DodgeCraft is a VR fitness game developed by INCISIV Ltd, released in December 2024, that combines immersive gameplay with effective workouts through two main modes: Dodge’Em and Run the Gauntlet.

Article At A Glance

  • DodgeCraft is a VR fitness game developed by INCISIV for Meta Quest 3 that features two distinct gameplay modes: Dodge’Em and Run the Gauntlet.
  • Both modes deliver a genuine full-body workout by forcing you to physically dodge, lean, punch, and shove — making exercise feel like play.
  • A built-in Mixed Reality mode lets asteroids and robots invade your actual room, which also doubles as a smart safety feature for smaller spaces.
  • At just £10.99, the price point is accessible, but the two-mode structure raises real questions about long-term replay value — something we dig into below.
  • DodgeCraft was created by the same studio behind CleanSheet Football, signaling a developer with real experience in immersive, movement-based gaming.

If you’ve been burned by VR fitness games that promise a workout but deliver a mild arm wave, DodgeCraft is a genuinely refreshing change of pace.

Developed by INCISIV — the studio behind CleanSheet Football — DodgeCraft marks their confident step into the VR fitness space. For anyone looking to level up their home workout routine, resources like fitness-focused VR game guides can help you find the right titles that actually match your goals. DodgeCraft, available on Meta Quest 3, is absolutely one worth putting on your radar.

DodgeCraft Might Be the VR Fitness Game You’ve Been Waiting For

Most VR fitness games fall into one of two traps: they’re either too shallow to hold your attention past day three, or they’re so complex the setup kills your motivation before you even break a sweat. DodgeCraft threads that needle surprisingly well. It strips the concept down to its most effective core — move your body or take a hit — and wraps it in two distinct game modes that each offer a different kind of physical challenge.

What sets DodgeCraft apart from the crowded VR fitness market isn’t flashy graphics or a complex progression system. It’s the fact that the gameplay mechanics themselves are the workout. You’re not pressing buttons to simulate exercise. You are the exercise. Every dodge, every lean, every shove is you, your muscles, and your cardiovascular system all working in real time.

Two Game Modes That Actually Make You Sweat

DodgeCraft keeps things tight with two focused modes. That’s not a criticism — it’s a deliberate design choice that keeps each mode feeling polished rather than spreading the experience thin across five mediocre options.

Dodge’Em: Avoid Asteroids and Drones in a High-Energy Arena

Dodge’Em puts you inside a designated arena where asteroids and drones come hurling toward you in increasingly aggressive waves. The concept sounds simple — and initially, it is. But as rounds progress, the speed, frequency, and variety of incoming projectiles ramp up fast, turning what feels like a warmup into a full cardiovascular session. You’re shifting your whole body left and right, ducking, and reacting in real time. There’s no standing still and casually tilting a controller. Your legs, core, and reaction speed are all being tested every single round.

Run the Gauntlet: Shove and Punch Robots Before They Reach Your Gate

Run the Gauntlet flips the formula. Instead of purely evading, you’re on the offensive — physically pushing and punching robots as they advance toward a gate you’re defending. This mode engages your upper body far more directly than Dodge’Em, working your arms, shoulders, and core as you track, target, and neutralize incoming threats. The arena design is clean and functional, with robots clearly visible against the background so you’re never losing targets in visual clutter.

Which Mode Gives You the Better Workout?

Honestly, they complement each other more than they compete. Dodge’Em is your cardio — lateral movement, quick footwork, and sustained aerobic effort. Run the Gauntlet is your strength and reaction work — upper body engagement, coordination, and controlled aggression. Running both back to back makes for a surprisingly complete session that hits different muscle groups without feeling repetitive. For a comprehensive approach to fitness, consider integrating VR fitness and nutrition into your routine.

How the Mixed Reality Mode Works on Meta Quest 3

DodgeCraft includes a Mixed Reality (MR) mode that takes advantage of the Meta Quest 3’s passthrough capabilities. It’s not the centerpiece of the experience, but it adds a genuinely useful layer to both game modes. Think of it as an enhancement rather than a separate feature — and one that has a practical safety benefit most reviews overlook.

Dodge’Em MR: Asteroids Break Through Your Real Wall

In Dodge’Em’s MR mode, an opening appears in your actual physical wall and asteroids emerge directly from it into your real-world space. The effect is striking the first time you experience it — your living room suddenly becomes the arena. It adds a layer of immersion that the standard VR mode simply can’t replicate, making each incoming asteroid feel more immediate and urgent.

Run the Gauntlet MR: The Arena Merges With Your Floor

  • The arena grid appears beneath your actual feet, blending the virtual battlefield with your real floor
  • Robots advance toward you through your physical space, making the threat feel genuinely present
  • The passthrough view keeps your real environment visible while the game overlays its elements on top

Run the Gauntlet’s MR implementation takes a different approach. Rather than punching a hole in your wall, it expands your sense of the arena by merging the game’s grid directly with the floor beneath you. The robots feel like they’re actually in the room with you, advancing across your real carpet or hardwood rather than some distant virtual surface. It’s a subtle but effective touch that makes the defensive stakes feel more personal.

That said, MR mode in both cases functions more as an exciting bonus than a transformative overhaul of the experience. The core gameplay doesn’t change — what changes is how viscerally present it all feels. For Meta Quest 3 owners specifically, it’s one of the better uses of passthrough in a fitness game without being overly gimmicky about it.

Why MR Mode Is a Safety Win for Families and Pets

Here’s a practical benefit that doesn’t get enough attention: when you’re deep in a VR session, spatial awareness disappears fast. MR mode solves that problem elegantly by keeping your real environment visible. You can see your coffee table, your dog wandering in, or your kid sitting too close to your play zone — all without breaking the game flow. For anyone playing in a shared or smaller living space, this is genuinely useful, not just a novelty feature.

It also reduces the anxiety of full VR immersion for newer players who haven’t yet built confidence moving around in a fully blacked-out virtual space. Being able to see your surroundings while still getting the full workout benefit makes DodgeCraft more accessible to a wider range of players and household setups.

Customizable Play Space Makes DodgeCraft Work for Any Room Size

One of the quieter wins in DodgeCraft’s design is its adjustable play area. Not everyone has a dedicated VR room with three meters of clear space in every direction. DodgeCraft accounts for this with a play space customization system that lets you define your boundaries before you start. Whether you’re working with a compact apartment living room or a full open basement, the game scales to fit your reality rather than demanding you restructure your furniture around it.

Does DodgeCraft Actually Deliver a Real Workout?

Short answer: yes — more than most VR fitness titles at this price point. The physical demands aren’t accidental. The game is built around movement as the primary mechanic, which means the workout is baked into every single round rather than being an optional side effect of playing. After a full session rotating between Dodge’Em and Run the Gauntlet, elevated heart rate and muscle fatigue in the legs and shoulders are a consistent result.

How the Physical Demands Compare to Other VR Fitness Games

Compared to titles like Beat Saber — which primarily engages your arms and wrists — DodgeCraft demands significantly more lower body involvement. The lateral dodging in Dodge’Em activates your quads, glutes, and calves in a way that standing rhythm games simply don’t. Run the Gauntlet adds pushing and punching mechanics that engage your chest, shoulders, and triceps with genuine resistance from the motion controllers.

It won’t replace a structured strength training program, and it’s not trying to. What DodgeCraft does exceptionally well is deliver consistent aerobic conditioning with enough upper body engagement to make it feel like a complete short-form workout. Think of it as a high-energy interval session rather than a replacement for the gym — and judged on those terms, it absolutely delivers.

Audio and Immersion: Does the Music Keep Your Energy Up?

The audio design in DodgeCraft does its job without being the star of the show. The soundtrack maintains enough energy to keep your pace up during intense rounds, and the sound effects — particularly the impact cues in Run the Gauntlet — give satisfying feedback when you connect with a robot. It’s not the pulse-pounding soundtrack library of a game like Pistol Whip, but it never works against you either. The arena designs in both modes are functional and clean, prioritizing gameplay clarity over visual spectacle, which is the right call for a fitness-focused title.

The Honest Downsides of DodgeCraft

No review worth reading skips the honest critique. DodgeCraft has real strengths, but it also has genuine limitations that could be dealbreakers depending on what you want from a VR fitness game. The biggest one isn’t about quality — it’s about quantity.

Only Two Game Modes Limits Long-Term Replay Value

Two modes is a tight offering, full stop. Dodge’Em and Run the Gauntlet are both well-executed, but once you’ve mastered the mechanics and pushed through the difficulty curve in each, the question of what comes next doesn’t have a satisfying answer yet. There’s no campaign structure, no unlockable arenas, and no multiplayer component to introduce unpredictability that keeps sessions feeling fresh week after week.

This doesn’t make DodgeCraft a bad purchase — at £10.99 it’s priced fairly for what it delivers. But if your VR fitness routine requires constant novelty to stay motivated, the two-mode structure will show its ceiling faster than you’d like. The smart play is to use DodgeCraft as one component of a broader VR fitness rotation rather than your only go-to title.

Can DodgeCraft Hold Your Attention After the First Week?

The first few sessions with DodgeCraft are genuinely exciting. The mechanics click fast, the physical feedback is immediate, and both modes offer enough challenge to keep you pushing through rounds. But by day five or six, the pattern becomes predictable. You know what’s coming in Dodge’Em. You know the robot behavior in Run the Gauntlet. Without new arenas, difficulty modifiers, or a progression system that unlocks something meaningful, the motivational pull starts to fade for players who need external novelty to stay consistent.

The players who will get the most long-term mileage out of DodgeCraft are those who are intrinsically motivated by personal performance metrics — beating your own reaction time, surviving longer waves, or pushing through higher difficulty settings. If chasing your own benchmarks is enough to keep you lacing up your metaphorical sneakers, DodgeCraft will hold up considerably longer. If you need new content drops to stay engaged, you’ll want to watch whether INCISIV supports the title with updates post-launch.

The honest comparison is this: DodgeCraft fits best into your routine the way a jump rope does. It’s simple, brutally effective, and delivers results every single time you use it — but most people need more than one tool in their fitness kit to stay motivated for the long haul. Use it strategically and it stays valuable. Rely on it exclusively and the novelty ceiling will arrive sooner than you’d like.

At £10.99, Is DodgeCraft Worth Adding to Your VR Fitness Routine?

At £10.99, DodgeCraft is an easy yes for Meta Quest 3 owners who want a low-cost, high-sweat addition to their VR fitness library. It won’t be your only fitness game, and it’s not trying to be. What it offers is two genuinely fun, physically demanding modes with solid MR integration, an adjustable play space, and mechanics that make movement the point rather than an afterthought. The two-mode limitation is real, but at this price it’s hard to hold it against the game too firmly. If you’re building a VR fitness rotation and need something that reliably gets your heart rate up without a steep learning curve, DodgeCraft earns its spot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the most common questions fitness-focused VR players ask before picking up DodgeCraft.

Is DodgeCraft available on Meta Quest 2?

Based on available information, DodgeCraft is designed for the Meta Quest 3. The Mixed Reality features specifically leverage the Quest 3’s advanced passthrough capabilities, which the Quest 2 does not support at the same level. Before purchasing, confirm compatibility on the Meta Quest store listing to ensure your headset is supported.

Does DodgeCraft offer a free trial before purchase?

There is no confirmed free trial for DodgeCraft at the time of this review. However, at £10.99, the entry cost is low enough that the financial risk is minimal compared to most VR fitness titles on the market. Given the two-mode structure, the price reflects fair value for what’s delivered.

How much space do you need to play DodgeCraft comfortably?

DodgeCraft includes an adjustable play area system that lets you customize your boundaries before each session. This means the game can work in smaller living spaces as well as larger open rooms. You’ll want enough room to take lateral steps and extend your arms fully without hitting furniture — a clearance of roughly 2m x 2m is a practical starting point, though more space always improves the experience in Dodge’Em specifically.

The MR mode adds an additional practical safety benefit here: because your real environment stays visible through the passthrough view, you’re far less likely to accidentally step into furniture or walls mid-session. For anyone in a shared living space or a smaller apartment, this makes DodgeCraft notably more playable than fully immersive VR titles that black out your surroundings entirely.

Who developed DodgeCraft and do they have other VR fitness games?

DodgeCraft was developed by INCISIV, the same studio behind CleanSheet Football. Their background in immersive, movement-based gaming gives DodgeCraft a polished feel that you don’t always find in budget-tier VR fitness titles. CleanSheet Football demonstrated INCISIV’s ability to build physical engagement into gameplay mechanics naturally, and DodgeCraft continues that approach in a more fitness-forward direction.

Is DodgeCraft suitable for beginners to VR fitness?

  • Low barrier to entry — the tutorial is simple and gets you moving within minutes
  • Scalable difficulty — early rounds in both modes are approachable for first-time VR fitness players
  • No complex button mapping — movement is the primary mechanic, reducing the learning curve dramatically
  • MR mode adds confidence — seeing your real space while playing reduces the disorientation many beginners experience in full VR immersion
  • Adjustable play area — beginners can start with a smaller, more controlled space and expand as they get comfortable

Yes, DodgeCraft is well-suited for VR fitness beginners. The mechanics are intuitive from the first session — if something is flying at you, you move out of the way. If a robot is marching toward your gate, you push it back. There’s no lengthy onboarding process standing between you and your first real workout.

That said, beginners should be aware that the physical demands escalate quickly as rounds progress, particularly in Dodge’Em. Starting at lower difficulty settings and building up gradually is the smart approach, both for stamina management and to avoid the soreness that comes from using muscle groups your body isn’t yet conditioned for through VR movement patterns.

The adjustable play space and MR passthrough mode make DodgeCraft particularly beginner-friendly in terms of physical safety. New VR users often misjudge their spatial boundaries during intense gameplay moments, and being able to see your real room through the passthrough view significantly reduces the risk of colliding with furniture or walls while you’re fully engaged in dodging asteroids.

Overall, DodgeCraft strikes a balance that works for beginners without feeling dumbed down for experienced VR fitness veterans. The floor is accessible, the ceiling is high enough to keep skilled players challenged, and the physical payoff is real from the very first session — which is exactly what a good VR fitness game should deliver.

Whether you’re just starting your VR fitness journey or looking to add a new high-sweat title to a routine that’s gone stale, DodgeCraft brings enough physical intensity, smart design, and accessible pricing to justify the download. It’s a lean, purposeful fitness game that respects your time and your body — and those two qualities alone put it ahead of most of its competition.

Ready to build a smarter VR fitness routine? Visit INCISIV’s fitness gaming resources to explore tools and titles that keep your workouts intense, engaging, and built for real results.


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