A purple tinted image of a woman dressed in white, wearing a VR headset.
Photograph: Michelangelo Buonarraoti
Photograph: Michelangelo Buonarraoti

The best places to try virtual reality in Melbourne

Strap on your headset and prepare to enter detailed, immersive worlds filled with zombies, racecars, robots and more

Adena Maier
Advertising

Video games are fun and all, but it's hard to fully immerse yourself when the corners of your room are still visible on the periphery. If you're keen on a truly all-encompassing experience, give virtual reality a try. It's come a long way since the first headset was created in the late 1960's, when it was mainly used to provide training across skills like aviation and surgery. Now, you can visit one of these centres across Melbourne, strap on a headset and enter everything from cyberpunk universities and zombie apocalypses to racecar simulators and the surreal, mind-bending world of Alice in Wonderland.

Looking for more challenges? Book in for a session at one of Melbourne's best escape rooms.

Virtual reality experiences in Melbourne

  • Things to do
  • Games and hobbies
  • Melbourne

Unlike your standard escape rooms that are relegated to the physical realm, Apsis uses virtual reality technology to transport its guests to insanely detailed worlds. Strap on the gear, take in the sights and solve rich, story-driven puzzles with your companions. Are you after a mystery where your mission could be to find a lost pyramid or the location of an ancient legendary ship? An adrenaline rush as you attempt to stop a nuclear attack or escape from a dilapidated cabin in the woods? Or perhaps you’re after something that visually astounds you, like entering the enchanted world of Alice in Wonderland. You can book in here

  • Things to do
  • Games and hobbies
  • Docklands

Who says arcades are just for kids? Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq has become a Melbourne mainstay for adults trying to relive their childhood. The first thing you'll notice when you step inside is that it's like entering a neon-hued vaudevillian dream that's highly reminiscent of a PG version of Blade Runner. There are dozens of arcade games to try out, as well as bowling and, most recently, a virtual reality arena. Jump into the Zero Latency Virtual Reality dome around the corner, pop on your VR headset, pick up the controller and decide which world you want to enter. Are you keen to fight a swarm of zombies, destroy killer robots or perhaps explore a gravity-less world? Make a booking here

Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Games and hobbies
  • Melbourne

VIRI is located a few hundred metres from Southern Cross Station, and it offers 16 virtual reality experiences ranging from immersive arcade games and cosmic adventures to racecar driving and first-person shooters. Sessions can take up to ten people, and when your eyes need a break from the screen time, you can relax on the comfortable couches until you're ready to go again. Book in here

  • Things to do
  • Games and hobbies
  • Melbourne

Entermission is a virtual reality escape room that has sprinkled multisensory stimulation in the mix; as you solve puzzles in your virtual world, you'll also experience wind, heat, vibration and scents. And if you tend to run into walls after donning your VR headset, Entermission has removed that hazard by creating experiences that are fully seated and that leave you completely hands-free. Sit back, relax and immerse yourself. Make a booking here

Advertising
  • Things to do
  • North Melbourne
Zero Latency
Zero Latency

Situated a zombie's lurch from Macauley station, Zero Latency specialises in multiplayer, free-roam (meaning no pesky wires) VR games, where up to eight players work together to explore alien worlds, investigate strange disturbances on spaceships and – yes, Walking Dead fans – battle hordes of the undead. The entire experience takes place across 400 square metres of flat, empty warehouse space, upon which gamers tread with headsets, backpacks and weapons. Through in-game prompts and trickery, players can actually walk upwards of one kilometre back and forth through the warehouse without hitting a wall.

  • Things to do
  • Southbank

We all know that Crown is home to a lavish day spa, nightclubs, bars, high-end shopping and – of course – the largest casino in the southern hemisphere, with 500 table games and thousands of electronic games. But did you know that it's also home to Kingpin, a 12-lane bowling alley that also features state-of-the-art virtual reality games? Step into the world of Transformers and decided whether you're a hero or a Decepticon, experience the thrill of racing and the fear of collision with a hyperrealistic racecar simulator or enter a zombie apocalypse and put your sharpshooting skills to the test. Book in here

Recommended
    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising