If you grow weary of the vice-like grip of the Meta store, then you might want to check out our guide to the best SideQuest games for the Quest 2. While it's perfectly possible to play games exclusively from the Meta store, using SideQuest can broaden your horizons to a host of games that would otherwise be unavailable.
It's easy to get paralysed by choice, however. So we've put together a selection of the best games, to help get you started. We'll also give you a bit of guidance on what SideQuest is, and how to use it.
Best SideQuest games for Oculus Quest 2
One of the big advantages of SideQuest is that it gives you access to games that might otherwise not be available via the Meta store. Many of these are indie titles, while some are mods of classic PC games from yesteryear. So whatever floats your boat, there's a good chance you'll find something worthy of your time.
Without further ado, let's take a look at a few of our favourites. And bear in mind that there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, to choose from. So this really is just a snapshot for you.
Pavlov Shack
Pavlov Shack is a multiplayer shooter that features 5v5 competitive and social game modes. Considered by many to be a polished Counter-Strike knock-off, it is one of the most popular apps on SideQuest. If you like FPS games, this is a storing choice. Best of all, it's free.
Ancient Dungeon VR
This is a rogue-like dungeon crawler, where dungeons are generated randomly. Which means you'll always be doing something new. Armed with a sword and some throwing knives, you'll fight monsters, meet and rescue NPCs, and earn upgrades and perks along the way.
Duck Hunt VR
If you fancy a nostalgic trip back to the heyday of 1980s shooting games, then this VR interpretation of duck Hunt is perfect. Featuring the original NES light gun in the game, this version sees you hunting ducks in 360 degrees, so you'll be relying on sound as well as sight.
Tea For God
While marked as "under development" this game has a 4.8 star rating from 451 reviews. The game uses procedural generation to create infinite mazes for you to explore from your living room.
You can also customise the gameplay, to create a roguelite shooter-explorer, and arcade shooter, or even just go for a walk.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein VR
To round off our selection, we're taking another trip down memory lane, and returning to Return to Castle Wolfenstein. From the same person who brought VR ports of Doom and half-Life comes the triumphant VR port of the classic PC shooter.
All the ingredients remain - Nazis, zombies, guns. The only thing missing is multiplayer, but given the limitations of the Quest headset, that's totally forgivable. It's a great single-player version of the classic game, this time in VR.
What is SideQuest?
SideQuest is a desktop app (although they do now offer an Android app) that you can use to browse and install content onto your Quest 2 via sideloading. It's extremely popular, and very simple to use.
If you aren't sure, sideloading means installing content that is not generally available via the "official" Meta store. Although this has changed recently, as App Lab now allows people to side load content far more easily. But there may still be content that requires you to use the traditional sideloading method.
How to install SideQuest
If you want to try any of these games, or indeed, one of the myriad other games or apps available via SideQuest, installing it is very simple. Go to this link, create an account, and then choose whether to use the 'easy' installer, or the 'advanced' installer.
The easy installer lets you transfer game ports, install the SideQuest VR app to your Quest 2, and manage headset settings.
The advanced installer also lets you manage files, install APK and OBB files, and stream from your headset to a Windows PC.
Whichever option you choose, there are handy video tutorials provided by the good people at SideQuest. You won't have any difficulties getting it installed, and then the hard decision is which game to play first.