A Crafty Girl vs. VR Motion Sickness

So, I love a good immersive game — give me spooky hallways, creepy soundtracks, and dramatic lighting, and I’m all in. But the moment I slapped on a VR headset and booted up Resident Evil: Biohazard… I discovered the real horror wasn’t the monsters. It was my inner ear screaming for mercy…and my body wanting to fall down.

The Unexpected Boss Battle: Motion Sickness

I heard VR could mess with your balance, but wow. Within 20 minutes, I was deep in a murderer’s house and even deeper into what I now lovingly call the spinny-queasy zone. If you’ve ever felt like your stomach and your brain were no longer speaking to each other, you know what I mean. My head started throbbing, my eyes and hands felt twitchy, and my legs were unsure if they were working or not.

Motion sickness in VR happens when your eyes tell you you’re moving, but your body disagrees — and that sensory confusion is a recipe for nausea. And I’m clearly not alone! It’s more common in games with graphics that aren’t realistically sharp, or with sudden movement changes that cause your brain some confusion on where you are. I found games without sharp sudden movements and those with more realistic graphics to be less stressful on my stomach.

Top 10 VR Games That Commonly Trigger Motion Sickness (aka the No-Go Zone if You’re New)

1. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard – yep, confirmed from personal experience.
2. Gran Turismo 7 – brilliant, but full of fast motion and head turns yikes.
3. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – great game, intense movement.
4. Boneworks – physics-based chaos in a stomach-churning package.
5. Subnautica VR – beautiful, but underwater bobbing is brutal.
6. No Man’s Sky VR – spacey and spinny.
7. Skyrim VR – dragons and dizziness galore.
8. Doom VR– alien landscapes first person shooter surprise jump scares.
9. Blade & Sorcery – intense combat and unpredictable movement.
10. Robo Recall – fun, but teleporting + fast action = 🌀

If you’re sensitive to motion like I apparently am, these might be best left for later in your VR journey. Though I actually didn’t find the later 6 too bad, Skyrim just required short periods of gameplay due to the graphics. Nothing has made me as sick as Biohazard though yikes.

Tips to Tame the Motion Sickness Beast:

• 🪑 Sit down while playing, especially early on or lean your legs against a chair/sofa.
• ⏱️ Limit your sessions — 15–20 mins is a solid start.
• 💨 Keep a fan on you — airflow helps ground you.
• 🎮 Use teleport movement rather than smooth movement.
• 🕶️ Try motion sickness bands or ginger chews — yes, really.
• 🧘 Relax your body — tension can make it worse.
• 🏖️ Start with calmer VR games or those with higher graphics you can pace like Fallout. I found that one pretty good.
• 📏 Adjust the settings — many games have a comfort mode.

My Takeaway

While my brave dive into Resident Evil VR left me humbled (and almost falling over in a corner), it hasn’t put me off VR forever. I just now know it’s okay to take things slow. You don’t have to go straight from couch to horror mansion with jump scares and sharp spins. Better still, don’t try to go full Rambo and spin about to shoot things, use VR tools that spin for you. Or you risk falling over your dogs or hitting someone getting by for snacks. Start simple. Let your brain and body make peace.

VR is an amazing experience — when it isn’t trying to ruin your day. 😅

Have you had a similar experience? Or do you have a go-to game that doesn’t make your stomach somersault? Drop a comment below or tag me on socials — I’d love to hear what works for you!

Stay spooky (but steady),
💜 Lizilou x