If your definition of fun includes taking on the escape room, try something out of this world for a change. An immersive video game, augmented reality (AR) adds digital elements into the real world – think camera filters – while virtual reality takes you to an entirely different world.
Instead of hunting for clues and cracking your brains to solve a puzzle, load your guns for a zombie shoot-out, team up with your mates for a game of fire dodgeball and journey into outer space at these AR and VR arcades. Immersive video games never look so good.
The 6 best virtual reality arcades in Singapore to have some real fun:
Hado Singapore
We kick off the list with the mildest VR experience, though by no means less fun. For those afraid of jumping head first into an unknown realm, Hado provides a solution by introducing virtual elements into the real world instead—think dragons, mushrooms, and fireballs etc. Marketed as “techno sports”, they offer a blend of augmented reality instead of a fully immersive VR experience. The upside is that you don’t have to worry about motion sickness. And as you won’t be connected by cables, you get freedom of movement too. They offer three different games: dodgeball (but with fireballs instead!), monster battle and Hado shoot. It is one of the more affordable options on the list, priced at $20-23 per person for all three games lasting 30 mins in total.
Headrock VR
With 11 different VR attractions spanning different themes, this VR theme park at Resorts World Sentosa is the place to check out if you’re hoping to spend hours lost in distant worlds. Each ride at HeadRock VR is set up in unique ways. Full-fledged adrenaline junkies can have their spine tingled by plunging into the depths of hell—or more accurately, molten lava—from a jaw-dropping height of over 1000m on the Flying Dive ride. If you’re more of an extreme sports person, navigate through overflowing river rapids on Jungle Rafting, supposedly a crowd favourite, that won’t require you to have a change of clothes after. Or experience a blistering snow storm with the Storm Blizzard installaton—a world’s first of its kind—that will see its debut in tropical Singapore. No winter, no problem. Admission tickets are sold as a bundle, allowing you access to seven ($65), five ($50) or three ($35) rides at a go.
Sandbox
Sandbox offers a hyper realistic experience, using haptic technology to bring in the added sense of touch along with untethered movement. Bring a party of up to six people to play in one of four games: Curse of Davy Jones, Deadwood Mansion, Amber Sky 2088 or the soon-to-come Star Trek: Discovery. With movie quality motion capture, actions are seamless and they themselves have compared it to the “Holodeck” from Star Trek. The games are priced at $29-40 per person for about half an hour of gameplay.
Virtual Room
Touted to be the best collaborative or team-based VR game room, Virtual Room sets itself apart from other VR places by offering each player their own room to play in. In their first sci-fi release, players must work in teams of up to four and time travel all the way back to ancient Egypt to solve puzzles together in order to save the world. Prices here are slightly steeper at $44-49 per person, but you get 45 minutes of game time so the math works out to be about the same, really. Check out how the https://sgmagazine.com team fared here.
V-room
V-room offers over 30 games, featuring horror, shooting, puzzle and multiplayer games. A suitable option for rounds of fast, casual game sessions with your friends, it is by far the most affordable of the lot here as well—each cozy room fits two to four people and only costs $12-15 per person for an hour. You can consider coming here as an introduction to VR gaming, or just to get a quick VR fix that won’t break the bank.
Zero Latency
Perhaps the biggest arena in Singapore, Zero Latency offers a staggering 4000 sq ft warehouse for you and your friends (up to eight players, no less) to play in. Cordless, you are free to move around without fear of bumping into a wall three arms’ length away. This is accompanied by a perfectly weighted controller and a headset with 2k resolution to provide the ultimate VR experience. Four games are offered here, ranging from zombie to space themes. The priciest of the lot, it’ll set you back about $48-70 per person, but the extensive gameplay and fully immersive environment makes it tempting to try it out at least once.
Escape rooms are pretty much passe, and karaoke just doesn’t cut it. So the next time you and your friends are looking for some unique activities to do, check out some of these virtual reality (VR) game rooms that have been sprouting up all over Singapore
