Google Daydream has now been out for a year, and it’s already built up a pretty respectable line-up of mobile VR games, both new and old. The problem is it’s pretty tricky to browse compatible apps on the Android store. We’re hoping that Google offers better options in the near future but, until then, we’ve come up with the six best games on the platform you can download right now.
To play these right now you’ll need a Daydream-compatible phone along with the Daydream View headset, though more phones and headsets will be added over time. Expect this list to grow in the coming months too as new games come out and developers hone in on what makes Daydream special. This certainly isn’t anything to scoff at, though.
Eclipse: Edge of Light
Eclipse was originally destined to arrive on PlayStation VR, but the experience remains incredibly compelling on Daydream. This is a full first-person adventure that is a sheer joy to explore. You crash-land on a mysterious planet and start to uncover the secrets of an ancient civilization, but all is not what it seems.
Eclipse would be great as a standard walking simulator, but it adds in clever puzzles, platforming and makes great use of the Daydream controller for what’s still the best game on the platform.
Virtual-Virtual Reality
Perhaps VR’s most underrated app so far, Virtual-Virtual Reality is a surreal journey through a distant future in which humanity has become dependent on the various realities VR throws us into.
V-VR is one of the most polished and well-written VR apps on any platform, not just Daydream. It’s rollercoaster tour of the future constantly keeps you guessing and sees you through to the end long before you wish the ride was over.
Rez Infinite
Rez is a rare example of a high-end PC game porting over to mobile with very little sacrificed in the process. This is still the same great on-rails shooter you’ve been enjoying for decades now, but now you can take it just about anywhere.
With the new Area X intact, the Daydream version of Rez Infinite is a hugely enjoyable assault on the senses. Don’t miss it.
Lola And The Giant
Climax Studios’ Lola And The Giant may well be one of VR’s most charming adventures. This storybook journey has a young girl team up with a massive rock monster that will melt your heart. You venture into bright worlds, solving brilliant puzzles.
Here’s another game that makes great use of the Daydream controller but also tells a thoughtful story in the process. There’s more wonder here than you’ll find in many other VR apps.
Untethered
The developers of That Dragon, Cancer return with this strange, fascinating episodic game with some of VR’s most interactive and enjoyable environments. Set across two episodes, you follow a strange mystery in a coastal Oregon town.
Simply put, there’s nothing quite like Untethered, and it deserves your attention.
Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes
If you haven’t already played Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes across one of the many headsets it’s already released on, then make sure not to miss it on Daydream. This is one of VR’s most innovative party games, getting one player in the headset to diffuse a bomb by cooperating with others reading from a printable manual. Frantic hilarity ensues.
Mekorama VR
Mekorama is one of those games that already existed before the age of VR, but makes a very nice transition to Daydream without any fundamental changes to its design. You guide a small robot through 50 levels, rotating the world to reveal hidden paths. It’s a beautiful experience and probably the best choice for puzzle fans with a Daydream headset right now.
Earthshape
When a developer like Thomas Was Alone creator Mike Bithell releases a new game you usually hear about it, but EarthShape was a fairly low-key launch. That’s a shame, because this new puzzle is one of the most delightful games on the platform. As an astronaut terraforming the universe, you use the controller to draw lines on a grid that then bounce seeds into goal zones. With each seed you’ll grow a plant on a new planet.
Wands
https://youtu.be/QdafTSuc4ok
Fans of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, or any form of fantastic magic, will want to do themselves a favor and pick up Wands. The game first released on Samsung Gear VR, but now on Daydream, it adds support for the headset’s tracked motion controller. Casting spells with the flick of your wrist as you battle other mages in intense duels is a match made in heaven for VR.
