Hey there, if you’ve ever walked into an arcade, a family entertainment center (FEC), or a bar with that shiny new VR shooting game machine glowing in the corner, you’ve probably asked yourself one thing: “Wait, does this thing come with games already installed, or do I gotta hunt for downloads first?” As the owner of a small but busy VR shooting game machine supply company, I field this question every single day from new arcade owners, independent venue operators, and even guys who just want one for their personal game room (yes, those exist, believe it or not). Let’s break this down straight—no fancy jargon, no fluff, just what actually goes on with our machines and the industry as a whole. VR Shooting Game Machine
First off, let’s get the basic answer out of the way for anyone skimming: yes, almost all commercial-grade VR shooting game machines (the ones you’d find in arcades, not the cheap knockoff ones you might see on Amazon) ship with pre-installed games right out of the box. But wait—don’t get too excited and think it’s just one tiny, boring level like that old phone app you tried once. We’re talking about a mix of curated, tested games that we’ve built relationships with developers to license, plus some of our own custom content that we’ve made specifically for our machines. Let me walk you through why pre-installed games are such a big deal for both us and our customers, and where the line gets blurry between what’s pre-loaded and what’s extra.
You might be wondering, why not just leave it empty so operators can pick their own games? Trust me, we’ve heard that argument. Some new operators say, “I want to load the popular games on the market, not yours.” But here’s the thing: VR shooting games are way different from regular arcade games. They need to be optimized specifically for the machine’s hardware—like the motion tracking, the gun controllers, and the refresh rate of the headset. If you just slap a random VR shooting game on there that’s not optimized, you’re gonna get motion sickness, jittery tracking, or games that crash mid-play when a kid’s halfway through a round. No operator wants that—bad reviews mean no repeat customers.
Our machines, for example, come pre-installed with four core games right when you unbox them. Let’s name them real so you know we’re not making this up: Zombie Strike: Uprising, which is a wave-based zombie shooter that’s super popular with casual players because it’s easy to pick up; Space Outlaws, a sci-fi western game where you’re defending a space station from raiders, which hits hard with the bigger, more competitive players; Hide and Seek: Ghost Hunt, a horror-themed shooter that’s perfect for groups of friends coming to the arcade; and Training Mode, which lets players practice their aim without the pressure of a timer. Each of these is optimized specifically for our machines, so the motion controllers feel responsive, the headset doesn’t give you that dizzy feeling, and the graphics are crisp enough to look good on a big screen for people watching play.
But wait, there’s more. A lot of people don’t know that pre-installed doesn’t mean fixed. Once you have the machine set up, you can easily add more games through our app portal, right? That’s why we don’t leave it empty at first—we want you to have something to play the second it’s installed, no waiting for downloads or dealing with complicated setup. I had a customer last month who owned a small arcade in a suburban mall. He told me he almost bought a cheaper machine from another supplier that only had one pre-installed game, because he thought he could add the rest later. But when his machine arrived, he realized the games he wanted weren’t optimized, so he wasted three days trying to make them work before coming to me. That’s the kind of headache we help him avoid by starting with solid, pre-tested content.
Now, let’s talk about why pre-installed games are actually a selling point for us, not just a box we check. For independent operators, especially those who are new to the VR game, having pre-installed games means they don’t have to do all the research. They don’t have to hunt down which developers make games that work on their hardware, negotiate licensing fees, or worry about compatibility. That’s the biggest pain point in the industry right now—VR game licensing is messy. Some developers charge monthly fees for their games, some want a cut of every play, some make you buy the game outright for hundreds of dollars. We negotiate bulk licensing deals with developers, so our customers get those pre-installed games for free, plus they get a discount on any additional games they want to add later. That’s a huge value add for someone running a small business with a tight budget.
I should also address the elephant in the room: are there any machines that don’t come with pre-installed games? Yeah, but only the super cheap, entry-level ones you see on sites like Alibaba for under $1,000. Those are the ones that are mostly for personal use, not for commercial arcades. They usually use a phone or a cheap VR headset, and you have to download games from the Oculus or Steam store. But those aren’t the machines we supply—we focus on commercial-grade stuff that’s built to take a beating from hundreds of players a week, so they need optimized content right from the start. Those cheap ones might work for a kid’s basement, but if you’re putting one in an arcade, bar, or FEC, you need something reliable, and pre-installed games are part of that reliability.
Another thing I notice a lot of people miss: pre-installed games aren’t just about having something to play. They’re also about testing the machine. When we load those core games, we’re making sure every part of the machine works—motion tracking, gun recoil, headset audio, the ticket dispenser (wait, did I forget to mention the ticket dispenser? Yeah, most of our machines have that too, so players can win tickets for prizes). If we shipped a machine without games, we wouldn’t know if the tracking is off or the audio is messed up until the operator told us. Pre-installed games let us do a final quality check before the machine leaves our warehouse. Last quarter, we had a batch of five machines where one of the pre-installed games was crashing when the gun was moved too fast. Our team fixed that in 24 hours, swapped out the machines, and the operators never even noticed there was a problem until we pointed it out. If we’d shipped them empty, that issue would have been found way later, costing those operators time and money.
Now, let’s talk about common myths I hear. One myth is that pre-installed games are all old and outdated. Nope—we update the pre-installed games every quarter, adding new levels or even whole games sometimes. Last year, we added a new post-apocalyptic game called Wasteland Raid to our pre-installed lineup, and it’s been a top seller for our customers. Another myth is that you can’t customize the games. Sure, you can’t modify the core code, but you can adjust things like the play area size, the difficulty level for casual vs. hard modes, even the ticket payout for wins. That’s all part of the operator dashboard we give you when you buy the machine. So if your arcade is mostly kids, you can turn down the difficulty in Zombie Strike so it’s not too scary, or lower the ticket payout to save on costs. If your venue is for adult gamers, you can crank up the difficulty in Space Outlaws to make it more competitive.
I also want to mention that as a supplier, we work closely with operators to make sure the pre-installed games fit their audience. For example, I had a customer who runs a family entertainment center with a lot of young kids, so we swapped out one of the horror-themed pre-installed games for a more kid-friendly one called Panda Ranger: Forest Rescue. That’s the thing about our machines—pre-installed is just the base, but we’re flexible enough to adjust it for what your venue needs. We don’t force you to keep games you don’t want; we just make sure the core set is solid when the machine arrives.
Wait, what about the long term? Do pre-installed games get forgotten once you add more? For most of our customers, no. The pre-installed ones are still the most popular games, because they’re the ones that came with the machine, so players already know how to play them. I had a customer in Chicago who tracks his most played games, and the top three are all pre-installed ones—Zombie Strike, Space Outlaws, and Hide and Seek. The games he paid extra to add are great, but they don’t get played as much because players don’t want to learn a new game when they’re at the arcade to have fun. That’s a big reason why pre-installed games are so valuable—they’re the familiar, reliable options that keep players coming back.
Now, let’s circle back to why this matters for you, especially if you’re someone looking to buy a VR shooting game machine for your venue. If you’re in the market, don’t just ask “does it come with pre-installed games?” Ask what games, how many, if they’re optimized, and if you can update them. A supplier who just says “no, you download your own” is probably not focused on commercial use—they’re selling to hobbyists, not business owners. We supply to venues of all sizes, from small arcades with two machines to big FECs with 20+, and every single one of our machines leaves our warehouse with a full set of pre-installed, optimized games. That’s non-negotiable for us, because we know your time is money. You don’t want to spend a week setting up games when you could be making money from players.
I should also mention the cost factor. When you buy a machine from us, the licensing for the pre-installed games is included in the price. We don’t charge extra for them. If you went to another supplier that doesn’t include pre-installed games, you’d have to pay for each game, which can add up to hundreds of dollars per machine. For example, a popular VR shooting game might cost $50 to license for a year, or $200 outright. Multiply that by four games, and that’s $800 extra you didn’t have to spend. That’s the kind of small saving that adds up when you’re buying multiple machines for your venue.
Let me give you a real example of a customer who made the right choice going with pre-installed games. A guy named Mike owns a small arcade in Austin, TX. He was comparing our machines to two other suppliers: one that had only two pre-installed games, and one that had none. He chose us because we had four fully optimized pre-installed games, and the price was $500 less than the other options (because we negotiated bulk licensing). Six months later, he emailed me to say his machines are the most popular in his arcade, and the pre-installed Zombie Strike is his top played game. He added two more games later, but he still keeps all the original pre-installed ones on there. That’s the kind of outcome we want for every customer.
Is there any downside to pre-installed games? I’m not gonna lie—sometimes a customer will say they want a specific game that’s not in our pre-installed lineup. But here’s the thing: if that game isn’t optimized, it’s not worth having. We’d rather tell you that than install a broken game that crashes all the time. But we work with developers to add popular new games to our pre-installed lineup whenever we can. Last year, we added a multiplayer mode to Zombie Strike, so now players can team up to fight zombies, and that’s become a huge hit for groups.
Another thing to keep in mind: pre-installed games are a big part of our after-sales support. If a player has a problem with a pre-installed game, our team can troubleshoot it right away because we know the code. If you had a random game you downloaded, the developer would have to help you, which can take days or even weeks. When a customer calls us about a pre-installed game issue, we can fix it remotely in most cases, usually in under an hour. That’s way better for your business, because you don’t have to have a tech on site waiting to fix it.
So, to wrap this up: yes, commercial VR shooting game machines from reputable suppliers like us definitely come with pre-installed games, and that’s a good thing. They’re optimized for the hardware, included in the price, tested for quality, and give your players something fun to play the second you install the machine. They’re not fixed—you can add more games, adjust settings, and update them over time. For anyone looking to buy a VR shooting game machine for their venue, don’t sleep on the pre-installed games. They’re not just a bonus—they’re a key part of making your machine profitable and reliable.
If you’re ready to chat more about our machines, ask about the pre-installed game lineup, or get a quote for your venue, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help you pick the right setup for your space, whether you need one machine for a small bar or a whole fleet for a big FEC.
VR Family References:
- International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). (2023). Commercial Virtual Reality Gaming Equipment Best Practices.
- VR Game Developers Association. (2022). Optimizing VR Shooter Games for Commercial Arcade Hardware.
- Entertainment Retailers Association. (2023). Arcade Operator Survey: Key Factors in Selecting VR Gaming Machines.
Guangzhou Movie Power Technology Co., Ltd.
Guangzhou Movie Power Technology Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional manufacturers and suppliers of vr shooting game machine in China. Advanced technology and equipment as well as qualified staff can assure you of high quality and good performance of our equipment. Welcome to buy durable vr shooting game machine at affordable price from our factory.
Address: No. 42-1, Shixin Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou, China.
E-mail: sales@movie-power.com
WebSite: https://www.vrmoviepower.com/
