This Music VR Game Might Convince You to Finally Buy a Headset

Whether you’re looking for a reason to buy a Meta Quest 3 virtual reality headset or want a reason to dust off an existing one, the app genre that has kept me coming back to it is music games. Specifically, Smash Drums has been my VR guilty pleasure and that’s a good chance it could be yours too.

Music VR Experiences Keep Me Coming Back

There are a ton of apps and experiences for Meta’s Quest 3 headset, and even more that work across the Quest 2 as well. The problem isn’t necessarily a lack of software for VR devices, it’s finding the right type for you. Personally, I’ve found that music-based games hit the right spot.

“I think that [music and VR] is a natural fit because you’re fully immersed and engaging three of our most powerful senses–sight, touch, and hearing,” Potam, CEO of PotamWorks SAS, developer of Smash Drums told me over email. “Unlike traditional flat screen gaming, VR transports you in a sensory bubble that lets you focus on them, which creates a more captivating connection to the game and the music.”

I’ve found this to be the case. Casual sports games are fun, but once you’ve gotten a hole-in-one in miniature golf, the desire to keep returning to the game fades. On the other hand, I find myself able to listen to the same songs hundreds of times and the interactive gaming element makes them even more dynamic. I find music game just have more of a draw for me than other types.

Why I Like to Drum Even Though I’m Not a Drummer

In Smash Drums, each controller is represented as a drumstick in the game and different drums and cymbals move towards you in rhythm with the song playing. When an approaching drum reaches its dedicated spot, you hit it to keep the song playing on. If you miss too many times, the music fades out and you lose. If you’ve ever played Guitar Hero or Rock Band, Smash Drums follows a very similar style. You can even play a classic version of Smash Drums that looks like Rock Band.

In fact, those games were an inspiration for Potam. “When I got the original Oculus Quest in 2019, I fell in love with the standalone format, coming from a wired PSVR. And I figured it would be awesome to play drums, like I used to in Rock Band,” he told me. “But there was no drumming game available. Rock Band VR somehow decided to make it guitar-only. That’s the moment I knew I had to build the game I wanted to play, because no one else would at the time.”

I’ve played bass for a couple of decades, but I’ve never had the coordination to play drums in real life. In Smash Drums, however, you get the sense of what it would be like to be halfway decent on a drum kit and keep the beat going for a band. The haptics in the controllers make it feel like you’re actually playing.

More practically, I like the game because of how casual it can be. It’s a title that can be picked up at any time for three to five minutes—the length of a song. Or you can spend hours repeating songs trying to master the tracks with different difficulties. The game works while seated or standing up. And in its recent update for the Quest 3, it features a pass-through mode so you can still keep an eye on your surroundings while pounding the drum skins. Most of the time though, I still like to remain fully immersed in the game.

When I first tried Smash Drums as an early demo a few years ago, it only had a couple of unknown songs to drum along with. The tunes were good enough to play the game, but they didn’t elicit much emotion. Fast forward to the present and the game now offers dozens of well-known rock, pop, punk, and metal tracks to drum along with. It’s a completely different experience to play along with Jimmy Eat World or Bon Jovi, among other options.

Other Music Titles Worth Trying for Quest Headsets

Beyond Smash Drums, the most obvious music game is Beat Saber, Meta’s first-party title. You swing lightsabers to slice matching colored cubes. This game needs you to be standing so that you can dodge pillars along the way and depending on your effort, it can be a significant workout.

Synth Riders is another great game that falls in the same realm, following a trail of colored blobs in time to the selected music.

As a more dedicated fitness app, Supernatural incorporates music to keep HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts engaging.

“The upcoming game I’m super excited about is Maestro,” Potam said. “Having played the demo, and seen the latest trailer, I’m sure this one is about to shake the music VR games scene!”

Most of the time, big budget games get the headlines and the attention, but I’ve found these types of musical games to be better at keeping my attention for longer. There’s so much replay value that comes from playing along with meaningful songs. If you’ve let your Quest headset go unused recently because you haven’t had a reason to pick it up, one of these music titles might be the thing you’re looking for. If you don’t have a VR headset yet, Smash Drums could be the game that makes buying a Quest 3 the next time it goes on sale worth it.