Mixed reality is changing the way we think about how immersive technology fits into our daily lives. With Quest 3 hitting full stride and Quest 3S now available, we've put together a list of some of our favorite MR apps and games.
With the launch of Quest 3S, there are a lot of new users coming onto the grid for the very first time. People who might not know about the impressive mixed reality experiences that are available on the Meta Store or, quite frankly, what mixed reality even is?
What is Mixed Reality?
Mixed Reality (MR) is a term used to describe the merging of a real-world environment and computer-generated virtual images. Both physical and virtual objects can co-exist in mixed reality environments, though only some apps actually make use of the physical geometry of your room as part of their design -- bouncing virtual objects off physical walls for instance -- while some others use the physical environment as more of a background to keep you connected to the people and things in your environment.
The experiences listed here showcase the best of what the Quest 3 & 3S currently offer in mixed reality highlighting a bit of everything from immersive storytelling and new ways to workout to putting together jigsaw puzzles or even learning new skills.
Here is our list, not presented or ranked in any specific order:
Track Craft
Track Craft brings a bit of childlike wonder to the mixed reality gaming scene by putting players in the driver's seat of tiny cars on gravity-defying tracks. With full hand tracking, players can intuitively design and build tracks to race on and share. If building isn’t your thing, you can enjoy some amazing community-created circuits as users share them, providing hours of fun.
Overall, the game shines with its collaborative features. Not only can players participate in online multiplayer, but they can also use co-location with local friends who have a Quest headset to build and race together at home. This feature, along with the ability to transform your physical surroundings into part of the racetrack, makes Track Craft a standout and one of the best uses of mixed reality we have seen.
You can read more about Track Craft here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Sky Runner
Sky Runner, formerly known as Bomber Drone, invites players into an experience where they can control drones in their own physical spaces. Using the Quest 3 and 3S’s spatial mesh as a gameplay element, this game allows you to transform your living area into a dynamic battlefield or rescue scenario. With a few different mission types and a newly added track editor, Sky Runner makes each flight feel fresh and exciting and we can't wait to see what comes next.
You can read more about Sky Runner here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Infinite Inside
Infinite Inside is a captivating first-person adventure that merges both virtual and mixed realities while taking players on a quest through intricate mazes filled with spatial puzzles. As players navigate its visually stunning environments, they collect puzzle pieces and engage in a silent narrative that unfolds as the game progresses. The thoughtful gameplay promotes both spatial puzzling and logic, making Infinite Inside a unique title for both VR and MR enthusiasts alike.
You can read more about Infinite Inside here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Puzzling Places
Puzzling Places provides a comforting, immersive escape while you piece together beautiful real-world and fantasy locations. This game transforms the classic jigsaw puzzle experience into something more immersive. Featuring photorealistic 3D puzzles, players can enjoy this calming pastime solo or with a friend all while soaking in some amazing visuals and learning about new places around the world. Despite being one of the earliest MR experiences out there, Puzzling Places still receives regular updates and new features that can keep you coming back for a very long time.
You can read more about Puzzling Places here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Drop Dead: The Cabin
In Drop Dead: The Cabin Home Invasion, prepare to fend off waves of zombies in an intense game of survival right in your own home. Gather supplies and arm yourself as you take on the undead hordes trying to bust through your windows and doors. This game keeps you coming back to refine your skills and strategies while battling zombies in a most unique way. If you're looking for the more intense side of mixed reality, Drop Dead: The Cabin’s Home Invasion mode is one you won’t want to miss.
You can read more about Drop Dead: The Cabin Home Invasion here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Miracle Pool
Miracle Pool is the ultimate mixed reality pool simulator, offering players a chance to set up a virtual pool table in their own homes. With various gameplay modes and customization options, players can engage in classic billiards with friends across the globe or solo. Featuring vibrant graphics and intuitive mechanics, Miracle Pool combines the joy of billiards with the magic of mixed reality perfectly and is for sure a game to get for anyone who has ever dreamed of having a billiards table in their own home.
You can read more about Miracle Pool here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Spacefolk City
Spacefolk City presents a whimsical take on city-building and management, tasking players to create and manage floating cities in their living spaces. In this one you utilize the unique abilities of your Spacefolk citizens to solve their daily needs all while decorating your city with hotdogs and other items to keep them happy. This blend of creativity and strategic gameplay makes Spacefolk City a fun and engaging experience.
You can read more about Spacefolk City here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Demeo Battles
Demeo Battles reimagines the turn-based strategy genre with an exciting competitive twist. Unlike its cooperative predecessor, Battles is centered around direct conflict having players face off against each other. Each contestant selects their champion and strategically assembles an army of minions while planning their rise to victory. With an immersive design and challenging gameplay, Demeo Battles provides a fresh and exciting competitive experience for both seasoned Demeo veterans and newcomers to the franchise alike.
You can read more about Demeo Battles here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Ocean Rift
Experience marine life like never before in Ocean Rift where you can explore underwater habitats as your living space transforms into a world class aquarium. From playful dolphins and scary sharks to some of the more ancient Jurrasic marine species, Ocean Rift’s mixed Reality mode has something to offer for just about everyone.
You can read more about Ocean Rift here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Starship Home
In Starship Home, players turn their living spaces into a spacecraft and set out to rescue endangered plant species throughout the galaxy. Once a plant is rescued, you enter it's surreal dreamscapes and complete puzzles that allow for progression to the next planet and plant to rescue. Starship Home's blend of a narrative mixed with the immersive gameplay that mixed reality provides serves to create a moving personal journey through space, right from the comfort of your own living room.
You can read more about Starship Home here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Pencil
Pencil is an innovative app that uses mixed reality to guide players through drawing on real paper while utilizing Quest 3 and 3S’s passthrough features. Artists of all levels can develop their skills in a fun and accessible way. The objective of Pencil is to reduce intimidation about drawing, sparking creativity and artistic expression. If you're looking to pick up a new skill or want to have fun drawing in mixed reality, Pencil is we would recommend to pick up.
You can read more about Pencil here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Pianovision
Pianovision is another mixed reality skill building app that revolutionizes the art of learning to play the piano. Combining engaging lessons with interactive gameplay, players can connect to a MIDI keyboard or utilize the app's virtual piano mode to develop their skills. With the ability to be used anywhere and included recording options, this app offers a learning experience for budding virtual or real-world musicians that is not to be missed.
You can read more about Pianovision here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Figmin XR
Considered the largest sandbox in mixed reality, FigminXR opens the door to a world of creativity, enabling users to bring their ideas to life right in their own living spaces. With tools for sketching and 3D modeling, users can create new projects or explore user-generated content that can lead to hours of placing virtual objects all over your house. The seamless integration of both physical and virtual elements makes FigMin XR a must-have app for anyone who is serious about mixed reality.
You can grab a copy of Figmin XR here.
Homeworld: Vast Reaches
Homeworld: Vast Reaches introduces players to the beloved RTS series as both an immersive VR experience as well as through its optional mixed reality mode. Players command fleets of starships as they engage in tactical warfare across detailed environments making you feel like you’re in the movie Ender’s Game. This blend of resource management and real-time strategy offers a new level of depth for both long-time fans of the series and newcomers alike .
You can read more about Homeworld: Vast Reaches here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Airspace Defender
Airspace Defender is a modern take on the classic Missile Command arcade game that utilizes Quest 3’s color passthrough and hand tracking to create an immersive mixed reality experience. This game delivers nostalgic gameplay, allowing players to unleash missiles, bombs, and laser blasts by using precise hand movements. The responsive controls create a natural and intuitive feeling experience as players defend their city from an oncoming barrage of enemy missiles and other aircraft. If you like classic style games played in new ways, you won’t want to skip Airspace Defender.
You can read more about Airspace Defender here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
ASTRA
ASTRA takes you on a personal journey using mixed reality to explore our solar system. At each stop players beam down to moons and collect elements in pursuit of understanding the building blocks of life. The combination of beautiful graphics, educational content, and a fantastic narrative makes this a standout choice for anyone wanting to see what Mixed Reality can offer.
You can read more about ASTRA here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs
Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs brings the beloved franchise into virtual and mixed reality. Allowing players to fling birds across their rooms to destroy those pesky pig-built structures. With the breath of fresh air that mixed reality brings, coupled with a charming storyline, Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs revitalizes the classic mechanics of the phone-based game with enhanced gameplay, making it feel familiar yet new at the same time.
You can read more about Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Retropolis: dot.Line
Retropolis: dot.Line invites players into a whimsical world filled with amusing puzzles and endearing characters. Using puzzling skills, players help a delightful robot from the future solve line based challenges while enjoying the games quirky storyline. With dot.Line’s design and creative puzzles providing a light-hearted escape, this game is perfect for casual mixed reality gameplay.
You can read more about Retropolis: dot.Line here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Wooorld
Wooorld turns your living space into a vast 3D map, offering an interactive and social way to explore the globe. Players can visit various landmarks in street view while engaging in games like "Where in the Wooorld," testing their geography skills. The educational potential combined with a fun, community-driven approach makes this a unique mixed reality experience for both students and virtual explorers.
You can grab a copy of Wooorld here.
Snapstick
Snapstick stands out with its off the wall humor and light puzzle mechanics. This is a game where players solve quirky challenges between hilariously bizarre narrative sequences featuring a let's just say, unique companion. While the comedic elements shine, some pacing issues and repetitiveness could use a bit of refinement, but nevertheless, the mixed reality presentation and unexpected laughs make Snapstick a game you won’t want to skip.
You can read more about Snapstick here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Synth Riders
Synth Riders fuses rhythm gaming with fitness potential encouraging players to dance and exercise by sliding along to the beat. With a large music library of tracks to choose from, this visually vibrant game transforms workouts into something more entertaining and immersive. Players can even customize the experience, making it a must-have for anyone looking to stay active in mixed reality and have fun while doing it.
You can read more about Synthriders here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Guardian of Realms
Playing Guardian of Realms in mixed reality offers a thrilling combat experience where you battle life-sized enemies right in your own living room. Movement is natural and immersive, letting you dodge and strike mythical creatures as you protect the sacred crystal that's been placed in your care. The game centers around adrenalin-fueled combat against multiple types of enemies. Sometimes they come at you with some quirky physics and this odd flailing about can provide a good laugh as you knock them around the room. In Guardian of Realms, your world becomes your battlefield so defend it at all costs, just don't break anything while doing it!
You can read more about Guardian of Realms here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
Spinball
Spinball brings a futuristic version of racketball directly into your living room in mixed reality. Offering both solo and online play players engage in intense 1v1 racket battles globally, or sharpen their skills against Sparx, the game's sometimes cringy AI bot.
Spinball Academy, the game's advanced training mode, offers mini-games to refine your techniques, while customizable gear offered adds a personal touch to your play style. Although the play area feels a bit tight, especially with a competitor in the box with you, the thrill of competing in matches played in this compact space keeps the game exciting. So, learn the game, climb the ranks, and strive to become a Spinball All-Star in this dynamic and immersive mixed reality experience.
You can grab a copy for yourself here.
Fluid
Fluid is an app meant to transform your mixed reality headset into a versatile spatial computer. Built to enhance productivity and focus by allowing users to place webapps and webpages anywhere in 3D space, Fluid offers a seamless blend of both virtual and mixed-reality environments. Compatibility with Bluetooth keyboards and mice enhances the user experience and makes this app ideal for both casual browsing and performing productivity-based tasks. Fluid is an excellent tool for both students and professionals, aiming to maximize workspace efficiency while having a bit of fun and doing it all in a new and cool way through its option to use mixed reality.
You can grab a copy of Fluid for yourself here.
Cubism
Cubism offers a relaxing yet mentally stimulating puzzle experience that makes excellent use of Quest's hand tracking technology. Piecing together increasingly complex shapes made out of colorful blocks provides a mental challenge that isn't too taxing and one that sometimes gives a sense of frustration, but in that good way that makes players want to push harder to find solutions.
With 90 puzzles catering to both beginners and seasoned puzzle builders alike, Cubism's immersive gameplay and integration of hand tracking offers a unique way to engage your spatial thinking skills. If you like solving puzzles and want to do it in a new and exciting way, Cubism is a must have mixed reality game to add to your catalogue.
You can read more about Cubism here and you can grab a copy for yourself here.
As mixed reality continues to evolve UploadVR will be keeping an eye out for the best new experiences as they become available. Be sure to check back often as we bring you coverage of this exciting new medium and the ways it allows us to interact with the digital world.
