VRChat Review on the Valve Index and Oculus Quest 2 

Introduction

VRChat is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online virtual reality (VR) social platform. The game consists of over 25.000 player made worlds that you can visit with friends or other players. With a combined playtime of 3,300 hours playing VRChat, we are sure that you get an accurate representation of the game. In this VRChat review you will get to know more about the social aspect of the game and the differences between the PC VR and the Standalone VR version.

Pros and cons VRChat in table 

These are some of the pros and cons that you might find interesting.

General information about VRChat

Here is some general information about VRChat:

Gameplay and visuals

VRChat is like many other social VR games quite hard to put into a single category. Most of the content is player made and it is free to access for everyone. As a result the graphics and textures can vary from being comparable to the high quality visuals of Half-Life Alyx to the low quality visuals of the Original Doom. Blender and Unity are the most commonly used programmes to create content for VRChat as they are free for non-commercial and personal use. 

Around 80% of the worlds aren’t much more than avatar worlds or worlds where players come together to make new friends. The other 20% offers more interaction with other players. VR clubs and (mini) game worlds would fit into the latter category. From billiards to board games everything is possible.

Not every world is accessible to the Oculus/Meta standalone VR headsets. This is because a separate world has to be made by the creator. They need to follow strict requirements set by the VRChat SDK because of limitations of the Qualcomm XR-2 chip. If you want to experience the game to its fullest it is recommended to play the game on a PC. You will be able to see everything how the creator envisioned it to look like.

Avatars are a huge part of the game, they allow you to express yourself in many different ways. Just like worlds you can make your own avatars, the only limit is your imagination! Every player has an avatar, think for example of the movie Ready Player One. Sadly the PC version of your avatar won’t work on the quest. This means that you will also have to create a Quest version. If you don’t have one then VRChat will assign you one of their default avatars. These default avatars can also be found in the starting home world or the avatar menu.

As the majority of the world’s on VRChat are user created you may experience glitches or performance issues affecting gameplay. These may take time to fix as creators are mostly volunteers which limits the amount of resources they can devote to the game.

A large number of worlds are not available on the Quest 2 to a similar Spec as on the PC-VR version. This is due to the Quest 2’s Snapdragon XR-2 Chip not being able to handle the demands of the lighting, shaders and textures originally implemented into worlds.

Story, levels and challenge

In VRChat there is a core mechanic called “instances”, this allows you to join or create an instance of a world. There you can join and invite other players or friends. This is the way players can connect with each other. You also have the possibility to make it private or for friends. It is up to you to decide which suits you best.

VRChat consists of many communities. Most smaller communities are Discord friend groups that like to hang out together on the weekend. While the bigger communities organize events. These events are usually clubs where DJs perform live sets for everyone to enjoy, these instances often reach 100+ people!

Gameplay experience

VRChat is more of a social network than just a game, this makes it quite hard to put into a single category. The game is difficult to start as a new player but once you have a large friend group it is also difficult to stop playing it. We have spent thousands of hours in total playing this game on both PC and Quest. We found that having a friend group there is what makes the game most enjoyable. A great way to unwind on a Friday night after a busy week is to watch a movie or by hanging out with friends.

Replayability

As mentioned before, the game is challenging to pick up, but because there are so many different worlds to explore, VRChat has a high replay value. The varied player base and regular updates only serve to further this. Even though you might not first enjoy the game, joining a public instance is a great way to start your adventure.

Alternative games

Conclusion

In conclusion, VRChat is a powerful platform that has revolutionized the way people interact with each other in virtual spaces. With its immersive experiences and endless possibilities for customization, VRChat has become a popular destination for PC and VR gamers. VRChat deserves a 8/10 on our immersion scale because it is a great way to socialize and to connect with others from around the world.

FAQ 

I want to play the best looking VR game?

Half-Life Alyx is still the best looking VR game ever made.

I want to play another game that is similar?

RecRoom and NeosVR are both free to play.

What is the best way you could describe VRChat as?

VRChat is a free-to-play VR social platform that allows users to create and interact with custom avatars, virtual worlds, and other players in real time.