Top 5 MMORPGs To Try In VR

Virtual Reality (VR) is an odd technology sometimes. It's been around in one form or another for years, but still feels "new" when you look at VR through the type of options that exist today. Sure, the Virtual Boy was "VR" to an extent, but in today's world of the Meta Quest 3, PSVR2, and HTC Vive, you'd be hard pressed to put past iterations in the same category as today's offerings.

When it comes to MMOs and MMORPGs, there's a LOT of money behind most projects. VR projects themselves cost a ton of money sometimes, too. This means the vast worlds of MMORPGs haven't yet really made their way to VR in the same way we know them on PCs. That doesn't mean some haven't tried to build MMOs, though. They may be smaller in scope than their PC counterparts, but they have been experimenting with the genre on VR systems.

Let's take a look at a few worth checking out if you're rocking a VR set in your gaming cave.

As a side note, I will not be limiting this list to any one VR set in particular, so not all titles will be available on all VR headsets. I've linked directly to each game's site so you can check platform availability easily.

Zenith: Nexus (AKA: Zenith: The Last City or Zenith: Infinite Realms)

Even if you don't know of any other VR MMOs, you've likely heard of Zenith. It received a ton of attention when Tribe VR started working on it. Granted, this project isn't the most visually stunning world, in fact some VR chats have a better lobby, but if you want to see what the potential of a VR MMO could be, Zenith will have you thinking about what "could be" in the future.

I played this one early on and was struck by how not very helpful the new user experience was, but that's improved over time. They also took away the flying aspect that I loved, but hey, whatever.

Zenith is just a neat world to explore for a bit and it's kind of an awesome feeling to be casting spells with hand gestures and fighting enemies actually swinging a sword. Zenith has received many updates since launch and while I don't play it every day, it is one I jump into periodically to see what's changed. Imagine my surprise when they game introduced jump-type puzzles into the world.

Apparently, according to a video from the team, too many people played exactly the way I did.

Last month the team stopped development of new content for Zenith after Season 4, which drops this month. While they will address bugs and the game will be available for the foreseeable future, don't expect anything new to be added if you try this one out.

Ilysia

Ilysia is still in early access, but it already looks more like what you may think of when I say "MMO" than Zenith. Think back to what the original EverQuest and WoW did for MMORPGs and you may have a glimpse of what Ilysia could do for the future of VR MMOs.

In fact, the game looks quite a bit like early MMORPGs like EverQuest...ok, maybe slightly more towards EverQuest 2 graphically. Games from that era are the exact inspiration for the Ilysia team.

Dungeons, an open world, exploration with friends, all the great parts of MMOs are here and it's interesting to see it develop.

Ascent Quest

As of the time of this writing, you're unlikely to be able to try out Ascent Quest. However, to future proof the list a little and to get your eyes on it, Ascent Quest might be the most interesting looking MMORPG VR project to date. You can certainly follow them and wishlist the game on Steam and maybe score a way into testing phases this year, but a full release isn't planned until 2025.

Ascent Quest looks better in early concepts (of course this could change) than almost every other MMO VR project out there, and the game looks to include almost every typical element of an MMO into its development. Dungeons, an open world, solo and group content, loot, gear upgrades, gathering and crafting, it's all slated to be here. The team's successful KickStarter has allowed the project to get this far and addition investment funding should take place later this year. It's one to watch and get into any testing phase you are able to if you want to get your MMO on in VR.

OrbusVR: Reborn

OrbusVR isn't anywhere near the best looking VR MMO out there, but it may be one of the oldest ones having initially released in 2019. Think of it as the "Roblox" of VR MMOs. Things are a little more basic looking and the focus is on the gameplay. OrbusVR drops a little bit of everything. This VR MMO even has daily quests so you KNOW it's an MMO at that point (/wink). Seriously, though, there's also events that cycle in and out each year.

Fishing, exploring, 5-player dungeons, 10-player raids, player trading and more await. One thing to know on this one, though, is that you really want a big space to play in. This is a "room-scale" VR game.

Ancient Dungeon

Ancient Dungeon isn't a "full" MMO, but it is a great version of one of an MMO's core features: Dungeons. Flying solo or in co-op groups (multiplayer update video below), you'll be exploring procedurally generated dungeons and uncovering secrets, taking on bosses, and you'll even have RPG elements when it comes to enhancing and growing your individual character between dungeon runs.

Graphically, yeah, it looks a lot like a Minecraft clone, but if you want the PvE portion of MMOs in a sleek package for a lower price, Ancient Dungeon is worth checking out. The title is still in early access, too, so expect more to come. That's promising, considering the game already has an "Overwhelmingly Positive" all-time review score on Steam.

Have you tried any of the VR MMOs above or do you have one that we should check out? Let us know below!