Synth Riders is a VR rhythm game from Kluge Interactive. It first appeared on PC VR in 2018, reached Quest in 2019 and is now also on PlayStation VR2 and Apple Vision Pro. It is not new, but on 5 November 2026 it received a fresh paid music pack, 80s Mixtape: Vice Wave, which makes this a good moment to look at it for families and schools.

Coloured orbs fly towards you in time with the music and you catch them with matching hands. The twist, compared with games that ask you to slash or punch, is the rails: long glowing lines you trace through the air, which turn each song into something closer to a freestyle dance than a reaction test. The developer describes it as a mix of dance and fitness workout, and that matches what players say.

The base game includes more than 80 songs, and there is a large library of optional paid music packs from artists such as Linkin Park, Queen, Lady Gaga and Dua Lipa. On Quest it supports hand tracking, a mixed reality mode so you can play in your own room, custom songs, several difficulty levels and modifiers, weekly community events and cross platform multiplayer for up to ten players. A progression system was added in March 2026.

The new Vice Wave pack adds eight tracks: Kids In America (Kim Wilde), Your Love (The Outfield), Run To You (Bryan Adams), I Wanna Rock (Twisted Sister), Owner of a Lonely Heart (Yes), Shake It Up (The Cars), Rio (Duran Duran) and (I Just) Died In Your Arms (Cutting Crew). It costs $13.99 in the US, or $1.99 per song.

This review is based on the store listings, player ratings and published coverage, not on hands-on play.