Carnival Games VR

Carnival Games VR is an unexpected hit in my house. The intuitive control scheme made it fun for gamers and non-gamers alike. While having multiple players was cumbersome, there is a nausea-free simple and enjoyable VR experience.

46%Game Brain Score

graphics, gameplay

story, stability

40% User Score Based on 538 reviews

Critic Score 55%Based on 7 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $1.79

Buy NowGet on Steam$19.99

About

Carnival Games VR offers a virtual reality experience with 12 carnival games, including Golden Arm and Shooting Gallery. Players can explore the park, interact with patrons, and earn tickets for virtual prizes. The game provides an immersive environment for hours of fun.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

40%

Audience ScoreBased on 545 reviews

graphics14 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game offers a large collection of carnival games that are fun and engaging, especially for families and children.
Some players have reported that the game works well on HTC Vive and provides a nostalgic experience reminiscent of the Wii version.
The graphics and immersive carnival atmosphere are well-received, making it visually appealing.

The game is plagued by frequent crashes and freezing issues, making it unplayable for many users across various VR headsets.
There is a lack of clear compatibility information, leading to confusion about which headsets the game supports, particularly with Oculus devices.
The physics and controls are often described as inconsistent and frustrating, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.

story
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
86%
8%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized, with many reviewers noting that it lacks depth and engagement, describing it as a simple, fun experience without a compelling narrative. While some players appreciate its laid-back, immersive qualities reminiscent of theme park attractions, others find it unremarkable and devoid of any significant story elements. Compatibility issues with various VR headsets, particularly the Quest 2, further detract from the overall experience.
- “Some people just aren't interested in an FPS or enthralling story, but enjoy nice laid-back immersive experiences.”
- “This game is amazing and whoever's complaining about not being able to play on Rift S or Quest devices should read the store page again.”
- “There is nothing cutting edge here, no story to follow and no 'hidden mechanics' to learn through extended play, it's just a fun little time passer like a real carnival.”
- “It's a cross between Disney's Haunted Mansion and the Toy Story Mania ride.”
- “The game crashed as soon as I went in the first mission on Oculus; I don't recommend it for anyone on Windows 11 Oculus.”
graphics
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
47%
9%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their quality and cartoonish style, evoking a fun carnival atmosphere. However, there are significant issues for players using AMD graphics cards, leading to crashes and a negative impact on the overall experience. While many users find the visuals appealing and polished, the game's compatibility problems with certain hardware detract from its potential enjoyment.
- “The graphics are great, and the game is super fun.”
- “Overall though, a very polished VR game that played without a single graphical hiccup.”
- “Very cute and graphically polished game.”
- “Changed my review to not recommended because it is broken for people using AMD graphics cards after an update and has been for years now.”
- “For those who have issues with it crashing, I think it might have to do with the RTX graphics card from what I've seen people write.”
- “This game will only work with an NVIDIA graphics card!”
gameplay
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
51%
10%
Gameplay is generally praised for its smoothness, quick responsiveness, and intuitive mechanics, making it enjoyable for both casual players and VR enthusiasts. While the sports addon content, particularly basketball arcade shooting, is highlighted for its superior mechanics, some reviewers note that the game lacks depth, offering only a collection of mini-games without a compelling story or hidden mechanics. Overall, it serves as a fun, albeit simplistic, time passer, though some players find it repetitive and lacking in excitement.
- “Gameplay is smooth, and response is quick.”
- “The sports addon content, which offers basketball arcade shooting, is playable and offers better shooting mechanics than other WMR games I've tried.”
- “Looking forward to showing this off to friends, as it's a short, enjoyable little experience with very intuitive gameplay (the UI is a little funky but easy once you figure it out).”
- “For a game from late 2016, I doubt it'll have any gameplay fixes, just compatibility updates.”
- “I paid £3 for it on a Steam sale which was a bargain, but I'm not sure I'd want to pay $20 as it is just a collection of mini-games; I could recreate the core game mechanics without the bells and whistles in a weekend.”
- “The tracking issues don't help, but the actual moment-to-moment gameplay is so morbidly boring that you may need medical attention to resuscitate you from this virtual reality yawn-fest.”
stability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
12%
75%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with many users reporting frequent freezes, particularly on PC, often occurring within the first 10 minutes of gameplay. While some players have found temporary solutions, such as running the game in compatibility mode, the overall experience is marred by bugs and crashes, leading to widespread frustration in the community. Despite these issues, some users still enjoy the game on other platforms like PS4, highlighting a mixed reception regarding stability.
- “No problems at all, no glitches.”
- “There's certainly some bugs in a few of the games, but most of the games are bug-free and play excellently.”
- “The game freezes with about 10 minutes of playing time.”
- “Amazingly fun with decent controls, but the game just freezes after 10 or so minutes of gameplay every time without fail. It's the only game that does this for me; save your money and do not buy it until it's fixed.”
- “I love this game on the PS4, but it freezes on the PC and the forums are filled with people complaining about it, with no help in sight.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
Overall, the game offers a mixed replayability experience. While some players find the mini-games enjoyable and challenging enough to encourage repeated play, others feel that the limited number of games and potential tedium for solo players diminish its long-term appeal.
- “Some of the games can be quite challenging (to get the high tier scores) and thus adds some replayability.”
- “The mini games are so much fun, excellent tracking and great replayability factor.”
- “The ones that are available have very high replay value.”
- “I enjoyed this game a great deal more than I expected, although I feel it has limited replay value for solo players as some of the games become a bit tedious quickly.”
- “Some of the games can be quite challenging (to get the high tier scores) and thus add some replayability.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The music in the game is characterized by loud, carnival-themed tracks and sound effects that enhance the vibrant and colorful atmosphere. While some users noted technical issues with music playback, the overall experience is described as fun and engaging, complementing the quirky design of the characters and mini-games.
- “The design is bright, colorful and the characters dotted around the carnival are quirky, with loud carnival themed music and sound effects throughout the game.”
- “This is a fun set of mini games with a bright, colourful, musical atmosphere.”
- “Too much work to make a black screen pop up and music play.”
- “The design is bright, colorful, and the characters dotted around the carnival are quirky, with loud carnival-themed music and sound effects throughout the game.”
- “This is a fun set of mini games with a bright, colorful, musical atmosphere.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game; while some find the ticket-grinding necessary for unlocking content tedious and potentially boring, others feel that the overall experience justifies the effort and ticket price. The game may have limited replay value for solo players due to the grind.
- “You have to unlock them by grinding tickets.”
- “Some might find it very grindy or boring, but for me, it was easily worth the ticket price.”
- “I enjoyed this game a great deal more than I expected, although I feel it has limited replay value for solo players as some of the games become a bit tedious quickly.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
Players report that the game initially runs smoothly, particularly on the Rift S, but experiences crashes during mini-games, indicating potential optimization issues that may require a patch. Additionally, the performance-based ticket system introduces a grind to unlock certain areas and games.
- “Certain areas and games have to be unlocked using tickets, and tickets are based on performance, so it has a small grind to it.”
- “Certain areas and games have to be unlocked using tickets, and tickets are based on performance, so it requires a small grind.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a vibrant and colorful environment, enhanced by lively music and numerous dynamic elements, creating an immersive and enjoyable experience for players.
- “This is a fun set of mini games with a bright, colorful, musical atmosphere.”
- “Colorful, immersive atmosphere with a lot of moving objects.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently praised for being both funny and professionally crafted, contributing to an enjoyable experience for players.
- “This is actually very funny and well/professionally made.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some users expressing dissatisfaction over purchasing it based on misleading advertisements regarding compatibility with HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

55%Critics’ scoreBased on 7 critic reviews

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