Best Fitness Games In 2022: Workout Video Games To Check Out

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One

The Just Dance series has been around since 2009 and continues to be a fun way to burn calories, break a sweat, and improve your flexibility. The newest game in the franchise, Just Dance 2022 adds 40 new tracks from artists like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and more. The motion-based dancing game focuses on following choreography to hit songs. While you can play Just Dance alone, the game also allows for multiple players. Using either motion controllers (like the Switch’s Joy-Cons) or your own smartphone with the Just Dance Controller app, players mirror the on-screen dancers’ movements and score points based on accuracy.

Each version of the game has its own collection of songs, but you can significantly increase the size of your library by subscribing to Just Dance Unlimited. The subscription-based service lets you choose from a library of over 700 songs, including songs from previous games and new exclusives. A new copy of the game comes with one month of free Just Dance Unlimited access, so it’s worth taking advantage of the trial if you’re new to the series. — Chastity Vicencio

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Just Dance isn’t the only dance workout available on Nintendo Switch. Zumba: Burn It Up released in November 2019, offering Switch players an intro to the hugely popular Latin-inspired dance workout. Zumba incorporates upbeat music and choreographed dances, but you don’t need to be a great dancer or have perfect rhythm; this workout is just about moving your body and having fun. Still, it’s a fantastic cardio workout that also works your core and boosts flexibility.

Zumba: Burn It Up brings the exercise dance party to your living room with over 30 songs from artists like Cardi B, Ciara, and more. The game features real-life Zumba instructors, who will energetically lead you through the routines, and Switch Joy-Cons track your movement (you’ll want to strap them securely to your wrists). Zumba routines can get quite complex; however, you can choose your intensity level for each session, and some songs are slower than others. Like Fitness Boxing, Zumba: Burn It Up’s song list is a bit lacking, especially compared to the hundreds of songs you can unlock with Just Dance Unlimited. But at the end of the day, Zumba: Burn It Up is a great option if you’re looking for a serious workout, not just a game that involves moving, and if you love Zumba or have wanted to try it out, this is a fantastic way to enjoy the exercise from home. — Jenae Sitzes

Compatible VR headsets: Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, PlayStation VR, Valve Index, HTC Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality

If you have a virtual reality headset like the Oculus Rift or PlayStation VR, there’s no better workout game than Beat Saber. Colored blocks fly toward you, and you swipe at them with the lightsabers in your hands–simple.

Sure, it might seem relatively low impact when you’re starting out, and as a rhythm game, it lacks the features that a dedicated workout experience might offer. But it’s worth getting invested; the better you get at Beat Saber, the better a workout it is. You might start on normal difficulty, or even hard, and higher levels of play will seem completely out of reach. But the game’s learning curve is really more of a friendly slope, thanks to readily available options like no-fail mode, song slowing, and practice mode. If you have the discipline to constantly set your sights on the next toughest challenge that initially seems unbeatable, you’ll find yourself constantly improving. Once you start nailing songs on expert difficulty and toying with expert plus–not to mention modifiers that make songs more difficult, like extra speed or disappearing arrows–you’ll find yourself pouring sweat and out of breath in no time.

Beat Saber also just released FitBeat, a new, free fitness track with standard, 90-degree, and 360-degree levels that leans even more heavily into the VR fitness game angle. FitBeat introduces some of Beat Saber’s most challenging workouts yet, so there’s no better time to dive in. — Michael Rougeau

Compatible VR headsets: Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, and HTC Vive

Sprint Vector offers a fairly strenuous VR workout thanks to its constant use of motion controls. While your racer is technically strapped into “vector blades,” Sprint Vector’s first-person perspective makes it feel like you’re going on a brisk run. The sci-fi courses are littered with sharp turns and changes in elevation. In addition to the standard tracks, there are obstacle courses that add even more variables to impede your progress. So even though the majority of the experience requires you to pump your arms back and forth, you also have to perform more elaborate maneuvers to turn quickly and fling yourself atop high rise platforms. The courses promote parkour-style movements, forcing you to exercise both your body and mind.

Even after just one race, you’ll feel the effort with Sprint Vector. And after a few, your forehead might get a little sweaty under the headset; your arms may start to feel like jello. Thankfully, Sprint Vector’s fast-paced racing action is engaging enough to stick with the initial difficulties that come with mastering the control scheme. After a while, gliding on these futuristic rollerblades will feel like second nature. You’ll need plenty of space to play Sprint Vector, as it’s a room-scale experience, as well as two motion controllers regardless of your platform of choice. — Steven Petite

Compatible VR headsets: Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, PlayStation VR, Valve Index, HTC Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality

Though Rec Room won’t give you the same level of workout as some of the other games on this list, it feels like a really great game to recommend while social distancing. Rec Room offers a free-to-play VR space to socialize with friends and play some fun minigames using motion controls. As of now, Rec Room has laser tag, dodgeball, disc golf, 3D charades, paintball, co-op quests where you square off against skeletons and werewolves, and even its own spin on battle royale dubbed Rec Royale.

Rec Room is currently in early access, but as you can tell, it has a bevy of activities to enjoy alongside buddies from the comfort of your own living room. So if you’re looking for a lighthearted game that will get you moving and at least somewhat replicates the feeling of being with friends and loved ones, Rec Room is definitely worth checking out. — Steven Petite

Compatible VR headsets: Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest

The Kinect may leave a bad taste in the mouth of some gamers, but I was actually quite fond of its motion-tracking capabilities. One of my all-time favorite games, Dance Central, was also an excellent example of its best features put to great use. The Kinect tracked your entire body as you reenacted dance moves from popular songs, making for an intense workout while also having a lot of fun and, honestly, just feeling cool. Unfortunately, the Kinect has fallen to the wayside, but there’s a newer option for playing Dance Central in 2022. If you have an Oculus Rift or Quest, then you can play Harmonix’s latest entry in the Dance Central series.

Dance Central VR is exactly how you remember it on consoles, even if the tracking is a little different. Since the Rift and Quest are only able to track your head and hands, you’ll have to play the honor system with your legs and feet–of course, if you fake it, you won’t get the full workout benefits of dancing. Thankfully, Dance Central VR is as fun as it was on Xbox; it’s hard not to move your feet to songs like Earth, Wind, & Fire’s “September” or Flo Rida and T-Pain’s “Low.” — Mat Paget

Compatible VR headsets: Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, PlayStation VR, Valve Index, HTC Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality

Playing Pistol Whip is the closest I’ve ever felt to being John Wick. The VR game puts you on a track that keeps you moving forward at all times while enemies come into view from the left, right, and above you. You might be standing still as the track pulls you through the level, but you’ll be crouching, moving from side to side, and dodging virtual bullets as you shoot your way through each song’s scene. It’s an incredibly fun action VR shooter, but it can also be a heart-pounding and sweaty workout if you push yourself with the harder difficulties. — Mat Paget