It’s been a weird year, here in Belgium we’ve had to stay inside for long periods of time, dropping our motiviation to go out and excercise to a considerable degree. I no longer had to walk an hour each working day, going to the office and back home again and to add insult to injury, we couldn’t invite people over to help finish those holiday meals.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was some fun way to get back in shape and drop a few of those pounds we’ve gained over the holidays? That’s why we made this list with a few great games to burn some calories! Let’s get to it!
5. Pistol Whip
Most VR games are a great pick if you’re looking to get a quick exercise and the Quest 2 even has built-in tracking that estimates how many calories you’ve burned.
While Pistol Whip may not seem that intensive, as it’s mainly a shooting game, you have to dodge a lot of bullets (especially in the harder modes) and you’ll have to sidestep and squat to avoid obstacles. It can get surprisingly intensive, so keep some water and a towel nearby, as you’re bound to start sweating!
In Pistol Whip, you shoot bad guys to the beat of the rhythm and that’s what makes this and most other titles on this list a perfect fit for everyone: it’s up to you how many songs you play each session and you can gradually increase the difficulty as well as the amount of tracks as you get fitter.
Check our Pistol Whip (PSVR) review HERE.
Or click HERE to see it in action on the Quest 2.
4. Just Dance 2021
We’re sticking to a music theme for our second entry on the list. Just Dance 2021 is available on pretty much every platform and even if you don’t have a gyro-enabled controller like the Switch’s Joycons or a camera like the Kinect to track your movements, you can still use your phone to get to grooving.
Dancing is without a doubt one of the most fun methods of moving your body around, which makes it a great motivator to stay in shape. Just Dance has even been including a “Sweat mode” since the 2015 version, which keeps track of the calories you burn and it gives you a more physical routine with choreographies that focus on working your muscles and getting your heart pumping for some quick cardio.
Check our Just Dance 2021 review HERE.
3. Pokémon GO
Really, a Pokémon game? Yes, really. I had four titles in mind when making this list and when asking people which title I should definitely add, Pokémon GO kept popping up time and time again.
While the social aspect of it may be lost in 2020, with most of Europe not allowing us to take walks with friends and especially preventing us from huddling together in big groups, it’s still an excellent motivator to actually go outside again and walk a bit. You might even discover new locations in your own neighbourhood that you didn’t know about yet.
So bring you smartphone (and a battery pack!) and go outside and try to catch them all. It may not be the best title on this list to drop some weight pounds at a time, but it never hurts to get some kilometers under your belt.
2. Beat Saber
Yep, another VR title, but as we already stated: the medium lends itself perfectly for games that require some kind of physical movement. Beat Saber is a simple enough concept: slicing blocks to the rhythm of the music, but it ramps up quickly and you’ll be amazed at how much of a workout you can get out of this game.
I’ve seen a lot of success stories go around with people losing weight by playing VR games, with some players even claiming to have lost well over 100 pounds playing Beat Saber (Source). I personally haven’t kept track of the weight I’ve lost yet, but I definitely feel a lot fitter now that I have a daily routine of playing a few rounds of Pistol Whip + finishing with a few tracks in Beat Saber.
1. Ring Fit Adventure
Introducing my latest addiction: I got Ring Fit Adventure for my birthday in November after it was out of stock everywhere for months on end and it’s quickly making its way up the list as my favourite Nintendo Switch title of the year.
I’ve always been saying that I wish there was some kind of gamified rewards system for exercising, as I know that’s a surefire way to stay motivated. But outside of earning achievements in a few Kinect titles, I never kept up with it.
That’s where Ring Fit Adventure jogs into the spotlight, adding RPG elements to an exercise routine is perfect for making you want to come back to it every day and progress in the story while also working up a sweat. It tracks the minutes you were actively moving and guesses how many calories you’ve burned with each level.
Next to all the running in place and “attacks” that train your arms, legs, abdominal muscles and general condition, you can even get some idle progression in: I’ve been binging Marvel movies on Disney+ while still doing Ring pushes and pulls to earn exp, it’s fantastic!
Check our Ring Fit Adventure Review HERE.
So, those were my personal suggestions.
Are there any obvious titels I have missed? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
