YOU’VE probably never heard of it, but it’s one of the best games you can buy right now.
I’m talking about Beat Saber – the ludicrously enjoyable VR rhythm action game that’s hard to put down.
The premise is simple: you slash through blocks with lightsabers to the beat of music.
It’s a bit like a cross between Guitar Hero with Star Wars – though neither franchise is connected to Beat Saber.
The blocks come at you, each with a directional arrow that signals how you should slice through it.
Your left and right lightsabers are different colours, and correspond to various blocks.
Miss too many blocks and you fail – or rack up epic combos and earn a place on the leaderboards.
If you’re wondering how you control the lightsabers, it’s with motion-tracked handheld pads.
You’ll need a VR headset that supports this: I’m using Facebook’s Oculus Quest 2 – but other Oculus, PlayStation and HTC goggles will work too.
The cheapest way to get the game is for £22.99, with the £299 Quest 2.
You can read our Oculus Quest 2 review here to see why it’s probably a better buy than the PS5 or Xbox Series X.
There are loads of songs available, each with their own unique style.
Some are very pattern heavy, others have frantic sober crossovers or lots of physical ducking to avoid moving barriers.
One song might be fast but narrow and shallow, while another might stretch your entire body with wide and high blocks.
Without a doubt this is exercise: my Apple Watch tracks hundreds of calories burned with very Beat Saber sessions.
Some songs are specifically created for Beat Saber, while others are well-known titles.
You’ve got tracks from Pegboard Nerds, or the League of Legends group KDA.
And you can also buy bonus packs, including tunes from Imagine Dragons and Timbaland.
I splashed £12 on a Linkin Park bundle with no regrets.
Where Beat Saber really shines is the scaling difficulty.
Go on YouTube and you’ll find endless videos of extremely skilled players slicing through impossibly difficult block combinations.
But the game is actually very easy to pick up, thanks to the intuitive playstyle.
You can choose between five difficulty settings, ranging from Easy to Expert+.
And you can modify songs to go faster or slower, or have disappearing arrows – and even blocks that vanish just before they get to you.
I’ve seen concerns that the wireless Quest 2 might not have fast enough tracking for quick songs.
But I’ve had no issues: I regularly play on Expert+ and I’ve never had a problem with tracking, even with the Faster modifier active.
You can also play tethered to the PC with a Quest using the Oculus Link Cable.
This lets you play Beat Saber from the Oculus Rift store, if you’ve already bought it there.
Of course, you don't need a PC for the Oculus Quest 2 to work at all.
Beat Saber is truly a work of art, and it’s addictive as hell.
I’ve probably spent an hour a day for the past three weeks slicing blocks – and I’m not close to bored yet.
It’s proper fun, and makes great use of virtual reality.
This is one of those rare titles that simply couldn’t work with a standard console controller.
There are dozens of free songs to enjoy – and more great tracks to purchase as an add-on.
And constantly trying to improve and tackle harder songs will keep you hooked.
It’s the standout VR game for headsets right now, so grab a pen and start writing: Dear Santa…
The Sun says: Beat Saber is the ultimate reason to buy a virtual reality headset – and the sci-fi goggles are now cheaper than ever, so don't put it off any longer. 5/5
All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed. Always do your own research before making any purchase.
The Sun's tech team uses a Dell Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition to test PC games and accessories:
Dell Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition –
In other news, check out our review of the ultimate gaming PC to rival the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Read our guide to the new Call of Duty Cold War game.
And find out how to get free PS5 and PS4 games right now.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk
6,000.000+downloads/Free/Bengali/Version2.3.4
777 BDT IPL 2025 Sports First Deposit Bonus
