Many people are still reluctant to go to workout classes in person. Crowded, sweaty workout classes combined with having to wear a mask while you profusely sweat is not ideal. The solution: work out classes in virtual reality (VR)! Enjoy fun and engaging workout exercises from the comfort of your own home with these top 10 VR workouts apps (in no particular order):
1. FitXR
The FitXR app provides users with full-body VR workouts consisting of boxing, dancing, or high-intensity interval training (HIIT). This physically challenging workout can either be played on-demand through browsing through class options or can be played with up to six friends in multiplayer mode giving users a wide variety of workout options to do together. The app tracks your agility, endurance, reaction speed, and more. The multiplayer options as well as the combination of dynamic music, multiple fitness instructors, and different fitness studio environments makes FitXR a great VR app for fitness-loving users who are looking to retain the essence of the in-person studio experience.
FitXR is only supported on Oculus Quest. Sign up starts at $9.99 a month with a 7-day free trial.
2. Supernatural
Supernatural is a VR workout app that offers a variety of fun and challenging full-body and aerobic workouts to get users moving and fit. Supernatural offers different workout options ranging from "Boxing", which offers calorie-burning and sweat-inducing boxing workout, through "Flow" and "Stretch" workouts, to "Meditation", which offers guided meditations to help users focus, relax, and breathe. Additionally, Supernatural offers a wide selection of music, different workout settings, such as the Galapagos or the Great wall of China, and even workout coaches with special guest coach and star comedian Tiffany Haddish!
Supernatural is only supported on Oculus Quest and requires you to own ore purchase the VR headset in order to use this VR fitness app. Sign up starts at $15 a month with a free trial period.
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3. HOLOFIT
Holofit 2.0 offers over 100 at-home cardio workouts ranging from running, cycling or rowing in 11 different VR worlds such as Paris, a tropical jungle, underwater, or even Saturn. All will surely distract users from the fact that they are working out. Beyond that, users can choose from activities such as fat burning, HIIT, interval, and cardio workouts, in different modes and levels that cater to personal fitness levels and preferences. Holofit connect to home bikers, rowers, StairMasters, and elliptical machines.
Holofit is supported on both the Oculus Quest and HTC Vive. Sign up starts at $9.99 a month with a 7-day free trial.
4. OhShape
OhShape is a rhythm VR game where players must dance and move their body to go through, punch, or dodge walls following the beat of the music. While not a designated fitness app, OhShape combines dancing and movement into a game that gets your blood pumping and body sweating. Users must match their body to fit the shape on the wall, and as the game progresses, the speed increases and users find themselves punching, jabbing, and dancing to the beat of pump-up music. The app includes 32 maps with 4 difficulty levels and allows you to play and compete in a multiplayer mode.
OhShape is supported on Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, and Valve Index and is available for $19.99.
5. Dance Central
Dance Central is also not your traditional workout app, yet it is a great way to make at-home workouts sweaty, energizing, and fun. Dance Central offers uniquely choreographed dance routines with songs ranging from 80's hits to the current top-chart hits. After learning these dances, users can go to the dance club and compete for points in dance-offs. Dance Central's fitness feature tracks your estimated calorie burn as you dance. Additionally, players can customize their avatar through choosing different wardrobes and accessories.
Dance Central is only supported Oculus Quest and is available for $29.99.
6. Racket: NX
Racket: NX takes racquetball to new levels in this futuristic VR game. Racket: NX is played inside a giant virtual glass dome in which colorful targets appear. Users must hit these targets in order to gain points and beat their high scores. The game offers both single and multiplayer modes, along with various predetermined soundtracks or the user's own personal music which can be connected to the game. This simple yet physically demanding game will get users more fit with each time they play.
Racket: NX is supported on Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, and Valve Index and is available for $19.99.
7. The Thrill of the Fight
People love to go to boxing classes, but The Thrill of the Fight brings boxing workouts to a whole new level. Users box against many different boxing opponents with different skills and techniques in a virtual boxing ring. Users punch, jab, and box to pump-up music, while both working out and having fun. Additionally, users can track their fitness goals by using built-in features that can track calories burned or active moving minutes.
The Thrill of the Fight is supported on Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, and Valve Index and is available for $9.99.
8. VZFit
VZFit is a cycling app that pairs with Google Street View to allow users to bike virtually through any part of the world. Users can bike through a wide range of places such as US cities as well as Rome, Shanghai, London, Cape Town, and more. Additionally, users can pair the app with their own existing bike or elliptical machine, and track their progress and stats, and even go on joint virtual rides with up to five participants per ride.
VZFit is only supported on Oculus Quest and requires a bike or elliptical machine. Sign up starts at $9.99 a month with a 7-day free trial.
9. REAKT
The REAKT Performance Trainer was created with professional trainers and athletes in mind to help them develop their reaction time, decision making, and hand-eye coordination. This virtual training system provides intense training and competition modes, aimed at improving your fitness and skills, while making you a better competitor. REAKT creates a virtual training gym where you can receive real-time feedback to track your progress over time
Dance Central is only supported Oculus Quest and is available for $19.99.
10. Beat Saber
The famous Beat Saber VR app is not just a game but also a fitness experience. Users of Beat Saber are armed with lightsabers and must slash blocks to the beat of the music, while avoiding obstacles by ducking and squatting. Both the sound and visual effects of the game get the user engaged and excited to play while providing for a full-body exercise. Beat Saber comes with a variety of music packs featuring hit artists such as Lady Gaga, Skrillex, Billie Eilish, and Imagine Dragons.
BeatSaber is supported on Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, and PS VR and is available for $29.99.
Honorable Mentions
These recommendations came in after we compiled the list so give them a look!
- Sucker Punch VR ' This game gives us Pong meets Dance Dance Revolution meets Guitar Player meets Beat Saber vibes yet it stands strongly in its own category! At just $19.99 in the Oculus store, you get a fun and progressively more difficult arcade style game with each boss you defeat. You can play as a single player or multiplayer. Bring on the fun!
Credit: Sucker Punch and Oculus Store - Blaston ' This definitely deserves a high spot on the list because the actual point of the game is to keep moving. This competitive tactical workout VR game lets you "duck, dodge and weave like Neo" to escape incoming attacks. The art mixes vintage art with futuristic neons and the characters have a lot of personality. It's available in multiplayer and single player and makes a great party game. It goes for $19.99 on the Oculus store here.
Credit: Blaston and Oculus Storeecho3D (www.echo3D.co; Techstars 19') is a cloud platform for 3D/AR/VR that provides tools and network infrastructure to help developers & companies quickly build and deploy 3D apps, games, and content.
