Virtual reality is still in its infancy, but several recent announcements have suggested the next few years will be monumental for the budding medium. Sony revealed plans to release an upgraded PlayStation VR headset for PS5, and it announced several new games in development for the system. The next leap in console-enabled VR is still a while away, but in the meantime, there has been a handful of great VR games released in 2021 to keep early adopters busy.

Currently, Half-Life: Alyx has earned the crown as the best VR game to date. Valve struck a perfect balance of storytelling, immersive environments, and satisfying gameplay to create an experience other VR games will likely seek to rival for years to come. Yet, once they've completed its roughly 12-hour campaign, VR gamers will be in need of a fresh experience to keep them coming back to their headsets.

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Fortunately, 2021 has already seen the release of three stunning VR releases that can keep players entertained for weeks on end. The following titles shine for very different reasons. One is literally as large as the world itself; the second is a popular game franchise that's been adapted for VR; and the last provides a heart-racing multiplayer experience. Here are the best VR games released in 2021 so far.

Best VR Games 2021: Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft's next-generation airplane simulator included 2 petabytes (that's 2,000 terabytes) of geographical data to create a mind-boggling, virtual rendition of Earth. Microsoft rang in the new year by making Microsoft Flight Simulator explorable in VR with a sizable update. VR headset owners can now feel what it's like to pilot an aircraft in the most realistic flight simulator ever released.

The only catch is that the VR update is best experienced with a flight stick, unless players can memorize all of the keyboard commands in order to pilot airplanes with their headsets on. Flight sticks are pricey on their own, and considering a powerful PC and a VR headset are also needed to play the Microsoft Flight Simulator VR update, this will be out of reach for a majority of gamers.

Best VR Games 2021: Hitman VR

Agent 47 - Hitman: Absolution

Hitman's IO Interactive released a virtual reality version of the stealth game exclusively for PSVR. The game makes use of the DualShock 4 controller instead of PSVR's Move Motion controllers. Users are free to choose how they want to approach assassinating their targets in more than 20 maps from the Hitman trilogy, which is even more immersive with a headset on.

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Best VR Games 2021: Hyper Dash

Best VR Games Released In 2021 So Far Hyper Dash

In February 2021, developer Triangle Factory released Hyper Dash, a 5v5 arena multiplayer game that makes teams compete to conquer objective-based maps. The game is all about heart-pounding shooter gameplay, reminiscent of Oculus' 2020 Solaris Offworld Combat and inspired by popular team-based shooters like Overwatch and Team Fortress 2. It's available for most popular headsets, like Oculus, HTC, and Valve Index, and is the most replayable virtual reality game of the bunch.

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