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Duncan Robertson

Hardware Editor

I’ve always been a lover of VR gaming. It frustrates me when I see headlines about the doom and gloom of headset sales or how devices can still give you motion sickness, but I believe VR is simply a different way to experience video games – and one that’s only growing from this point on. I’d argue that VR headsets are more than the sum of their spec sheets, and I take joy in testing the latest models out to find the ones worth buying. At the same time, I’m aware that this can be an expensive type of gaming to get into, so I’ve tried to put together the most helpful list possible that’ll ensure you spend money on the right headset for you.

It’s a great time to shop for the best VR headsets. Even if this type of technology is still considered niche, it’s carving out its own “mainstream” market, and whether you want to do some spatial computing, content creation, or my personal favorite, fully immersive gaming, there are great options out there for you.

PSVR 2 buying guide grid image with GR grey background
Best overall

Sony’s second venture into VR blends top specs, value, and innovative features. With a growing library of games every month, this is our top pick overall.

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The Meta Quest 3S on a plain background
Best budget

The Meta Quest 3S has brought incredible mixed-reality features and great VR gaming specs to an affordable price range. Starting at $299, it’s the cheapest device worth buying.

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Meta Quest 3 on a grey background
Best standalone

If you don’t want to rely on a high-end PC or console for your VR gaming, the Meta Quest 3 is the best independent headset on the market. It’s great value, too.

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HTC Vive Pro 2 buying guide grid image with GR grey background
Best PC VR headset

The Vive Pro 2 still has some of the best specs on the market, and can turn any doubter of VR into a believer. It’s pricey, and there’s a lot to set up, but it’s just brilliant.

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The Pimax Crystal Light headset and its controllers on a plain background
Best for simulation

If you want hyper-realistic environments and you play games with a static setup, the Pimax Crystal Light might be the simulation headset for you.

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a Pico 4 Ultra headset with its controllers on a plain background
Best Meta alternative

The Pico 4 Ultra may only be available in the UK, but it gives the Meta Quest 3 a serious run for its money. With better specs and a cheaper price, this is worth a look.

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Valve Index buying guide grid image on a GR grey background
Best premium

If it’s the most premium feeling VR headset for gaming you want, the Valve Index might just take the cake. But be warned, it doesn’t come cheap.

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October 30, 2025: At long last, the rumored Samsung and Google headset has been revealed. From its original codename, Project Moohan to its commercial title, Galaxy XR, we now know exactly what this device is. Annoyingly, it won’t launch in the UK for a while, or at least so it seems. I’m trying to secure a unit for testing, but since I’m based in Scotland, that may prove tough for the next little while. Still, there are lots of headsets to talk about, and as we head into Black Friday season, I’ve given this page a once over to make sure information is up to date.

Sony has officially dropped its price by $150, meaning it’s now cheaper than the 512GB Meta Quest 3.

Buy It If

✅You play games on a PS5 anyway: If PS5 is your platform of choice, it makes total sense for you to grab yourself a PlayStation VR headset.

✅You don’t have a powerful gaming PC: If you don’t have a beefy CPU and GPU, and can’t afford to build a PC that’s VR-ready, a PSVR 2 saves a lot of hassle.

✅You want the best VR features for cheaper: PSVR 2 has some features that are exclusive to high-end PC VR headsets – and thanks to some great innovations, even beats them. Despite that, it’s cheaper than the majority of them.

Don’t Buy It If:

❌You don’t have a PS5: You can now play PC games with PSVR 2, but to get access to a lot of its innovative, standout features, you’ll probably want a PS5.

❌You won’t use it: VR isn’t for everyone, and being a lifelong PlayStation gamer, I know what it’s like to want the next bit of hardware just because it’s available. This is a hefty investment. If you aren’t going to use it for VR, give this a miss.

❌You want a standalone device: PSVR 2 needs a PC or PS5 to work, and it doesn’t have a standalone mode like the Quest 3 or Pico 4 Ultra. If you want to be untethered, go for another headset.

Design: The aesthetics of PSVR 2 are a beautiful evolution of Sony’s first visor. Subtly rounded corners and camera placement on the corners of the headset’s front panel make it look futuristic. The raised headband design makes it feel lighter than the original as well, although can put some uncomfortable pressure on your noggin.

Features: For your money, you get a slew of impressive features that ground you in VR experiences like never before. Haptic feedback in the excellent VR2 Sense controllers, the headband, and some light trigger resistance – these features arguably feel more at home in VR than they do on the DualSense. The OLED panel looks astounding whether you’re fully immersed in the 110-degree FOV, or whether you’re playing non-VR content in cinematic mode. The clever integrations thanks to really solid eye-tracking and foveated rendering will have your jaw continually hitting the floor too.

Performance: PSVR 2’s well of high-end VR features all add up to such a great platform to experience gaming on. It’s admittedly hamstrung by its lack of compatibility with PSVR1, or indeed PC. Its list of games is growing though, and barring a couple of exceptions, each game that’s released for it is capable of turning a lot of heads (pun intended).

The OLED panel technology inside PSVR 2 is second-to-none. It makes a device that’s just over $500 feel like something worth double that. Visual fidelity in this headset is breathtaking, and combining OLED tech with foveated rendering is a work of genius.

When it comes to room tracking, you always feel safe. PSVR 2 never fails to warn you if you’re overstepping the mark. Continual software updates have helped improve performance, and Cinematic Mode is continually one of my favorite uses of this device. Outer Wilds, Returnal, HUNT: Showdown – games that are totally immersive at the best of times get a heart-pounding boost played like this.

In terms of specs, features, and value for money, PSVR 2 has blasted its way onto the scene, leaving the rest of the VR gaming competition in its wake with a stellar all-round package.

Meta Quest 2 made a mission of bringing VR technology to the masses at an affordable price range. Back before 2020, to get capable VR devices, you had to spend an arm and a leg, and standalone devices just weren’t performing. The Meta Quest 3S has continued that mission because it brings a lot of the power, features, and big mixed-reality wins to market at the same price as the Quest 2. Budget VR headsets have never existed, but this is truly the option to go for if you’re short on cash.

HTC Vive Pro 2. This is certainly a big kid’s toy, coming in at $800 for the headset alone, without taking the extra required accessories and high-end PC into account. However, for specialists and budget-busting enthusiasts, the HTC Vive Pro 2’s 4896 x 2448 resolution, pinpoint motion tracking, and Steam VR integrations make it a must-see.

Buy It If

✅You have a powerful PC: VR can be CPU and GPU-intensive. If you want to make use of this headset’s visuals, make sure your rig is equipped for it.

✅You want the best visuals possible: If you don’t have a beefy CPU and GPU, and can’t afford to build a PC that’s VR-ready, a PSVR 2 saves a lot of hassle.

✅You’re okay with a VR setup dominating a room: HTC Vive Pro 2 does require a mapped-out space with dedicated sensors that are a faff to install every time you want to use them. If you’re happy with VR being a mainstay, buy away.

Don’t Buy It If:

❌You don’t have the funds: VR is expensive, especially if it’s this headset. If you want VR but can’t afford this and a hefty gaming PC, go for a cheaper option.

❌You don’t have a powerful PC: To get the most bang for your buck, you’ll need a hefty rig. If you don’t have one, go for a standalone headset.

❌You don’t have the space: If a permanent PCVR setup isn’t something you can fit in your living room, maybe don’t go for this one.

Design and Features: That 4896 x 2448 per eye resolution sits at the very top of the current market, offering up super clean visuals that you won’t find on cheaper headsets. You are tethered to a PC here, and that’s going to need to be capable of the heavy lifting required for that visual fidelity.

Combine that incredible resolution with the gargantuan 120° field of view and refresh rate of up to 120Hz, and you’re onto a high-end headset. Everything encasing all that tech is also incredibly premium. We love the futuristic external aesthetic, but not as much as the lightweight design.

Performance: The quality of the HTC Vive Pro 2 does reveal itself over time. It took our reviewer a couple of days to fully adopt the correct settings for his eyes, so it’s worth noting that you’ll need some extra tinkering time for the best result. However, once you’re there, the investment you’ve made is well worth it.

Make no mistake, as far as all-round PC VR performance goes, the HTC Vive Pro 2 is up there with the best on the market. Sure, there are competitors that do certain aspects just as well, but those can be even more pricey, and even then, you won’t get this graphical fidelity.

We did find the setup process a little tedious in our testing, plotting out the base stations took a long time, and we’d heavily recommend wall-mounting them for the best effect (which will take even longer). You’ll need to pick up two Steam VR base stations and motion controllers for the full experience, which will set you back around $600 extra all in. However, once you do there’s a new level of tracking and motion at your fingertips – one that other VR headsets can sometimes struggle to match unless doing so while sacrificing other features.

Valve “Deckard”. The latest word about it says it’ll use an adapted version of SteamOS, the same operating system used for the Steam Deck. It also is slated to have a standalone mode, and put an emphasis on wirelessly linking to gaming PCs.

Buy It If

✅You play a lot of Steam games anyway: This is an excellent choice for anyone who has a massive Steam library already.

✅You want a premium-feeling device: Just by looking at it, you can tell the Valve Index is a luxury device, even in the VR market.

✅You want gaming features more than resolution: It’s a close call between the Index and HTC, if you’d rather go with Valve’s option, you will miss out on some extra visual oomph.

Don’t Buy It If:

❌You’re short on cash: There are plenty of great headsets that are cheaper but are still worth buying. You don’t need to go high-end if your budget won’t allow it.

❌You don’t have a high-end gaming PC: This is a headset that you’ll get more value out of if you have a powerful gaming PC waiting for it at home.

❌You’re worried about futureproofing: The Valve Index is still a powerhouse these days, but if you want something even more future-proofed in 2023, maybe wait for a newer model.

Design and Features: There are a few features of the Valve Index that we need to get out of the way right at the start. First up is that finger tracking system. Rather than relying on per-controller tracking, the Valve Index has stepped where no VR headset has gone before – adding sensors for each individual finger via a touch-sensitive panel. The second is a 120Hz refresh rate that will cover for a slightly lower resolution by allowing games to slide across the screen without a hint of a flicker.

Performance: The Valve Index is a VR headset for those fully invested in the PC gaming space, the specialists that already have the PC humming away in the corner and are looking to put it to the test. While the headset itself costs £499 / £459, the full kit will set you back $999 / £919. That’s cheaper than the full price of the HTC Vive Pro 2 and all of its gadgets, though you’re favoring tracking over resolution here

With the whole of Steam behind it, you’d be hard-pressed to be bored in this headset’s list of virtual worlds. However, it is worth noting that fewer Steam titles can take full advantage of these unique tracking features so you’re certainly proofing yourself for the future rather than enjoying better visuals in every game.

best VR games, and best PSVR 2 games to get a better idea.

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Speaking broadly, all VR headsets will give you a sensation of realism like no other type of gaming. The entire appeal of the platform is that it puts your sensations in the middle of whatever virtual experience you want. In terms of realistic visuals, however, one headset beats out the rest by having a stronger resolution. If you want the best of the best, our top pick would need to be the HTC Vive Pro 2, which has a 120 degree field of view and a 2448p LCD display.

best gaming laptops are also VR-ready now, but if you’re keeping your search strictly to headwear, check out our guide to PSVR vs HTC Vive vs Oculus for more buying advice. Find out more about how we make our recommendations with the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.