Tech Talk

Sweat it out in VR.

FitXR is a fitness game designed for the Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2 that offers HIIT, boxing, and dance classes accompanied by upbeat music, motivational instructors, and workouts for all levels of athleticism. I initially reviewed FitXR at the beginning of 2021 when it was a single app purchase that hosted boxing and dance workouts, but a lot has changed since then.

FitXR has added a HIIT studio and a multiplayer option, as well as a bunch of new tunes to accompany workouts. It also switched from a single app purchase with DLC options to a monthly membership subscription. It's a choice many FitXR app "owners" aren't happy about, as they can't access new features without subscribing.

All that being said, I find FitXR to be a fun, effective way to get into shape. If you're a fan of VR and fitness — and own a Quest 2 — this is a game worthy of checking out. Get ready, because VR just got a whole lot sweatier.

FitXR

Bottom line: FitXR is a fun, effective fitness game designed for virtual reality. It offers HIIT, dance, and boxing workouts for all fitness levels, so everyone from beginners to athletes can benefit.

The Good

• Dance, boxing, and HIIT
• Effective workouts
• Single + multiplayer options
• Filtered search
• Great music

The Bad

• Rhythm is essential
• Can't play offline
• Monthly membership required

$9.99/Month at Oculus

FitXR review: Effective, varied, fun

I'm a master group fitness instructor and fitness enthusiast; I love to sweat it out whenever and however I can. When I was asked to try working out in virtual reality, I had no idea what to expect. I'm thrilled to report that FitXR is a fun, effective way to whip your body into shape. I like that it offers a lot of variety and that a new workout class is added every day.

Playing FitXR is unlike any other fitness class I've ever experienced. Like most monthly fitness subscriptions, your on-demand class library is ever-expanding, compensating for the monthly cost. FitXR offers boxing, dancing, and HIIT workouts via different instructors at various lengths and levels. They've recently added a new class search feature where you can filter according to studio, music genre, difficulty, and duration.

To access this game, it must be purchased through the Oculus app store. Once it's been downloaded, you'll enter the game and it will take you to the FitXR studio home base. It used to look like a sleek, premium gym, but now it looks more like a futuristic nightclub — dark lighting and neon lights. From there, you'll create a profile within the game that asks for your basic info: name, age, weight, gender.

Once you've created your profile, you'll be prompted to go through the FitXR demo so you can learn how to move and what cues to expect in class. After that, you're ready to take a class of your choice. I recommend starting with one of the beginner classes to get a handle on the movement and experience the cues in motion. Once you've got a few beginner classes under your belt, you'll be ready to advance to more challenging workouts.

Filter search, new environments, multiplayer, and HIIT are noteworthy additions to FitXR.

I love that there is so much variety within the class options, and the new class filter feature makes it so much easier to find the classes you want. There are beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert classes ranging from three to 35 minutes in length, and you can search for workouts via your favorite instructor. When you select a class, you can either work out in real-time with up to six friends in multiplayer mode, or take on the leaderboard as a single player to see how you stack up against other players in the FitXR community.

Once you've selected the class you want to take, FitXR offers several class environments to match your current workout mood. You can take a class at the Clifftop studio overlooking a tranquil ocean scene, in the futuristic-looking box studio or dance floor, or at Skypark overlooking the city. Both the Clifftop and Skypark studios offer day or night lighting. These different environments offer even more variety to your workouts.

The accompanying workout music is top notch! Musical genres include rock, pop, electronic, mixed, and hip-hop. FitXR features a variety of artists, and they're adding new workout playlists every day. All the playlists I've experienced so far have been fire. Music is such a motivating force when you work out.

It's difficult to explain the world you enter when you drop into a FitXR class, but it's a fully immersive, futuristic, psychedelic experience. Please check out the photos of the game and tell me if you can describe it any better. A really cool aspect of the game is that you're competing against other players. If you take on the leaderboard, six other players are brought into your on-demand class (using ghost data) to bring a collaborative group fitness feel to life. Or you can generate a private code and challenge your friends to class in the new multiplayer mode. When you look left and right, you can see the other players alongside you. It's super trippy and really cool!

At any given point in class, you'll see the time left in your session, your FitXR points, your current streak, your best streak, and your current level. Streak points are accumulated when you perform the correct movement to the beat in boxing and dance classes or hit your cue points with the correct hand in HIIT. You don't have to have rhythm to be successful in HITT classes, but you have to have a sense of rhythm to do well in boxing and dance. FitXR encourages you not to focus so much on getting it right, and to just move your body and have a good time. Conquering the classes will follow as long as you're having fun.

FitXR classes provide an incredible workout and an extremely unique fitness experience.

My favorite classes to take are the new HIIT and boxing classes. They provide such a great workout. I'm always dripping with sweat after a session. It's a great way to alleviate your stress and anxiety in a healthy, constructive way. Working out releases endorphins which is the best high around. The dance classes are a lot of fun, too, and they accommodate all levels. Whether you're a toe-tapper or an expert dancer, there's plenty of dance classes for you to enjoy.

Remember to have water nearby so you can stay hydrated, and take care of your body after class. I typically feel sore the next day. You're definitely getting a solid workout in. I often forget that because I'm having so much fun playing the game. After your class, you'll see the statistics for that workout. Your best explosive streak, time played, class record, average punch speed (if boxing), calories burned, and level reached will all be displayed when you finish. The FitXR workouts were designed by real-world, professional fitness instructors to enable you to get a true workout in the comfort of your own home. It's a whole new level of connected fitness — fully immersive and exceptionally fun.

You can also check up on your user statistics. When you click this option from the FitXR homepage, you can see your stats organized by day, week, month, or total time overall. You'll see the total FitXR points you've earned, time played, average punch speed, total awesomeness, calories burned, classes completed, best explosive streak, and best dance streak.

FitXR review: You'll need rhythm, an online connection, and a subscription

Bottom line: you've got to have rhythm to be successful in dance and boxing classes. If you don't, you're going to walk away frustrated. The HIIT studio is a welcome addition for those that aren't keen on doing rhythm-based workouts. HIIT relies on visual cues and reaction time for success.

You can no longer play this game offline, and original users aren't thrilled about the monthly subscription switch.

Another change many original users aren't thrilled about, is that you can no longer play this game offline. I believe this is how FitXR can offer a multiplayer option, but it's not great news for those that want to get a workout in but don't have consistent internet access.

Probably the most unwelcome change is the switch from a single app purchase of $30 (plus $10 DLC) to a monthly subscription of $9.99 a month. In comparison to other connected fitness subscriptions, $10 a month is actually quite low. Those who bought the $30 game and DLC before everything switched to a subscription can still access purchased content — and even received a free 90-day subscription trial equal to the game's original cost. But many find this change frustrating nevertheless.

FitXR review: Should you play it?

Yes! If you love VR and fitness, FitXR provides a unique way to combine both, which is why it's on our list of best Oculus Quest 2 games. It offers a huge variety of HIIT, boxing, and dance workouts for all levels. You can take classes with customized soundtracks and environments to match and invigorate your workout mood. The on-demand library is ever-growing, and the music is upbeat and motivational. I love that there are single and multiplayer options. Whether you're an original fan or you're trying FitXR out for the first time, I think this is a game worthy of any fitness lover's collection.

FitXR

Bottom line: FitXR offers HIIT, dance, and boxing classes accompanied by motivational music and instructors for all fitness levels.

$9.99/month at Oculus

Review Changelog, August 2021

This article was originally published in January, 2021.

It was updated in August with the following changes.

• Updated pricing to reflect switch to monthly subscription.
• Tested and reviewed the new HIIT studio.
• Tested and reviewed the new multiplayer option.
• Tested and reviewed the new class environments.
• Updated what's not good — calorie counting is much more accurate.