The 6 Best VR Headsets for Steam in 2023 (SteamVR)

Are you looking to play the best gaming titles, like Half-Life Alyx, on your VR gaming headset?

You’d need a SteamVR-compatible headset to play those exclusive titles.

Thankfully, there’s plenty of headsets to go around that fall under this category.

From high-end virtual reality and Windows Mixed Reality VR machines to affordable, beginner-friendly headsets—many systems are equipped to meet your unique demands.

In this list, we’ll cover the best of the bunch, from the Valve Index to the Meta Quest 2.

Let’s browse through the best Steam compatible VR headsets!

Best VR Headsets For Steam At A Glance

1. Meta Quest 2 (Editor’s Choice)
2. Valve Index (Best Premium)
3. HP Reverb G2 (Best Value)
4. HTC Vive Pro 2
5. Pimax 5K Super/8K X – (Best FOV)
6. Windows Mixed Reality – Samsung Odyssey – (Honorable Mention)

1. Meta Quest 2 (Editor’s Choice)

You might feel you’ve heard of the Meta Quest 2 before. That’s because it used to be Oculus Quest 2. Despite the change in the name  (and corporate ownership), Quest 2 remains a great standalone headset.

Yes, you read that right. You don’t need a computer to play games on Quest 2. 

But you’re reading this list because you want to play Steam games. Don’t worry, you can connect Quest 2 to a computer and run games through Steam. You can use a Link cable or — the best thing about this headset — connect to Steam VR wirelessly.

You’ll never have to trip on a wire during gameplay ever again. As a downside, though, you need a Meta account to connect the headset to a PC.

Another great thing about Quest 2 is the crazy value it provides for your money. You don’t often hear this, but Meta could ask much more money for this thing and has decided not to.

The resolution is 1832 x 1920 per eye. It’s not quite 4K, but it does beat the Valve Index. The picture quality is crisp, the colors are vibrant, and — most importantly — there’s no screen door effect.

Meta has redesigned the controllers since the days this was an Oculus headset. They’re not as good as Valve Index’s, but that’s a really high bar. They are still some of the best VR controllers out there.

But the biggest negative of Quest 2 is comfort, or more precisely, the lack of it. Out of the box, this is an uncomfortable headset. You can fix that with some third-party part, but that’s extra hassle.

The discomfort pales in comparison to a truly wireless Steam VR gaming experience, though. We just can’t overstate how much more pleasant not having any wires is.

2. Valve Index (Best Premium)

Do you have a high-end i7 CPU and a GeForce RTX 3080 (or a GTX 970 as the bare minimum) or equivalent? Do you consider yourself a hardcore gamer?

If you have the cash laying around to upgrade your arsenal, try the Valve Index VR headset for Steam.

The Valve Index is the cream of the crop in the VR headset universe. It’s quite expensive—but you can’t beg for luxury. This VR powerhouse comes with superiority on almost every front.

This VR headset has all the specs you’ll need for a first class gaming experience, which is no surprise for a high-end first-generation VR headset. Sophisticated tracking, a 1440 x 1600 display resolution for each eye, a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz, and a wide 130-degrees field of view are some of the features you get with this PC VR headset.

While the specs look promising, what does it all mean? Some absolutely banging and smooth gameplay. Even on the most demanding titles like Microsoft Flight Simulator, Medal of Honor, or No Man’s Sky. 

The other great thing about the Valve Index is how thoughtfully engineered the hardware is. This VR headset uses SteamVR Tracking 2.0, which essentially uses external sensors placed in your room to track your hand and body movements. Unlike lower-end headsets, the Valve Index offers full-body tracking for maximum freedom.

With this tracking system, the Valve Index is arguably one of the best VR units for Steam games. It excels in playing first person shooter games like Pavlov VR, where competitive and fast-paced action can make or break the round.

And don’t get me started on the controllers. They’re fantastic too.

They have 87 different sensors, which makes this headset’s controllers one of the most receptive in the market right now. They also come with a reasonable 7-hour battery life — which is more than enough for a heavy day of gaming on this VR headset before it’d need another recharge.

3. HP Reverb G2 (Best Value)

Do you want a budget VR gaming headset that works for Steam? 

If yes, look no further. The HP Reverb G2 offers a lot of bang for your buck.

Made by the same minds who’ve worked with Valve and Microsoft—this virtual reality headset has a lot going for it.

The HP Reverb G2 comes with a wide variety of use cases. It can be used for training, gaming, watching movies, simulations—you name it.

This is largely attributed to the phenomenal display resolution that the HP Reverb G2 possesses. Its display type is an LCD at 2160 x 2160 resolution per eye. That sight is as crystal clear and as vivid as you can get in virtual reality right now.

But that’s not all. The folks who engineered this virtual reality headset know that the visual output isn’t everything. The auditory component plays a vital role as well.

And, pleased to say, they’ve absolutely crushed it in that department as well. Valve collaborated with HP to create an excellent and rich auditory experience with spectacular over the ears speakers.

Unlike cheaper quality headsets like the Meta Quest 2, the audio emanating from the speakers of this virtual reality console sounds deep, whole, and immersive. You can even feel the bass from the speakers—whereas in other cases, it’ll come across as fuzzy and low-quality muffled sounds.

Aside from the audiovisual experience, the rest of the features and performance from this virtual reality headset aren’t bad either. You’ll get a 90 Hz refresh rate, a wide 114-degree range field of view, and an adjustable IPD of between 60 to 68 mm. These specs may not be numero uno in the market, but they’re pretty damn good and serviceable for the average consumer.

It’s not all great for the HP Reverb G2, however. The Reverb G2, despite having clear upgrades in many departments compared to its predecessor, has failed to improve the tracking capabilities of this system. A tad bit underwhelming, but it’s still a decent mid-range VR headset overall.

4. HTC Vive Pro 2

The HTC Vive Pro 2 is the most recently released device on this list, and it’s also one of the more expensive ones.

Just like the Pimax 5K—the Vive Pro 2 has a spectacular 5K display resolution at 2448 x 2448 per eye. This is arguably one of the best resolution displays you can get.

The innovations on display technology have gotten to the point that advancing this resolution to better benchmarks will only have very subtle improvements, to the point that it may even be negligible up to a certain point.

The refresh rate and field of view figures house some solid specs too, at 120 Hz and 120-degrees respectively. The Vive Pro 2 minimized the screen door effect, which is a huge step up too. 

Compared to mid-range and the Valve Index, the HTC Vive Pro 2 reigns supreme, positioning itself with specs that make it worthy to be called a next-gen console.

Hardware could be improved. The Valve Index has smarter controllers, and the process of setting up could be made easier. The headset overall does have comfortable padding to make it more relaxing to wear, but it heats up quite a bit after some time. It’s also a bit on the weightier side, but it’s evenly distributed.

Overall, it’s a powerful VR headset if you have the PC specs to run it smoothly. Once more games get released in the system and SteamVR, I’d recommend this as a solid contender. But for now, I’d suggest you hold out until a better and cheaper system comes along, or the quality of the VR titles improve drastically to make it worth the price.

5. Pimax 5K Super/8K X

A great contender for the best VR Steam headset is Pimax with the double whammy of 5K Super and 8K X.

These high-end machines match the likes of the Valve Index. What makes them unique, however, is that no other current VR headsets have a field of view that matches the Pimax devices. With these headsets, you can up to 200-degree view angles on the Steam games you play. 

So if you play games like Microsoft Flight Simulator, you’ll get to see an incredibly wide angle as you navigate through the skies with your aircraft.

That’s not all there is to it. The Pimax 5K Super has a resolution of 2560 x 1440 per eye with Fresnel lens technology. The 8K X ups that to a whopping 3840 x 2160 per eye. You won’t ever have to squint to see faraway objects on your screen.

The headsets also boast comfort with a highly customizable IPD range of 55 to 75 mm. The refresh rates on the 5K max out at 180 Hz—a terrific feat. The 8K can also reach 110 Hz. 

And that’s not all we have to praise about this headset. The tracking technology has been engineered by SteamVR, which sports superior gyro-based technology that makes movement smoother to track. 

Sharp visuals, great refresh rate, and ultrawide field of view options may make these seem like some of the best VR headsets you can find, full stop. 

But, hold on. There are some minor drawbacks worth mentioning.

Despite the numerous options to optimize your gameplay, you can’t maximize your refresh rate and field of view at the same time.

If you play at the max refresh rate, you’re capped at a 150-degrees field of view. If you play at a max FOV at 200 degrees, you’d get capped at a 90 Hz refresh rate. 

Although those numbers are still pretty good, there’s still a future for more updates to improve gameplay.

I guess these innovations will just come in time; there’s still very much a bright future for virtual reality headsets. But regardless, the Pimax 5K Super and 8K X are powerhouse systems to play SteamVR games in, even at their current state.

6. Windows Mixed Reality headset – Samsung Odyssey+ – (Honorable Mention)

There are many Windows Mixed Reality headsets in the VR landscape, some better than others. 

These headsets generally work so that they’d be compatible with the Windows 10 operating system. It’s cheaper than high-end VR headsets like the Valve Index and Pimax, but it can still do the job of delivering an augmented experience.

And the great thing is — as this catalog of VR headsets is all PC-powered, they’re all compatible with Steam.

If you don’t want to hinder yourself with a wired headset, the Acer Windows Mixed Reality headset is a pretty solid option that’s still available in stores.

You can also opt for the Lenovo Explorer, but they’ve been discontinued so it might be difficult looking for them out in the wild.

One of the better WMR VR headsets available is the Samsung Odyssey. It features a 90 Hz refresh rate, a 6DOF free movement camera, a 110-degree field of view, and 1440 x 1600 display resolution per eye.

Overall, these WMR headsets do a great job in playing VR games. They aren’t easy to find, however, so you may have to go the extra mile to snag one of the better ones online.

How to Use VR on Steam?

Before you can use Steam and play Steam games, you would need to download the SteamVR app first. The app doesn’t require payment to download, but the VR games you’ll add to it may require an additional fee.

Bear in mind, SteamVR only runs on PC-powered VR headsets. Here’s the step-by-step guide on launching SteamVR on your VR headset:

• On your VR headset, launch the Steam app.
• Search for the SteamVR app in the search bar. Install it.
• Plug in your VR-compatible headset. Then, wait for the SteamVR prompt to appear.
• Once it’s up and running, search for your desired game through SteamVR’s search bar.
• Found a game? Install and purchase it like you would with a normal Steam game.

Best Steam Games

Beat Saber

Beat Saber continues to top the charts as one of the most exhilarating and fun VR games to date. 

How it works: Hack and slice through moving projectiles using hand movements with your controllers to the beat of adrenaline electronic music. 

It’s also a VR-exclusive title, so the only time you can play this game is with a headset strapped on.

Superhot

An innovative take on the first-person shooter genre, Superhot is a game where time moves only when you move. 

Delicately balance your movement as you shoot, slice, and maneuver past levels while avoiding slow-motion bullets.

Half Life: Alyx

There aren’t many VR titles that focus on the storytelling and lore-building aspect—but Half Life: Alyx does that phenomenally. 

Fight against the Combine, a vicious alien race, in this world that’s set between the settings of the acclaimed titles Half-Life and Half-Life 2.

Half Life Alyx is a SteamVR exclusive.

And the Winner Is…

That was quite a few headsets for you to consider. If you still feel a bit at a loss, here’s our bottom line.

Our #1 pick for the best Steam VR headset is Meta Quest 2. It has the performance to good-looking games well and, most importantly, it’s wireless. We can’t stress that enough.

For a high-end gaming experience, pick Valve Index or one of the Pimax headsets. The Index has amazing controllers while the Pimax has hands-down the best FOV.

Finally, for a budget-choice, the HP Reveb G2 keeps you in the game without breaking the bank.

Happy gaming!