The Best VR Apps

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You don’t need an expensive VR headset to enjoy Virtual Reality!

Here are the Top VR Apps for iPhone and Android

Until recently, you had to rely on a VR headset to explore the same types of virtual experiences that you can now find on apps that enable you to play/view with VR and create your virtual reality experience … from an app.

If you are looking to experience virtual reality from the comfort of your own living room, there are plenty of VR apps you can use. And if you want to create your own VR experiences, we’ve reviewed some great apps for that too.

There are so many different VR apps these days, it can be hard to know where to start. So we did the legwork for you, testing dozens and narrowing the list down to our favorites. Perfect if you’re looking to get started on your first VR experience or want to create your own VR app.

The Best VR Video
Player Apps

YouTube VR logo

YouTube VR is another free app available on Android that allows you to enjoy 360-degree videos. Users can also search for videos with their voice without having to type directly on their phones.

The VR app works with your regular YouTube account or YouTube premium.

Although the UI can be challenging to navigate, it works well most of the time.

All you need is to select your device on the link provided or head to YouTube and look for VR videos. An icon will pop up on the thumbnail confirming that your chosen video is in VR.

Littlstar provides free access to virtual reality videos, movies, television shows, photos, and more. Whether or not you have a virtual reality headset, you can watch this content including standard, 3D, 180 degrees, 360, and even AR. Included with the app is content for kids to adults, such as sporting, theater and more. You can even upload your own VR content for others to watch. Interestingly, interacting with the app is gamified, earning you ‘ARA rewards’ that can be used to pay for licenses to music, art, film, games, shows and more.

Within VR logo

Within VR is a shining example of how some of the best VR Apps can be used to create amazing experiences. Within VR is one of the highly-rated VR apps that provides an immersive VR experience from around the world. The app distributes AR, VR, and XR experiences on mobile, web, and other consoles.

Users get to experience quality videos in different genres like fitness, mindfulness, horror, music, documentaries, and more. You’ll find the visuals stunning featuring CGI-powered pixels and high resolution.

Within VR is available on iOS, Android, PlayStation, Oculus Rift, and Gear VR. The app is free to use and doesn’t have any ads.

Cardboard by Google LLC logo

Google Cardboard is one of Google’s VR apps. It’s designed to help a user learn how to set up the Cardboard VR headset properly and also explore other virtual reality features.

The Android-based app is free to use and you can scan the QR code of your headset.

Furthermore, the app also has an inbuilt photo viewer, video player, arctic journey, and more.

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The Best VR News Apps

The Best VR
Meditation Apps

Provata VR logo

At the opposite end of the spectrum is an app called Provata VR that offers meditation and mindfulness classes in virtual reality. The app allows you to visit a variety of beautiful and calming sites, including coral reefs and breathtaking waterfalls, as well as the awe-inspiring northern lights.

Available on both Google Play and Apple App Store.

The Best VR Apps for
Creating and Drawing

Oculus Medium logo

For an immersive sculpting experience, Oculus Medium is one of the best apps to play around with. The app has a robust set of features ideal for painting, sculpting and stamping. Notably, the app also utilizes a built-in light and camera system, making it a perfect app for quick concept work.

Quill logo

Also from the makers of Oculus, is Quill, a 3D painting tool that mimics the experience of using traditional media. The artistic brushstrokes in 3D movies can be fully animated with this app, enabling you to bring your own VR creations to life in 3D.

Gravity Sketch logo

This app has been compared to Illustrator and we think that’s fair compression of apples to apples. Gravity Sketch is a full-featured 3D creation app for VR, full of cool and intuitive tools for creating shapes, using splines and curves. Product visualization, modelling vehicles, rendering and the like are areas where this app really excels.

Tilt Brush

Tilt Brush was one of the earliest art apps in virtual reality to gain notoriety. The app offers a pro mode for the more advanced artist, and it has some interesting animated brushes that can aid in creating some fascinating works. It may be among the most casual/basic of all of these tools, but it’s a fun way to rough out ideas or simply doodle in VR.

Final Thoughts on the Best VR Apps for 2022 and Beyond

With the VR app technology still in its infancy, developers are working hard to ensure that virtual reality becomes mainstream and is easily accessible to everyone. With the best VR apps, you can experience VR at your convenience and on your phone, even if you don’t have a VR headset.