I may have discovered a new favorite recreational sport, now perfectly tailored to my living room
When I first saw Racket Club on the Quest Store, a virtual reality tennis-style game, I got really excited. After playing it, I am happy to say that Racket Club has quickly become one of my favorite VR sport/exercise games ever.
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The developers at Resolution Games have taken elements of tennis, squash and pickleball and blended them together into an entirely new racket sport optimized for VR. Play takes place on a smaller indoor court surrounded by transparent walls. Scoring follows a best of three sets similar to real tennis but with some tweaks - points are worth more the longer rallies go on to encourage longer engaging play. Shorter games also keep matches moving at a decent pace.
At first glance, Racket Club seems simplistic but there is a surprising depth to mastering shot placement, spins and accurately returning balls. The gameplay is very accessible for beginners but pros will enjoy perfecting techniques. Thanks to realistic ball physics, every hit feels great. Even when miss a hit or hit it too hard, you feel that it is never the games' fault, you just have to get better at it. Subtle haptic feedback from the Quest 3 controllers makes each smack of the racket feel satisfying.
Playing against the AI is a fun way to learn the gameplay and practice shots. The computer opponents display intelligent movement and react convincingly to shots. At the beginning, I was struggling cause the AI is no joke, they are hard to beat. However, the real magic of Racket Club is in its online multiplayer. Jumping into a public match allows effortlessly meeting and playing against people from around the world. Communicating via stick waving or thumbs up gestures maintains the immersion. After games, it's easy to chat in the virtual club lobby about tactics or set up rematches. Playing inpromptu chill matches in the club and talking to the other players is the most wholesome experience I've experienced so far in VR.
While singles matches are tense one on one battles, I enjoyed doubles even more for the team strategy and variable player positions. Coordinating shots and positions with a partner against opponents requires quick thinking. Miscommunication can be just as hilarious in VR as in real life doubles.
Progression through Racket Club maintains its appeal long term. As you play more, you unlock new customization options for your avatar like sneakers and sweatbands. Most exciting are upgraded rackets that provide real performance boosts like increased speed or spin potential. Seeing tangible rewards keeps encouraging me to put in more hours practicing my techniques. Leaderboards also provide long-term competitive goals to climb the ranks.
The one slight downside is the game’s space requirements. To fully swing rackets safely, you need around a 3-4 square meters clear area at minimum. While not a dealbreaker, this limits Racket Club for smaller play spaces. Fortunately the mixed reality mode helps work within bounds.
Racket Club has quickly become one of my most played VR titles, partly due to its excellent execution of multiplayer. The combination of rapid match pacing, satisfying gameplay feel and constant progression incentives create a compelling package. For anyone interested in virtual sports or racket games, this crossover hit is a no-brainer download, especially on the all-in-one freedom of Quest 3. I may have discovered a new favorite recreational sport, now perfectly tailored to my living room. I strongly recommend this game. Thanks for reading!
The game was reviewed on a Quest 3 using a review copy provided by the developer.Racket Club is available now on Meta Quest, Pico and PCVR.
