Play VR Games On Android Devices

Are you looking to play VR games on an Android device? This article talks you through the options available, and how to set up the devices!

Andrew Kirkcaldy

Andrew Kirkcaldy

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How To Play VR Games On Android Devices

So, you’ve got yourself a virtual reality headset and you’re wondering how to go about using it on your Android phone or tablet. Never fear – it’s super easy! It just depends on which kind of headset you have, as the instructions vary a little.

Prepare to immerse yourself in a brand new world, right from your mobile phone.

How To Use An Oculus On Android

In order to utilize your Oculus on an Android device, all you need to do is download the official app from the Play Store.

Getting started is simple: just wirelessly connect your headset and phone, and the connection is established permanently. You’re ready to go!

Once everything is set up, you can do a huge amount of awesome things:

Manage your Oculus device and alter its settings
Scroll through thousands of VR apps, games, and experiences from the Oculus Store
Install VR apps onto the Oculus Rift or Rift X, remotely
Meet up with real life friends in VR, play games, watch movies and share experiences
Book yourself a virtual seat for live sports, music or other events

How To Use an HTC Vive On Android

If you’re rocking a Vive, you don’t need to download an app in order to access titles or download games: it’s automatically hooked up to Google Daydream (more on that later!) so you do everything directly from virtual reality.

What you can do, however, is connect your phone up to your headset with the official Vive Android app, available via the Play Store. This enables you to get live notifications of calls, texts, and other interactions, whilst you’re still in the VR world.

Much like with the Oculus app, setup is very straightforward: simply open the app up whilst you’ve got your headset handy, then pair your Vive and your phone by following the instructions. Now you can stay connected, even outside of reality.

Other Android VR Gaming Applications

If you’ve got a different headset but you’d still like to experience the world of VR via your Android device, don’t worry! There’s a whole host of other applications to discover through the Play Store, many of which will provide hours of entertainment.

Google Cardboard

Offering a unique and affordable VR experience, making the world of virtual reality more accessible in the process, Google Cardboard is an app that lets you do a whole host of different things:

  • Tour Guide – take a trip around Italy with a local native to help you
  • Earth – explore the whole world with the help of Google Earth
  • Exhibit – check out a whole host of virtual artefacts at 360 degrees
  • Photo Sphere – take a walk around real pictures you’ve taken
  • Arctic Journey – lay down beneath the Aurora Borealis

As for games and experiences, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of apps to explore via Google Cardboard, for instance…

VR Space, which lets you explore the vastness of virtual reality outer space, fully optimized for Cardboard headsets, with integrated Space Games for all of your alien shooting dreams.

VR Thrills: Rollercoaster 3 takes you to your own virtual theme park, so you can experience the thrills and spills of an epic rollercoaster, from the comfort of your couch. You can even build and share your own rides, which are then viewed and ranked by creators all over the world!

Highway Traffic 360 puts you at the wheel of a super speedy sports car, allowing you to weave through rush hour traffic at top speed – it really does feel like you’re racing down the highway.

InCell VR is a fast-paced, high-octane racing game that takes place in an amazing and awe-inspiring world: a reconstruction of a true to size human cell, which you can walk around to your heart’s content.

Minecraft VR

Bringing the iconic world of Minecraft to virtual reality, you can farm, build, fish, and most importantly, mine: now all in the amazing world of VR. Although there’s not much difference to the PC version, you can walk around the Nether like you’re actually there!

Perhaps the best part is the price: at only $6.99, you’re spending the same as you would on a full copy of the mobile version, and it’s totally kid-friendly. Now you can enjoy the headset experience with the entire family!

Google Expeditions

Okay, this is another one from the same tech giant, but hear us out: Expeditions allow students and teachers across the globe to take trips to some of the world’s most beautiful, breathtaking places, without spending thousands of dollars to do so.

Many headsets can be paired up and synced, so the whole classroom can head out on a tour together: with almost a thousand different locations to explore, the world is quite literally your oyster.

Sure, this isn’t for hardcore gamers, but if you’re looking to make education more exciting and interactive, you’ve just found out how you’re going to achieve that!

Fulldive VR

Fully integrated and totally immersive, Fulldive VR is available to download on the majority of Android devices, boasting its very own app store with hundreds of new and exciting downloadables to check out.

Though this isn’t an individual game, you get access to plenty of them that aren’t available anywhere else, so it’s well worth a download to have a look at what’s available to play there.

Another cool feature is that you can take and view 360-degree photos then hang out inside them with the help of Fulldive’s impressive VR camera. Even watch Youtube videos in your own private virtual screening room!

VR Tank Training

Ever wanted to drive your very own battlefield tank? Similar in style to the ever-popular Battlefield franchise, the epic VR Tank Training app lets you blow up as many moving targets as you can shake a stick of dynamite at, all whilst maneuvering yourself to the next checkpoint.

If you like online gameplay and competition, you’ll be a fan of the in-game leaderboard, where you can battle against your fellow players to secure the top spot as the ultimate champion.