Before you dive right in on this VR World NYC review by some stranger that you have never met or heard of, here’s a quick context to my perspective so that you better understand how I am approaching my review on VR World NYC.
My wife and I have been continuing to explore the hidden gems of NYC and we’re still on the Manhattan chapter since the last 6 months. What can I say, its tough to find fun outdoor activities in NYC during the winter. We’ve also been patiently waiting for the Oculus Quest headsets to be made available for purchase again so we can experience the “All-Fun-Things VR”, just like any other newly turned teenager that isn’t old enough to own a cellphone yet.
PS: I got mine when I was 13 so I can understand the urge to own one.
With that in mind, the next step for us was to find a nice indoor activity that we can do over the weekend without breaking the bank and ideally with some friends by our side to further make the weekend more meaningful. So if you are thinking of a nice indoor activity to do with your friends or family in NYC without destroying your bank? Well, look no further. Here is my honest and recent review on VR World NYC.
Fun disclaimer: This VR World NYC Review is not sponsored in any manner by VR world or its affiliates since I am not a travel or a VR blogger that gets paid to share my opinion on my experiences…yet.
Let’s get the basics out of the way:
Timings
You can find the most accurate and current timings on their website if you scroll towards the bottom and I will also list them below for convenience.
In short, they are open every day after 12PM up until 9PM.
Most Recent Schedule here:
- Sunday: 11am – 9pm
- Monday: 12pm – 9pm
- Tuesday: 12pm – 9pm
- Wednesday: 12pm – 9pm
- Thursday: 12pm – 9pm
- Friday: 12pm – 10pm
- Saturday: 11am – 10pm
If you call them in advance to reserve your spot, you’re just wasting your time. Your best bet is to get there around 11am and get your passes at the entrance as the line is normally not that long, especially during the winters.
The pricing does not change at all depending on which day you plan on going. Continue reading below to understand how the pricing does change.
If you do manage to go on a weekend, expect a lot of children and parents as they are not in school and will do almost anything to occupy the VR game spots. I made the mistake of going over a weekend, but it was a small price to pay.
Pricing
Since time = money, let’s talk about their pricing structure.
First of all, VR world NYC is not just some smart display with some roller coaster rides or haunted house clips playing with a terrible lag ready to give you nausea and a headache. Rather, it is a virtual reality experience at it’s finest, which is why I am sharing this VR World NYC review.
The 2 hour pass costs about $44 and the all-day pass costs about $64 dollars, without taxes. You’re paying about $100 roughly for 2 people after taxes for the 2 hour pass, and about $150 roughly for 2 people for the all-day pass.
I know what you’re thinking, “it’s expensive, why should I spend a $100 on this 2 hour activity?”, and you’re right. I wouldn’t be sharing my VR World NYC review if I was not being honest about whether or not it’s worth the money.
A base model VR headset costs around $600 to own and this is almost one-fifth of its price. My wife and I agreed to get the 2 hour pass as we wanted to spend just enough money to know whether or not VR was for us, while also saving enough money to buy a VR headset if we liked our experience at VR World NYC.
Long story short, we really wished we had gotten the all-day pass for $64 because the experience was totally worth it. Keep in mind, that your 2 hours start the moment you start your first game and you have to wait in line after you are done playing your next game, and with wait times being about 5 minutes long for each game, you’re really just playing about 5-6 games total in the 2 hour pass while almost waiting for an hour in total in-between games.
My review on VR World NYC comes without a doubt that you should be getting the All Day Pass if you plan on making a good memorable outing out of this visit with your friends and family.
Important:
- There is an additional $15 charge for the jetpack add on – I highly recommend this, as the jetpack VR experience at the VR World NYC will leave you amazed and mind blown. You can add the jetpack add on to your 2 hour pass and as well as your all-day pass.
- It’s hard to get discounts for VR World NYC, however, they do tend to offer discounts to foot traffic coming into the store to inquire more about what VR World NYC is, rather than coming in strictly to buy tickets. So play dumb and ask them what VR World is and just hope that they offer a discount. The discounts can get up to 30% off per person.
Quick hack: Most people don’t know this, but if you are not sure of whether you will need the 2 hour pass or the full day pass if you’re concerned about factors such as experiencing dizziness or shortage of time, then you can always pay for the upgrade from your 2 hour pass to an all day pass, and you get charged with the difference separately.
Location & Commute
VR World NYC is conveniently located about 1 block away from the Empire State building and the Herald Square, so you can easily find all the express and local trains/subways and busses to stop in and around the area.
These spots are popular spots, so if you’re planning a time sensitive outing to the VR World NYC, I recommend leaving with a 10 min margin.
The exact location for the VR World NYC is:
8 E 34th St.
New York, NY 10016
Games
It would be an incomplete VR World NYC review if I left the games out of this review. The VR World NYC has single-player games, 2 player games and multiplayer games (which can be a little misleading and I will explain in just a second).
The game stations, if you will, are evenly spread out between 2 floors of the building. The first floor (the floor you will walk into) has all the games with certain VR rigs/add ons. This is where you will find the Jetpack experience, the formula 1 racing simulators and the infamous plank that leads you to a 1000ft drop. The bottom floor consists mainly of popular games which can also be bought and played if you own a virtual reality headset, like the Oculus Quest.
While these all sound scary, and may even seem scary at first glance, these experiences are a must-try if you are on a 2 hour pass.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what I was able to play in my limited 2 hour pass:
The Jetpack Experience
While I was unable to play this, I was able to observe the entirety of the gameplay as I stood 5 feet away from a giant jetpack like simulator which almost threw off the man standing inside of it. It brings you horizontally 2 feet away from the ground and that is scarier than any roller coaster I have ever been on.
It was a missed opportunity on my part, but don’t let it be a miss on your list of experiences to complete.
Formula 1 Racing
I, along with my wife and my friend, decided to race one another in a VR Formula 1 racing game. When I saw the seat belts on the chairs, I almost laughed, thinking to myself, “why would anyone need these?”. But then seconds into the gameplay, I was s*** scared that I might drive the car into a wall and literally be thrown off this chair I so comfortably sat on. It was too late to take off the VR headset, the race was on, and I had to win.
The chair moves synchronously with how you drive the car and my 2 cents are “keep a foot on the brake pedal”. Needless to say, I finished first.
Hawk Eye
You are an eagle and so are others that are flying in a small city like environment, hunting for prey and bringing it back to your nest. In other words, this is similar to capture-the-flag style gameplay, but with a whole different level of experience.
If you ever wanted to know what it feels like to be a superhero with flying powers, this is your chance. The game was so good that we played it 3 times despite being on a 2 hour limit. And I am not ashamed to say that the 3rd time was without even waiting in line.
Superhot
You are basically playing Neo in the movie “The Matrix”. Time only moves when you move and this game will transform you into John Wick.
Creed
Box away. You are put into a virtual ring with a top-class boxer and it’s either knock him out or get knocked out. I only wish they were able to provide haptic feedback on this game.
They have about a total of 15 to 20 different games, and this number can change depending on what new games are coming out around the time of your visit. Check their website to get a list of accurate and recent games here.
Important:
- Popular games will have wait times of up to 10 minutes. So plan accordingly as you cannot wait for 2 games at the same time.
- It is extremely hard to read the titles of the games, as they are in a different font, so I recommend checking out the gameplay on the monitors located at each game station before choosing to spend your time on a game. Especially if you are on a 2 hour pass.
- Most games are either single player or 2 player. So if you are a squad of 3, then decide on who is participating in the 2 player games, and who is wrapping up the single player games first.
Pro tip:
- The bottom floor does not open till 12PM.
- Start with the top floor first as the most fun games are located here.
I would love to hear your responses to my VR World NYC review after you have tried some of these games.
Safety
They provide a sanitation mask which prevents the headset from touching your skin directly, as many people wear the headset with the sanitation masks on, I feel safe to say that VR World NYC is certainly doing their part to clean the headsets before a new person tries the VR experience.
There is always a person from VR World NYC watching you play the game, they do so to prevent you from running into a wall or punching something that doesn’t need to be punched.
And with that, I will share my quick pros and cons of this VR World NYC review below:
Pros:
- Fun experiences, especially for 2 players
- Shows you what’s possible with VR
- Saves you money from buying a VR headset if you are not certain of whether or not you can handle the VR experience
- Location is convenient to get to
- The staff is very friendly and they help you understand how to play the games right
Cons:
- Price, while I have done $20 VR experiences which have been a terrible use of my money, I still think that VR World NYC is a bit pricey for their experiences.
- Waiting times can be bothersome as they are included as part of your time at VR World NYC, even though you are not playing the game.
All in all, I really hope that you visit VR World NYC after reading my VR World NYC review, and get to share your own thoughts here with me, as I would love to learn more about others’ experiences.
For more NYC reviews, you can follow me here on Openiun by clicking on my name or picture.
