Simulator
- Developer- Pentadimensional Games, SL
- Personal Rating: 7/10
VR should allow you to perform feats that a normal human can never do, and Megaton Rainfall is one of the best realizations of just that. Playable without VR controllers, Megaton Rainfall puts you in the place of a superhero and tasks you with defending your city. Your opponents will be aliens of all kinds, and as you complete levels, your powers will increase greatly as well. One of the coolest parts of the game, though, is the ability to fly around the universe. That’s not hyperbole, you can literally fly to infinite solar systems, and the result is a visual wonder which is also quite jarring considering the super speeds you’ll be traveling at. It’s a cheap game that has some really awesome content and if you’re looking for a highly unique experience in VR, then definitely give Megaton Rainfall a try.
17. Resident Evil 7 VR
- Genre- Survival Horror
- Developer- Capcom USA, Inc
- Personal Rating: 9/10
If you were wondering where the horror games were, well, wonder no more. Not only is Resident Evil 7 VR completely playable without VR controllers, but it’s one of the best VR games ever made, period.
With some of the most outstanding graphics in VR, Resident Evil 7 VR is a mesmerizing experience that will chill you to your core with some awesome gameplay and a gripping story that will have you sweating just from the fear you’ll be experiencing.
If you can handle a bunch of frights and are looking for the quintessential horror game you can play sitting on the couch, then Resident Evil 7 VR is as good as it gets.
18. Obduction
- Genre- Exploration/Puzzle Game
- Developer- Cyan Inc.
- Personal Rating: 8/10
From the minds of the classic PC game Myst comes Obduction, a fully original VR explorative puzzle game that introduces some jaw-dropping visuals along with some creative puzzles to solve.
You’ll also experience an interesting story to push you along the way, and some of the environments you’ll explore here are just magical to behold. It’s all playable with a mouse and keyboard or console controller of your choice, and it’s one of the most unique experiences in VR.
19. VR Chat
- Genre- Social/ Sandbox Game
- Developer- VRChat Inc.
- Personal Rating: 9/10
VR chat is one of the wildest games out there. What seems like just a normal social game quickly turns into one of the craziest experiences in VR. Depending on the rooms you go into, you could find yourself in a pool hall, a dojo, a futuristic city, and pretty much anything else you can think of.
You’ll also be encountering real people who have the most bizarre avatars you can imagine. It’s not uncommon to see a cat hanging out with a medieval knight while a hippo in a skirt plays ping pong in the background. It’s the purest kind of crazy you can find in VR, and it’s a hint towards what we might be headed towards in this world that’s hurtling towards the metaverse.
20. Star Trek: Bridge Crew
- Genre- Spaceship Simulator
- Developer- Ubisoft
- Personal Rating: 8/10
Star Trek: Bridge Crew is an incredible game that gives you the full experience of being on a space crew. With some great graphics and some really cool systems in place, you really feel like you are making an impact on getting a ship up and running.
It’s all completely multiplayer too, and firing up your ship and blasting into space with a bunch of friends is one of the most amazing experiences you can have in VR.
21. GTA V
- Genre- Open World, Action-Adventure
- Developer- Rockstar Games
- Personal Rating: 9/10
It will require a bit more lengthy of a setup than your typical VR game, but once you get this baby humming, you won’t care about the extra 20 minutes or so it’ll take to set up. This is the entirety of GTA V in VR with no frills.
That means you’ll be getting an absolutely gorgeous city to explore in the form of Los Santos and take part in one of the best stories that the series has to offer. The game is fully playable in VR, and that means GTA V Online is part of the bundle.
This can all be played without a VR controller, and you’ll find yourself getting lost in this one for endless hours of chaotic fun. The graphics are pretty incredible as well, and seeing all the chaos play out in front of your eyes is an incredible experience.
Keep in mind that you need a decently strong PC in order to run this game. Not only will you be rendering the entirety of GTA V inside your headset, but you’re also going to be running it on the PC, too, and that likely means you’ll need to lower your settings a bit to get this playing smoothly.
22. Xing: The Land Beyond
- Genre- Exploration
- Developer- White Lotus Interactive
- Personal Rating: 8/10
Although it’s a few years old already, Xing: The Land Beyond is still a mesmerizing experience that still looks incredible in VR and is fully playable with a mouse and keyboard or controller. The concept at play here is a fascinating one as you have the power to experience the lives of deceased people just by touching their gravestones.
When this happens, you get teleported into all these different lives and follow several exciting stories that will involve some interesting puzzles and amazing exploration.
There is no combat here as the experience is largely visual, and that’s fine because I can’t think of a better game to just chill out and play on a rainy day. It’s a beautiful experience that shows a lot of care in every corner from the developers.
23. Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner
- Genre- Action/Adventure
- Developer- Konami
- Personal Rating: 8/10
While I didn’t exactly think the most obvious VR game would be the high octane PS2 classic Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, it ended up being an outstanding experience. The entire game is here, and if you can handle the super-fast combat and movement, Zone of the Enders:
The 2nd Runner is a wild experience that has a great story and is one of the more unique game worlds out there. The combat translates well to VR, and it all works great without a motion controller.
It’s an over the top anime-style story that takes all kinds of crazy twists and turns, and although it’s not usually talked about these days, it was one of the best games around for its time and getting the chance to jump into the iconic Jehuty mech and take to the skies in VR is just an experience you can’t pass up.
24. Eagle Flight
- Genre- Flight Simultator
- Developer- Ubisoft Montreal Studio
- Personal Rating: 7/10
Just because you don’t have VR controllers doesn’t mean you won’t get the chance to fly. Eagle Flight is an exclusively developed VR game that lets you explore the world like an eagle.
For those that are afraid of heights, this can be used as a great tool to get over your fear, and for those that have always wanted their flying dreams to come to fruition in the real world, this is the best flying simulator out there. There is also a multiplayer mode as well which lets you play with up to 6 players.
25. Hitman Trilogy
- Genre- Stealth/Action
- Developer- IO Interactive A/S
- Personal Rating: 9/10
Hitman has always been an undersung series, and this past year, it turned the whole recent trilogy into a VR experience. It’s strictly playable with a controller at this point, although motion control support is on the way with its PC release.
In the meantime, though, you can experience what it would be like to have to assassinate a difficult target amongst massive settings and how you decide to take out your targets is entirely up to you. Hitman was built upon freedom, so while you can take the guns-blazing approach to achieve your objective, you can also use your imagination to find more effective ways of taking out your target as well.
In VR, everything is that much more intense, and the gorgeous visuals help really put you into the shoes of Agent 47. Right now, there is no game like this in VR.
26. Project Wingman
- Genre- Flight Simulator
- Developer- Sector D2
- Personal Rating: 8/10
One of the most fun things you can do in VR is fly, and luckily, you don’t need motion controllers for most of these games. Project Wingman is one of the best flying games out there, and you need to be ready to take full control over your fighter plane because this game is pretty hardcore despite not being called a simulator experience.
You’ll be flying through massive warzones in beautiful locations and engaging in tons of firefights in a satisfying single-player mode. You will also face off against boss fights, use over 20 different aircrafts and be able to equip over 40 different weapons too. There are also multiple modes available as well so the action never gets stale.
27. Steel Crew
- Tank Simulator
- Developer- Magnus Anderson
- Personal Rating: 8/10
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to command your own tank along with a crew, Steel Crew is the highly immersive tank simulator that you never knew you needed. You and your crew will be navigating the incredibly detailed interiors of a variety of different tanks, all while in the heat of battle.
Getting these tanks to work takes some good communication between teams, and it really ends up like playing a social experiment where you and up to 3 other people must cooperate in order to succeed. It’s a very realistic game, so the action might not always be nonstop, but if you want a more strategic look at how wars were fought in WW2, Steel Crew is an amazing look into the past.
28. Pulsar: Lost Colony
- Genre- Space Exploration
- Developer- Leafy Games
- Personal Rating: 8/10
One of the more unique titles I’ve played in VR, Pulsar: Lost Colony is an intriguing roguelike that places you in a team on a starship and launches you into the mysteries of space. You will take on missions, investigate abandoned space stations and try to find anything you can along the way that might help you survive your arduous journey.
You’ll also visit strange planets with dangerous creatures around every bend and discover an intriguing story in the meantime. You can play the entire game Co-op as well with up to 4 other people to make it really feel like an epic quest. The graphics are amazing to see as well and help bring this fascinating universe to life.
Each member of the ship has their own specialties, and each part of the team must fulfill their duties if a mission is going to be successful.
The pilot has to fly the ship, the weapon’s specialist is the only one who can fire the main turret, the scientist must operate all of the sensors and take care of the research, and the engineer is the only one who can properly align the power system and take care of ship maintenance.
It all comes together to feel like a more advanced version of Star Trek: Bridge Crew, so if you’ve given that one a try already, Pulsar: Lost Colony is your next space journey for sure.
29. Alien Isolation VR
- Genre- Space Survival Horror
- Developer- Creator Assembly, Feral Interactive
- Personal Rating: 9/10
For fans of sci-fi horror, you know that the Alien franchise is the holy grail in this regard. While it wasn’t warmly received by critics, Alien: Isolation was an excellent game that took enemy AI to a whole other level as the Alien that stalks you throughout the game felt completely alive and absolutely terrified games in the process.
Well, now, with a little help from the modding world, you get the entire experience in VR. This game has some amazing graphics and art design and is genuinely one of the scariest games I’ve ever played.
In VR, the sounds of the ship become the creepiest thing out there as you don’t know if you’re hearing the ship creaking or if the Alien is about to make its next attack on you. It’s a masterwork in suspense and building dread, and if you think you can handle one of the scariest games ever made, Alien Isolation in VR is an absolute must-play.
FAQs
Question: Do Each of These Games Support a Mouse and Keyboard?
Answer:Â Some of the games available will only support a gamepad of some kind, while others offer full keyboard support, so it’s worth checking which game supports what.
Question: Do You Get Less Motion Sickness Playing While Seated?
Answer:Â While this definitely depends on who is playing, flying games, in particular, are much easier to handle in VR when seated.
Question: Can I Stand While Playing With a Mouse and Keyboard or Controller in VR?
Answer: Just because you don’t have motion controllers available to you doesn’t mean you still can’t get up and stretch your legs from time to time in VR. Most of these games have height calibration, and as long as you set it before you start playing, you can stand or sit during your play session with no issue.
Conclusion
A lot of these games support motion controllers, but some are completely specific to gamepad and keyboard and mouse, and because of that, you might even be missing out on some of the best games if you restrict yourself to using motion controls for all VR games.
Plenty of heavy-hitting triple-A games like Resident Evil 7 demand a normal controller being used, so open up your VR mind a bit and check what’s out there.
 Further readings:Â