Virtual reality and augmented reality have become mainstream. Here are our picks for the best games and apps to download for iPhone and Android.
The experience of both AR and VR has never been easier to experience from the comfort of your own home. Through cheap headsets and using your smartphone, there are hundreds of apps that can give you a full virtual experience.
Swimming with sharks, hanging out with your friends or just taking a relaxing boat ride, there are plenty of VR experiences out there and we’ve listed the best Android and iOS options below.
Android, iOS
Rec Room is a hugely popular VR experience enjoyed by millions of users. Available on iOS, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Oculus and Steam, you can play it on a variety of platforms. You can chat with millions of people and hang out in user-created rooms, or build something new. There are customizable avatars, challenging games and more.
iOS,Android
This multi-colored action and racing game takes place in a unique microworld, recreating the anatomy of a human cell in impressive detail, giving it an educational angle as well. Players drive past capillaries and connections as they take in the inner space. The depth and scale of the scenes really make the experience worthwhile, plus it has an exciting soundtrack.
Android
Cartoon Village transports you to a colorful medieval cartoon settlement where you have the freedom to explore every nook and cranny you wish. The extreme level of detail gives the rural enclave a truly lived-in feel, and you can easily change the season and time of day to see how it affects residents’ habits and the surrounding natural world. In addition, it can run in Daydream mode on devices running Android 4.2 or later. Cartoon Village has already taken the title as the cutest CG rendered app in the world of virtual reality.
iOS,Android
Within is a production company specializing in storytelling through live-action VR movies, and this app is the best way to experience their selection of high-quality 360° videos on your smartphone. Collaborations with, among others The New York Timesthe UN, Shame And Saturday night live provide a well-rounded exploration of the medium’s potential. Within also collaborated with U2 on their ‘Song for Nobody’, so viewers could sit with Bono in their living room.
Android, iOS
Jaunt is another production company that aims to send viewers to story-driven worlds simply through the use of their mobile device. A virtual Nepalese mountain adventure, a front row seat at a Paul McCartney concert, and a journey through North Korea as the country holds military celebrations highlight the breadth of scenarios Jaunt covers. They also send you into the movie, like the 360° fashion shoot with Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) in zoolander 2.
Via Jaunt VR (see above)
Jaunt’s highly anticipated, riveting horror film is certainly not for the faint of heart. Plus, it comes complete with an interactive sound field mixed in Dolby Atmos to really startle you. You have been warned.
Android, iOS
Looking for a relaxing VR experience? The aptly named Relax River is a great option for you. You float down a river and can take in the entire environment without having to work. There are no settings or configurations, just enjoy the journey.
Android
What better way to get to know the solar system than to fully immerse yourself in it. With this VR app you can compare planets, get close to them, play starship missions through asteroids and generally enjoy the life of an astronaut in VR.
Android, iOS
Fulldive VR is a social platform with the incentive to earn cryptocurrencies as you use it. You can follow your friends, watch videos, play games, surf the web, and generally do everything you would on the web, but through a VR lens.