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A VR experience can put you in the cockpit of an F-18 Hornet over the Grand Canyon, behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, or inside a Squid Game challenge wearing a motion-capture suit. Every session is booked at a real venue with a staff member guiding you, so you choose what you want to do and which city you're near.
Some VR sessions have you standing still with a headset on. Others hand you a backpack and a 128 sqm arena to walk around in, or strap you into a full-motion racing rig used by professional teams for training. Free roam games, simulators, escape rooms and a Skydeck theatre all sit under the VR label, so the first choice is how you want to play: moving around, flying, racing or solving something.
On Surfers Paradise Boulevard, the Virtual Reality Blockbuster Gaming Experience puts a group of up to six in motion-capture and haptic gear, with seven worlds to pick from across fantasy, horror, sci-fi and action. You get a video of your session afterwards. The Squid Game or Rebel Moon VR Experience runs on the same gear and lets you choose between surviving Squid Game's challenges or fighting in Rebel Moon.
For something looser, the Gold Coast Free Roam Virtual Reality gives one to eight players a headset, backpack and controller and a choice of five games.
At Southbank, the Virtual Reality Simulator Racing Experience lets you pick from a Formula Ford, V8 Supercar, GT, LMP or Formula 1 car on a full-motion rig, and nobody expects you to have raced before. In Docklands, the Virtual Reality Fighter Jet Experience comes with a briefing from a commercial pilot, then loops, barrel-rolls and steep turns over places like the Grand Canyon and New York.
Back at Southbank, the Melbourne Skydeck MAX VR Experience adds a VR theatre session to a visit to the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere.
Northbridge is the place to fly. The F-18 Virtual Reality Experience has an in-flight instructor coaching you through challenges like threading the Grand Canyon, and the 737 simulator and F-18 VR session pairs a CASA-certified Boeing 737-800 simulator with a VR Hornet.
In central Fremantle, the Virtual Reality Escape Game Adventure turns an escape room into a full 3D cinematic game for two to four players, with photos taken in and after the game.
Adelaide CBD has two styles. The Adelaide VR sessions with 20+ games use wireless headsets and qualified instructors, with single and multiplayer titles to switch between. The FreeRoam Virtual Reality Experience is closer to a team game: a 128 sqm arena, seven games including zombies, pirates and PVP, and a GameMaster running the session for up to eight players.
Sydney has two options. In Bankstown, the Virtual Reality Jet Fighter Experience gives you 360-degree high-definition scenery to fly through, including the Swiss Alps and New York City. The Mobile Virtual Reality Experience brings all the equipment to a location you choose in Sydney, which suits a birthday or a work event.
In Darwin, the Admission to Darwin Hologram Zoo, Arcade and VR covers a life-size holographic zoo, classic arcade games and more than 15 VR adventures on one pass.
A VR experience works for the person who has every gadget but has never flown a fighter jet. They choose the venue, the day and the game, which matters here because each session is tied to a city and some are weekday only.
If you don't know where they'll be or what they'd pick, a RedBalloon gift voucher lets them find the right session themselves.
A virtual reality experience is a booked session where you wear a headset and play or fly inside a digital world. The range here runs from walk-around arenas, like the Adelaide CBD free roam arena, to seated flight and racing simulators, and a full-body motion-capture game in Surfers Paradise.
Each of those cities has its own sessions. Melbourne has racing simulators, a jet fighter flight and a Skydeck VR theatre. Perth has F-18 flights and a Fremantle escape game, Adelaide has two VR venues in the CBD, and the Gold Coast has full-body and free roam games. The Gold Coast free roam session is a good starting point for groups.
Most sessions run from 15 minutes to 90 minutes. The jet fighter flights are 15 minutes, the Blockbuster and Squid Game or Rebel Moon sessions are 40 minutes, and the Adelaide sessions and the Melbourne Skydeck MAX VR Experience are 90 minutes. The Darwin Hologram Zoo pass is a full day, and the Sydney mobile session runs for two hours.
It depends on the session. The Docklands fighter jet flight in Docklands starts at four years old, the Adelaide sessions are for ages seven and up, and the Fremantle escape game is recommended for ages eight and over. The Adelaide FreeRoam session is for ages 10 and over, and the Gold Coast Free Roam session is for 13 and over. The Blockbuster sessions need a minimum height of 120cm for motion capture detection, and under-18s need a parent or guardian to sign a waiver.
Most of these sessions are not recommended during pregnancy. The Blockbuster and Squid Game or Rebel Moon sessions, the Fremantle escape game, the Adelaide FreeRoam session and the Gold Coast Free Roam session all say so, and several add heart conditions to the list. The Darwin Hologram Zoo advises against its VR experiences for pregnant guests too. Check the product page of the session you're booking before choosing.
The Fremantle VR escape game states its software and hardware are designed to avoid nausea, headaches and motion sickness. The Melbourne racing simulators use motion sickness technology with customisable settings. If you wear glasses, the racing operator suggests small frames or contact lenses so the headset fits.
VR puts a headset on you, while a flight simulator is a physical cockpit and an escape room is a set of rooms. Some sessions blend the two. In Perth, the 737 and F-18 combination session has a CASA-certified 737-800 simulator and a VR fighter jet flight. For the real-cockpit version, see real-cockpit flight simulators, and for the room-based version see room-based escape games.
The Blockbuster and Squid Game or Rebel Moon sessions take groups of up to six, and both FreeRoam sessions take up to eight players. The mobile VR session comes to a location in Sydney, and the product lists birthday parties and corporate events. The Fremantle escape game suits two to four players.
If the cockpit appeals more than the headset, see flight simulator experiences and simulator racing. Room-based puzzles are in escape rooms, and arcades and gaming centres cover classic games. Fun and quirky things to do has more ideas for a group day out.