Best fitness games for the Meta Quest 3 – How to get fit in VR
Ever since the days of the PlayStation Move, Wii Balance Board or the Xbox Kinect, software publishers have dreamed of finding the perfect way to entice unhealthy gamers to get off the couch and get active.
In an unlikely twist, it finally seems as though virtual reality, and in particular the Quest 3, is going to turn out to be the hardware to finally bring gamified fitness into the wider world.
Getting fit with VR
Obviously, if you are a couch potato then any kind of activity is beneficial. You don’t need to take a HIIT class to get started, just any kind of calorie-burning exercise is going to be appreciated in the long run by your heart.
If you are starting out try a game that just makes you move around a bit. Something simple like Walkabout Mini Golf or the gentler levels of Beat Saber. Even a game such as Virtuoso will have you playing a virtual drum kit and flailing about a bit. You won’t turn into a ripped Adonis by doing it but you are at least prepping your heart for what’s to come.
Remember, before undertaking any program of intensive exercise you should consult your doctor.
Best workouts on Quest 3
There are so many Quest 3 fitness apps now it can be difficult to know what to choose, so we are going to give you three to start your fitness journey with and explain why they are the best below.
The Thrill of the Fight
This intensive boxing workout has been around since the days of the Quest 2 but the Quest 3 brings better tracking with it. There are several ways to work out here including heavy bags, speed balls, and sparring before you even start to think about a big fight and all will have you sweating buckets if you go at it.
The initial setup in The Thrill of the Fight sees you stepping on a virtual scale while the game calibrates your height and from there on you are in the gym. Your Quest 3 battery will be fine because it is unlikely you will last as long as it does before needing a well-earned break.
FitXR
FitXR was easy to recommend until recently but a lot of people have started to look elsewhere since it recently introduced the dreaded monthly subscription model – “I just wanna quit the gym!”
There is a seven-day free trial before you get tied into a yearly or monthly payment and the array of virtual classes from boxing, stretches to Zumba is mightily impressive. If you are all in on taking your Quest fitness seriously, look no further.
Liminal
You should never forget your mental health when it comes to actually staying healthy and Liminal is a great step towards ticking that box as well as getting you moving and active. A curated set of experiences in the free tier are well worth trying out and there is a premium option if you want to buy into what it’s doing.
At the start of each experience you choose you need to rank how you are feeling and then again at the end and the game measures any improvements. It just feels really nice and the games range from high energy to chilled so you always have a mood-dependant choice.
They also feel like fun part-games too, and don’t last very long so can fit in when you need a quick boost. We really like Lininal.
Keep hydrated
If you are working out regularly you will know the necessity of taking hydration on board. You won’t think twice about taking a swig from a water bottle. With a Quest 3 on life is not that simple as the simple act of drinking is generally blocked by the headset. Plan ahead and get a bottle with a straw, double tap the side of your headset to get into Passthrough mode, pick up the bottle, and drink away. You will get hotter than normal with a headset on so this is even more important than ever.
Can you get fit with a Quest 3?
You can undoubtedly improve your fitness dramatically with the kinds of cardio you can do in the Quest 3. A look around the internet will reveal plenty of people with positive stories such as, “As someone who has lost over 100lbs with VR as my only real workout, I 100% recommend VR for it. VR changed my life!”
As with any fitness program, perseverance and getting over the tough first days are the keys to seeing real gains whether you are looking to improve your fitness, lose weight, or even boost your mental health.
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Cons to using VR to get fit
The biggest and really only issue that will definitely flare up is that of sweat. Any good workout requires you to build up a head of steam and wearing screens in a relatively heavy plastic encasing is going to make it worse.
As your forehead is one of the first places to start sweating anyway, encasing that in plastic exacerbates the issue so you probably need to take some steps to mitigate the problem, especially if you share your Quest 3 headset with other friends or family members. There’s a limit to how much of your DNA they want to inherit when they just want to play Walkabout Mini Golf next time.
Amazon sells a number of replacement facial interfaces and cooling padding that you can swap in and out for your workouts. You can also buy packs of 100 facial covers which protect the Quest a little and are disposable.
Another thing you might think about is a cooling fan. You can get ones that go around your neck or the forthcoming pro headband from BoboVR for the Quest 3 has a fan built in.
Speaking of headbands, if you haven’t upgraded your Quest head strap yet you probably want to do so before taking off on a virtual marathon as the one that comes with it is rubbish and not stable at all. You don’t want your Quest flying across the room as you land that perfect uppercut in The Thrill of the Fight. Check out the premium straps from BoboVR would be our best advice.