Google’s Daydream VR platform offers loads of great games to play on your Daydream View headset, for an immersive gaming experience. From terrifying horror VR titles to action-packed shoot-em-ups and puzzlers, these are the best Daydream games you can download and play right now.
Google has been trying to drag Android users on board the VR train for quite some time now. First it tempted us with the super-cheap Google Cardboard headset, which Android phones slipped inside to provide virtual reality visuals. You could play a decent variety of VR games on Google Cardboard, but they were for the most part pretty basic.
What is Daydream VR?
Now we have Google Daydream VR, a fresh new virtual reality platform that provides deeper control.
The general idea isn’t vastly different from Cardboard; you still need to slip your Android phone inside as a viewfinder, although now you get a sturdy plastic headset rather than that crumbly cardboard. You also get a nifty one-handed controller too, which can be used to steer and shoot your way through the latest VR games. As a result, games and experiences are more involving and more complex.
The original Daydream View headset was released in 2016 and has been revamped in the fresh new 2017 Daydream View.
What phones can play Daydream VR games?
While Google Cardboard games worked on pretty much any Android phone, Google has set quite strict requirements for a mobile device to be Daydream compatible. These include housing one of the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, and using a particular kind of OLED screen. Check out our complete guide to Daydream VR for the current compatible handsets and everything else you need to know.
How do I download and play Daydream VR games?
To play our pick of the very best Daydream VR games, just head to the Daydream app on your compatible Android phone. If you don’t already have this app, you can download it for free from the Google Play store.
Inside the app, you’ll find a link to Google’s Daydream apps store. From here you can purchase and download the following titles.
Best Google Daydream VR games
Read on for our pick of the very best Daydream games you can download right now. Despite being relatively young, you can already download a pretty strong and varied selection of VR titles.
Spark of Light
This charming 3D platform puzzler is a great example of virtual reality used well. Your quest is to guide a little fella called Nerow to a specific goal in a number of diverse and visually arresting areas. You’ll find yourself positioned in the dead centre of each area, which then wraps around you a full 360-degrees. That means you can turn and look around at the entire map, to plan out your actions and help Nerow to navigate various obstacles and safely make it to the end point.
The presentation is simply superb throughout, which is half the joy of playing. Every level is packed with intricate details, so you’ll spend plenty of time admiring the scenery before cracking on with the puzzle parts. Gameplay pace is thankfully gentle, so you can really soak up the atmosphere; you’ll find yourself poking and prodding the environment in your own time, to manipulate the landscape and allow Nerow to progress.
Eclipse: Edge of Light
This is what virtual reality was made for. Eclipse is a deeply immersive VR game which sees you stranded on an alien planet; so far, so familiar, yet you’re instantly drawn into this adventure by the breathtaking visuals and intuitive controls.
Your only hope of survival is to explore the ruins and remains of some seemingly extinct civilisation, using your helpful jetpack. Soon you discover some kind of relic, which allows you to interact (via the Daydream remote) with the world around you and open up pathways to temples and more.
Eclipse is rather short considering the almost £10 asking price, while action and puzzle junkies should stay clear. It’s definitely a relaxed adventure with a focus on exploration and intrigue rather than combat or trickiness. All the same, this is easily one of the most memorable and gripping VR games we’ve played on any platform, let alone Daydream. Presentation is solid throughout, complete with an atmospheric soundtrack that helps to draw you into the alien world.
Need for Speed No Limits VR
We love a fast-paced racing game here at Recombu Towers, but it’s hard to recreate the thrill of a console racer on the tiny screen of your mobile phone. Which is why No Limits VR is the best way to bomb around in a fully loaded sports car on your trusty Android phone.
Need for Speed No Limits VR actually puts you in the driver’s seat, with the ability to turn and look out of any window as you drift around dozens of complex courses. You can check out your dashboard instruments and even adjust your seat as if you were really there. Every crunching collision feels all the more terrifying when it’s happening inches from your face and being able to glance sideways really does help when drifting around corners, making this one of the best VR games we’ve played to date.
Wands
If you’re after a multiplayer game that pits you against online opponents instead of an AI, then check out Wands. This arena-based frag-fest has you fighting other players with magic, in a fully realised VR environment.
A mystical version of Victorian London is the setting, and you’re cast as a magician who can cast all kinds of cool offensive spells to take down your fellow wand-wielders. You can unlock new powers by winning tournaments, to grow even stronger and take down worthy foes. These can be tested in your virtual workshop before heading into battle.
If you’re after online Daydream action, this is one of your only choices right now. Good thing it’s one of the best titles for the VR platform then, eh?
The Other Room
If you like a good escape room game then The Other Room is a must-try. This Daydream title has you captured by a mysterious kidnapper, who sets you challenges that must be completed in order to win back your freedom.
You’ll need to carefully explore your virtual environment for clues on how to get out, with the ability to pick up and closely examine objects using the controller. The puzzles are often simple yet still entertaining, including the occasional timed objective to really get your heart racing.
As far as VR games go, this one is both immersive and entertaining.
Gunjack 2 End of Shift
If you’re after a brain-free reaction-based shooter, Gunjack 2 is a must-download. Stuck in a gun turret on a massive spaceship, your mission is very simple. Blast the living heck out of everything that comes anywhere near you.
You’ll have a variety of tools at your disposal, from screen-wiping smart bombs to laser shields that deflect bullets back at your enemies. The VR action is fast and furious and you’ll need to stay alert when missiles are flying at your face, especially when the boss characters stroll into view. In between each mission you also get to enjoy the ‘top bantz’ of your fellow turret masters. Thankfully it can be skipped if you’re not in the mood.
Keep Talking and No One Explodes
Quite simply this is an ingenious idea for a VR game, and one of the best (and only) multi-player Daydream titles out there.
Keep Talking and No One Explodes casts you and a willing friend as bomb disposal experts. Each level confronts you with another explosive device, and the only way to stop it from redesigning your face is a spot of old fashioned teamwork.
One of you must don the Daydream helmet to examine and interact with the bomb, while your buddy skims through a paper manual explaining exactly how to diffuse each device. Careful communication is the key to success; if you fail to describe any of the details with perfect accuracy, you can kiss goodbye to your kidneys. With the ticking timer adding to the tension, this is easily one of our favourite VR games of all time.
Layers of Fear Solitude
If it’s utter terror that you’re after, then Layers of Fear Solitude is the best horror VR game you can download for Daydream right now. And admittedly, one of the only horror VR games on offer. But we’re sure that’ll change soon.
The setting of Solitude (a creepy, empty mansion) may not be particularly original, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less horrifying when paintings morph into hideous creations right before your eyeballs. Horror and virtual reality are perfect partners and we recommend stocking up on spare undercrackers before giving this game a whirl.
Check out our full Layers of Fear Solitude review for Daydream VR.
Mekorama VR
Melodrama VR is a simple but addictive puzzle game that sees you guiding a cute robot fella around a tower, to reach the goal. It’s similar to Monument Valley in many ways, with an environment you must manipulate in order to open up a path. And while the VR aspect isn’t essential to enjoy the game, it’s certainly fun to explore the tower up-close.
Underworld Overlord
This Daydream exclusive conjures up distant memories of Bullfrog classic Dungeon Keeper, casting you as a demonic god with full control over a squad of willing minions. Destroy any heroes attempting to storm your lair with your faithful subjects, as well as a host of traps and sinister spells.
Controls are simple yet effective and the game certainly suits VR, even if it isn’t quite as essential as with some other titles here. Underworld Overlord is free to download right now and well worth a look.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
This neat little interactive experience on Daydream ties in neatly with the new movie, based on the writings of J.K. Rowling. Eddie Redmayne is on hand to guide you through his labs, where you can feed and play with three of his Fantastic Beasts. There are a few little mini games to keep younger players amused, but it’s all about getting up close to some of these imaginative creations.
BBC’s The Turning Forest
Okay, so The Turning Forst from our pals at the Beeb might not strictly be a game, but it’s still a rather lovely little Daydream experience. Come face to face with a rather imposing woodland creature and enjoy the striking visuals of this short, interactive VR experience.
Read next: The weirdest mobile VR experiences you can download right now
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