Best VR experiences in London for 2023: from indoor skydiving to The War of the Worlds
We all need an escape from reality sometimes, and luckily for us, virtual reality transports us to a whole new universe. With these top VR experiences, you and your friends can submerge yourself in out-of-this-world activities, so fasten your seatbelts!
If there’s a fun activity to do in London, you can guarantee the RadioTimes.com team will know about it. Whether it’s the best London walking tours or the London experience gifts, if you’re looking for something out of the ordinary to do in the capital city, you’ve come to the right place. And next on the agenda is VR experiences.
What is a VR experience? VR stands for ‘virtual reality’, and it’s a simulated experience that can either mimic or be completely different to real-world environments.
VR experiences usually use headsets or multi-projected environments to create sensations that a user would experience in the real world. A person taking part in a VR experience is able to look around the pretend world, move around in it, and interact with virtual items — sounds brilliant but kind of freaky, right?
You might have seen VR play out in movies like Ready Player One, where ordinary people can escape their decaying world and enter a stable, happier one. Or, you might’ve already tried your hand at VR in gaming. VR headsets get you right in the thick of the action from the comfort of your gaming chair, and there are plenty of the best VR games to immerse yourself in: The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Resident Evil 4 VR, Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, and even a Squid Game VR game. Plus, if you fancy trying a live Squid Game challenge, we'd recommend the Squid Game immersive experience which can be played by groups of two to six people.
While we’re not going full Ready Player One (humanity isn’t that bad…), there are a lot of exciting experiences to try in London to submerge yourself in the action. Let’s take a look at them.
For more unique activities to try across the country, take a look at the best UK driving experiences and best pottery classes and experiences.
Best VR experiences in London at a glance:
- OTHERWORLD, from £16
- ToonStrike, from £24
- Heights, Bites and Frights Experience, £25 for two
- Augmented Reality Darts, £25
- Premium Free-Roaming, from £32.50
- VR Experience and entry at Sea Life London Aquarium, £39
- Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience, from £45
- Alice in Wonderland VR Escape Room,
£60£49 for two - VR Escape Rooms, £70 for two
- Zero Latency, £72 for two
- iFLY Indoor Skydiving and VR Flight, £119.99
- Apocalypse VR Experience, £152 for four
Best VR experiences to try in London in 2023
Alice in Wonderland at Meetspace VR
Situated in Wembley, Meetspace VR is a giant warehouse space where you and your friends can live out the ultimate VR experience. Teams of up to eight players are pitched against flesh-eating zombies, out-of-control robots and even each other in a variety of games. We were particularly interested in the Alice in Wonderland VR game, which includes characters from the iconic book.
In the Alice and Wonderland adventure, you'll have one hour to save Wonderland from the Queen of Hearts and you'll meet the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and the Caterpillar along the way.
Buy Alice in Wonderland tickets for £60 £49 for two at Buyagift
We featured the Alice in Wonderland experience in our best escape rooms in London list, take a look for yourselves.
iFLY Indoor Skydiving and VR Flight
Ever wanted to skydive but not wanted to do the actual jumping out of a plane part? Us too. iFLY has revolutionised indoor skydiving; it still has the same wind tunnel and anti-gravity experience, except you wear a VR headset. The headset makes it seem like you're soaring across spectacular scenery in California, Hawaii, or the English countryside.
Buy iFLY Indoor Skydiving and VR Flight tickets for £119.99 at Virgin Experience Days
A VR headset which is all the rage at the moment is the Meta Quest 2, and we've answered 'Is the Meta Quest 2 worth it?' in this explainer.
Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience
For a family day out like no other, look no further than Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds experience. Aliens have descended on earth, but will you be able to escape London unharmed? This immersive experience features live actors, virtual reality, and 5D effects — which tune into all five of your senses — to get you to the heart of the action.
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We loved this virtual reality experience so much that we recommended it in our best immersive experiences in London guide.
Zero Latency
This next VR experience isn't for the faint-hearted: the headset will transport you to a zombie-infested city, and it's down to you to find a cure (no pressure, then). The free roam technology allows you to navigate your way across the city on foot; will you be able to hold your nerve?
Buy Zero Latency tickets for £72 for two at Virgin Experience Days
The RadioTimes.com team like to try out the things we recommend, just take a look at our BBC Earth Experience review and 2:22 A Ghost Story review.
VR Escape Rooms for Two
It's not just the Alice in Wonderland VR experience Meetspace VR has to offer, the virtual reality experience space has a masterclass in other-worldly escapes, such as The Dagger of Time which is set in the world of Prince of Persia, where you'll have the chance to stop, slow down, and rewind time, and The Prison: a tactical game which will truly test your brain power.
Meetspace VR has 16 themed games to choose from, and with this pass from Activity Superstore, you and a lucky friend can pick from any of them.
Buy VR Escape Rooms for Two for £70 at Activity Superstore
Apocalypse VR Experience
With the likes of The Last of Us and Dawn of the Dead firmly ingrained in our minds, we like to think we could survive an apocalypse. However, to test whether we're actually as savvy as we think (or if it's just wishful thinking), the Apocalypse VR experience at Navrtar is a great place to start.
This particular VR experience, for four people, will see you fight back against hoards of zombies in a huge 2,000 square-foot arena. The Ealing-based space also has a bar area, so you can brag about your survival skills over food and drink afterwards.
Buy Apocalypse VR Experience for Four for £152 at Buyagift
OTHERWORLD
OTHERWORLD has 16 VR pods, and when the experience starts, you and your friends will step into your own pod. The pods have a VR headset and use temperature, wind and rumble effects to make the virtual reality experience as immersive as possible, and the pods range from a zombie apocalypse, desert, the open sea, jungle, and more.
Buy OTHERWORLD tickets from £16 at OTHERWORLD
Are you a fan of all things spooky? Then take a look at the best UK zombie experiences, best Edinburgh ghost tours and best York ghost tours.
ToonStrike at Navrtar
This entry-level game is perfect for the beginner VR player and for families: you and your team have been sent to a city to protect its inhabitants from evil creatures. You'll visit a top-secret military base, hang off skyscrapers and hide in banks, before distributing the antidote.
ToonStrike automatically adapts to the level of its players, so you don't have to worry about it being too difficult or too easy-peasy.
Buy ToonStrike tickets from £24 at Navrtar
For more special days out, check out the top Harry Potter UK experiences and best London spa experiences.
VR Experience at Sea Life London Aquarium
If you thought London's Sea Life Aquarium couldn't get any more exciting, think again! The whole family will be dazzled by this VR experience which will take you to the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean. You can find this experience in the VR pods which are located right after the Rainforest Adventure zone. Plus, admission to the aquarium is included in the £39 ticket price.
Buy VR Experience and entry at Sea Life London Aquarium for £39 at Visit Sea Life
To bag a saving on fun family days out, take a look at our how to get cheap Alton Towers tickets guide and Virgin Experience Days discount promotions.
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Heights, Bites and Frights Experience for Two
This next VR experience is located at The O2 in London. Travel into another world in 15-minutes: you'll head to the 400ft heights of The Tower, where you'll overlook London before plummeting down in a rollercoaster cart. There's also the spooky game Jinxed and popular Shark Dive experience to try, too.
Buy Heights, Bites and Frights Experience for Two for £25 at Virgin Experience Days
Are you a sci-fi fan? Here's how to get cheap cinema tickets for the next science-fiction release, and if you fancy watching a film in style, here are the best luxury cinema experiences.
Premium Free-Roaming at DNA VR
Instead of fighting crime, surviving zombies, escaping a haunted house, and the likes from a VR pod, at DNA VR, you can experience another reality in a free-roaming space. With no wires holding you back, you'll have 40-minutes to complete your chosen mission — will you go for Hospital of Horror, Robots Onslaught, Time Travel Paradox, or perhaps another immersive challenge?
Buy Premium Free-Roaming from £32.50 at DNA VR
Augmented Reality Darts
AR darts is essentially a virtual darts: using the latest technology, a smartboard senses where darts would land on a board, and keeps track of the scores automatically (so there will be no cheating!). There are various themes, such as Robin Hood, Disco Wall, Killer, and more.
Buy Augmented Reality Darts for £25 Navrtar
For more activities to do in the UK, check out our guides on the best West End shows and the best Manchester theatre shows – and here's how to get cheap theatre tickets.