With its wireless design, Guardian barrier to warn you if you're too near furniture, and Oculus Move tracking, the Meta Quest 2 is hands-down the best VR headset for fitness. Plenty of Quest 2 games will give you some form of exercise simply by making you stand up and flail your arms around for an hour, but there are a few truly heart-pumping apps for aerobic exercise that'll get you sweating and your muscles burning.
Here is a list of the best Oculus Quest 2 workout games that will give you a killer workout in VR. You'll feel the burn with hardcore fitness apps like Supernatural, while other apps aren't as active but are much easier to lose yourself in, so it doesn't feel like a workout at all!
These are the best exercise and workout games for Meta Quest 2
Supernatural
This pick is solely for people who legitimately plan to make the Quest 2 their primary workout tool. Supernatural is a serious exercise app that costs $19/month or $179/year after the free trial, in exchange for new daily workouts with fresh licensed music narrated by live coaches that tell you exactly what you should be doing or feeling. There's a wide range of genres and artists, with weekly spotlights on famous artists like Katy Perry or Coldplay, and even some Disney-themed workouts.
Supernatural gameplay is very similar to Beat Saber, but with more of a focus on squats, punching speed, arm extension, and other movements that are more natural than the wrist-swiping motions of BS. It even added leg tracking so you could kick obstacles, for an even more dynamic workout. A regular triathlon athlete told us that Supernatural is worth the subscription cost for an intense workout, and we agree.
FitXR
Originally called BoxVR, this exercise app later added an entire dance workout system at no additional cost. FitXR received a stamp of approval from our resident group fitness instructor as an effective way for both beginners and experts to lose weight.
You choose a class ranging from 3 to 25 minutes of various intensity, where you'll either punch, jab, uppercut, and squat your way through shadow boxing routines or follow along to dance routines — all with rock, dance, hip-hop, or electronic music in the background. With various difficulty levels and DLC workout to buy down the line, this has more than enough content to be a daily routine for months that'll get you fit.
Beat Saber
If Guitar Hero were a rhythm game with a sword as the instrument, it would be Beat Saber. You'll slash and dodge cubes to the beat of techno music. Beginner levels are plenty of fun, but progress to Expert+ and you'll really begin to sweat. Get your daily dose of cardio, squats, and arm workouts while going for high scores and combos. Gamers have reportedly burned billions of calories in Beat Saber, but it's one of the best Quest 2 workout games because it doesn't feel like a workout.
Best of all, the game has added a ton of DLC music packs from a variety of famous artists: The Weeknd, Lizzo, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, BTS, Skrillex, and more, plus themed mixtapes for specific genres like rock or electronic with plenty of eclectic faves.
The Thrill of the Fight
This simulator introduces you to actual boxing mechanics while giving you a properly sweaty workout. Bob and weave, block blows and throw a variety of punches across multi-round bouts. Its visuals won't impress, but its collection of opponents with unique fighting styles will provide a proper challenge.
There's also training modes that can help you show how effective your moves are and the opponents are challenging and make you do the work to get healthy. This game is an arm, body, legs, and full-on cardio experience, and at a very reasonable price compared to many alternative options.
Les Mills Bodycombat
Unlike Supernatural and FitXR, which have more frequent updates and new music but charge a regular fee for the privilege, Les Mills Bodycombat gives you 50 coach-guided and music-backed workouts for one upfront charge — more than enough for people used to working out to the same exercise DVDs repeatedly.
With workout names like "Total Punishment," "Full Body Hype," and "Fast Fury," you know you'll need to get serious as you punch, knee, and dodge your way to a fitter body. Though there are also "Quick Hits" workout for the times you have to squeeze a fast workout in before work starts.
Dance Central
Unlike dedicated exercise apps, Dance Central is just straight-up dancing, and consequently, it won't feel as intimidating for non-athletes. Match your body movements with the avatars in the game. The 32-song soundtrack features some of the best smash hits and classics you'd hear in any club.
Your legs aren't tracked in the game, but that won't stop you from throwing out a kick now and then. It's a lot of cardio that will feel less like a VR workout and more like a night out, especially with the in-game multiplayer lounge where you can challenge friends to dance-offs. The only unfortunate fact is that the game hasn't gotten any DLC since its 2019 release, but we still recommend it.
Superhot VR
Time moves when you do in this top-selling, highly-rated VR shooter. Each level is a puzzle that requires you to move very quickly and sometimes move very slowly to defeat your foes. Some parts of the game require you to hold a pose perfectly still to figure out your next move. It's a full-body workout that combines the action of a shooter game with Tai Chi. It's like being in The Matrix except you don't have to shove a giant, metal plug into the back of your head.
Ohshape VR
Power pose your way to a healthier body. Inspired by the Japanese TV show Hole in the Wall, in OhShape you must move your whole body to fit inside a series of rapidly changing holes with fast-paced music egging you on.
Jump to dodge some obstacles, punch through others, and squeeze through the rest in a variety of challenging stances that strain your whole body. It has 32 official workouts with 4 difficulty levels; plus, the level editor lets you play other people's custom sets or create your own with officially supported custom songs.
Racket: NX
Imagine playing racquetball inside of a giant pinball machine and then adding the fun of the classic game, Breakout. The game starts at a slow pace, but as you progress, the ball moves faster and faster; the harder you hit the ball, the faster it'll ricochet back your direction. The 360º arena forces you to keep spinning in search of the ball, and you'll need both arm strength and precision to get a high score. All of the sweat-inducing intensity of playing racquetball is here.
Synth Riders
This Beat Saber-lookalike avoids the more famous game's wrist-jerking gameplay in favor of more natural moves that'll still get your heart rate up. You must move your hands to match up with the lighted indicators, bobbing and weaving to keep up and dodge obstacles. It has over 50 licensed electronica songs and weekend multiplayer dance parties that can be genuinely fun. Synth Riders is another rhythm game that'll have you too focused on mastering the beat to notice how hard you're working.
Audio Trip
This game checks many similar boxes to Synth Riders with its cyberpunk aesthetic and dance-focused gameplay, plus licensed music from Lady Gaga, Skrillex, Zedd, deadmau5, and Tiësto. Audio Trip has "Cardio mode" for its tracks, designed to get you sweating as you move your hands along flowing lines, swipe at fast-moving triangular targets, and dodge obstacles.
The new Dance Full Out mode adds a campaign mode, plus modifiers and achievements to add greater challenges for experts. Overall, Audio Trip is a fun fusion of rhythm games and the dancing focus of Dance Central, and we highly recommend it.
Space Pirate Trainer DX
This is a fun VR game that resembles the classic arcade game, Galaga, and will have you moving, squatting, jumping, and bending in many directions throughout the entire game. Since the enemy attacks you from above, your arms are always above your head, giving your shoulders a great workout.
Try to rise up the leaderboard while lowering your number on the scale. The game also added two-player modes for you and a workout partner including "ARENA" that turns a wide-open space into a game of hide and seek with laser guns and a "VERSUS" mode that turns the game's one-player droid shooter into a two-player competition.
Pistol Whip
Who would've thought that the shooting and rhythm game genres could ever work so well together? Pistol Whip offers a great, low-impact aerobic workout that's perfect if you need a quick stretch. Each level is paired with a colorful, vibrant scene and a catchy EDM tune with a unique beat in the background.
The game puts two customizable pistols in your hands and you have to shoot at and hit moving targets to the beat of the tune. The closer you hit the point of the beat that's blasting in your ears, the higher you score. However, these targets shoot back so you also have to twist, duck, and lean away from floating bullets while you're trying to shoot the figures who fired them at you. There are also a lot of low ceilings and bridges blocking your path that you have to squat to avoid so your legs, arms, and chest can get a good stretch. The game even has story-driven DLC modes with an original soundtrack to give it even more playability.
VR exercise workouts show results
If you're someone who struggles with at-home workouts, the Meta Quest 2 sidesteps the problem by transporting you to somewhere else entirely. Playing games like Beat Saber or Pistol Whip doesn't even feel like a workout because you're too immersed in the bass-heavy music and the need to blast foes or swipe at musical blocks.
Frankly, many of the best Quest 2 games could get you sweating even if exercise isn't the point of them; you can use Oculus Move to track for yourself how many calories a given game burns.
Still, once we tested how Quest 2 games serve for daily fitness, we found that only some games like FitXR or Supernatural hit the calorie burn per minute that you'd need for true fat burning. Other games on our list will help you maintain a routine and get sweaty, but only a few of the best Oculus Quest 2 workout games give you an efficient workout for those who only have a limited amount of time.
Whichever games you choose, hold off on starting up a VR exercise routine until you've invested in some of the best Quest 2 workout accessories. These will help keep your headset from becoming a sweat- and bacteria-filled mess, help you avoid injuries, and even make your VR workouts that much harder.
