Best VR experiences in London for 2023: from indoor skydiving to The War of the Worlds

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.

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, best UK dungeons, and best zombie experiences. Plus, keep an eye out for the best Halloween events taking place this spooky season.

Best VR experiences in London at a glance:

• OTHERWORLD, from £16
• ToonStrike, from £24
• Heights, Bites and Frights Experience, £25 for two
• Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience, from £25
• Augmented Reality Darts, £25
• Premium Free-Roaming, from £32
• VR Experience and entry at Sea Life London Aquarium, £34
• The Gunpowder Plot, from £40
• Alice in Wonderland VR Escape Room, £60 £49 for two
• VR Escape Rooms, £70 for two
• Zero Latency, £73 for two
• iFLY Indoor Skydiving and VR Flight, £119.99
• Apocalypse VR Experience, £144 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 (save £11 or 18%) 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 Day

Want to try some VR from the comfort of your own home? Take a look at the new Meta Quest 3 release date.

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.

Buy Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience tickets from £25 at Ticketmaster

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 £73 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, candlelight concert review, what is Frameless? guide, 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 £144 at Buyagift

With spooky season almost upon us, there's no better time to find out how to get Fright Night tickets and how to get Scarefest tickets for two of the biggest theme parks in the UK.

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 Edinburgh ghost tours, top London walking 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 £34 at Sealife

To bag a saving on best family UK days out, take a look at our how to get cheap Alton Towers tickets guide and Virgin Experience Days discount promotions.

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 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

The Gunpowder Plot Immersive Experience

Allow this next immersive experience to transport you back to the year Guy Fawkes orchestrated the failed Gunpowder Plot - 1605. The VR-assistant experience makes you feel as if you're actually in The Gunpowder Plot, and your undercover mission, should you choose to accept it, is to infiltrate the plotters' inner circle, then attempt to escape the Tower Vaults.

Located in the Tower Vaults right next to the Tower of London, The Gunpowder Plot couldn't be easier to get to if you're visiting London.

Buy The Gunpowder Plot tickets from £40 at gunpowderimmersive.com

Did you know we've also got a guide to the best Bonfire Night events near you?

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.