Best Meta Quest 2 apps and experiences – do more with your VR headset!

Good news! Your Meta Quest 2 is far more than just a VR gaming headset, so if you're interested in making the best of it, you're in the right place!

Here we'll list some of the best Quest 2 apps and experiences you may want to check out, for entertainment, productivity, and more! Let's begin.

You may also find interesting:

• How to use Meta Quest 2 as an AR headset: Passthrough, multitasking, hand tracking and more
• Best video player apps for Oculus Quest 2 and Quest Pro
• Meta Quest 3: release date expectations, and news
• Meta Quest 2 vs Valve Index
• Meta Quest 2 vs Oculus Rift S

Meta Quest Browser

"Once you open Chrome – you're home." Heard of this one? Well, Google's Chrome web browser isn't actually available on the Quest 2, but the sentiment stands – once you open a web browser, you're basically home, as you can access the web versions of pretty much any apps you may want to use, including those that aren't available on the Quest 2.

In addition – obviously, you can surf any desktop website, including smartphone-centric tech news sites (hint, hint), sports news sites, Wikipedia; what have you.

Indeed, the Quest 2's built-in web browser is quite a fantastic, fully-featured one, that you can use for pretty much anything. Sure, you'll have to log in everywhere the first time, as it doesn't have your Chrome (or Safari) passwords, but after that – the web is yours just as it is on your laptop or tablet, except – it's in virtual reality!

I've had success using the Quest 2's web browser to play Spotify (including video podcasts), browse pretty much any social media website, such as Instagram, and so on, so any websites or apps you may want to use in VR on your Quest 2 are likely to load and function fine here. Including productivity ones, you know – for getting actual work done!

And yes, my virtual environment is a winter village, because that's where I'd rather be, than in this smoldering hot weather. But that's a whole other topic. Let's move on to the next Quest 2 app you may want to check out.

YouTube VR

It turns out a lot of people use their Quest 2 headsets to do the kinds of things they'd normally do on their tablets – watching YouTube is one of those things. And thankfully, Google has made a YouTube VR app especially for the Quest 2, which you can download for free from the app store.

The YouTube VR app comes with a nice, minimalist environment, so as to not distract you from your content, which itself casts a lovely glow on top of said environment, adding a touch of minimal, but much appreciated liveliness to this app.

Basically, though, this is YouTube as you know it, but in virtual reality. You have your home screen with suggested videos, your subscriptions (well, as soon as you log in first), and of course, there's a stronger focus on recommending you VR180 and VR360 content you can watch in 3D on your Quest 2.

Those are 180-degree and 360-degree VR videos, respectively, which have been recorded either in stereo (meaning each of your eyes sees the video from a different angle, creating a 3D perspective) or mono (meaning both eyes will see the video recording from the same angle, but you can look around from within the video, at least).

So go ahead and explore all the user-generated VR content on YouTube, and watch it on your Quest 2 – there's a lot to discover. Some great experiences out there, including VR roller coaster videos, visiting popular landmarks in VR, and so on.

Netflix / Prime Video VR and other movie streaming apps

While not all of the popular streaming apps are available on the Quest 2, some of (likely) the most popular ones you may want to use, are. Notably, those include Netflix and Prime Video VR.

As you might expect, as long as you have a Netflix subscription, you can don your VR headset, download the Netflix app for Quest 2, and fire off some movies on shows to watch in VR, on a virtual screen, in a virtual environment.

I do love the virtual environment the Netflix app in particular puts you in – it's a nice lodge, with a big virtual display (as you'd expect), casting a lovely glow over the virtual environment. Good stuff!

Of course, this being a VR headset, you can't expect those movies and shows to look as sharp as they might on your TV or iPad, but hey – if nothing else, you'll be vastly more immersed, and things will probably sound way better too, thanks to the Quest 2's reasonably good speakers with spatial audio.

So definitely give your favorite streaming app a shot in VR, on your Quest 2, because – who knows? This might turn out to be your favorite way to watch movies now!

DeoVR

We also included DeoVR in our "best video player apps for Quest 2" list, and for good reason – this completely free app can play all of your local videos, movies and shows that you already own, and have transferred to your Quest 2, from your computer.

Not only that, but if you're keen on watching VR videos recorded by other people, DeoVR has a YouTube-like homepage, consisting of almost exclusively VR180 and VR360 videos, so you have much to explore!

It's worth noting that some of those are locked behind a paywall nowadays, but not all, and the app's core feature – letting you play local videos that you've transferred on your Quest 2 – remains completely free.

Do you have an old Shrek 3D or Avatar copy lying around? Well, with this app you can finally rewatch those movies again, in 3D, on your Quest 2! Because yes, DeoVR can play pretty much any video format, from normal, flat 2D videos, to most kinds of 3D video formats commonly used nowadays.

AirLink

AirLink is what I would call the Quest 2's most significant and exclusive feature – it lets you connect your VR headset with your PC, over WiFi!

So you get not only a virtual desktop-kind of deal, being able to access and control your computer from your Quest 2 wirelessly, but you can also play pretty much any PC VR games available this way. It's quite amazing.

AirLink isn't an app per se, but more of a core feature that you can enable by downloading the Air Link and Link Cable software on your PC, installing it, then on your Quest 2 simply press the clock on the homescreen, and next to WiFi and Bluetooth – press the Oculus Link option.

Voila – you have access to your computer, from your Quest 2 VR headset, without any wires between the two. There's so much you can do this way, although it's worth noting that your experience may vary depending on your WiFi speed, as well as just how far you're standing from your internet router. Basically, you'll need to be pretty close, at least in my experience.

Painting VR

Once upon a time, a lot of people's first instinct when they encountered a computer was to open its paint app and start doodling something. Painting and sketching is something a lot of people just love to take a stab at.

You see where this is going – there are obviously apps that allow you to paint in VR on your Quest 2, and Painting VR is just one of them. But a great one, too.

"Even if you think you’re not a creative person, Painting VR might prove you wrong." Do you need any more of a reason to give it a shot? Well, you may also want to know that this app contains a lot of realistic paint brushes you can tinker with, a Passthrough mode (which lets you see your real-world environment as you're painting in VR) and tons of other great features!

Mission: ISS: Quest

Calling this an app isn't as specific as calling it what it is – an experience. It's one of the first ones I tried when I initially got my Quest 2, and I really enjoyed it; I'm guessing so will you.

It puts you on the International Space Station, orbiting Earth, and as you can probably guess – you can navigate through it in virtual reality, and in zero gravity. You can even get out of the space station and get lost in the vast nothingness of space! It's quite the experience indeed. One that I'm betting not just you, but all of your family members or friends you may want to showcase VR to might like also.