Top immersive experiences in Ontario
From action-packed virtual reality (VR) games to larger-than-life art exhibits, immerse yourself in a world of endless opportunities with these family-friendly experiences.
Greater Toronto Area
Illuminarium
See two immersive shows at Illuminarium, located in the Distillery District.
Discover the vibrant world of Lite-Brite, with its thousands of colourful and interactive lights. And take a journey across the galaxy in Space.
Location: 28 Gristmill Lane, Toronto
Lighthouse Artspace
Lighthouse Artspace is known for hosting large-scale exhibitions like Immersive Van Gogh and Immersive Disney Animation.
This venue is currently showcasing The Formula 1 Exhibition, which features interactive audio-visual design and racing simulators and The Art Of Banksy, which displays original and authenticated works from one of the most intriguing artists in modern history. These shows have a limited run, so see them before it’s too late.
Dates: The Formula 1 Exhibition runs from May 3–September 22, 2024, and The Art of Banksy runs from May 29–September 15, 2024.
Location: 1 Yonge Street, Toronto
Bubble Planet
Voyage through fantastical pastel landscapes of oversized bubbles that will delight your inner child. With a robot-led bubble show and plenty of photo opportunities, indulge in this whimsical and wonderful experience at Downsview Airport Lands.
Dates: August 2024–January 2025
Location: 30 Hanover Road, Toronto
iArtS Museum
Don’t just view art—become a part of it as well!
At Toronto’s largest 3D illusion art museum, interact with over 22 larger-than-life artworks, such as swinging on a wrecking ball or posing in an oversized bowl of noodles.
Location: 580 King Street West, Toronto
Earth: An Immersive Journey
Embark on a multi-sensory tour of the earth’s ecosystems at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). The exhibit features high-definition projections, scent diffusions, spatial audio and atmospheric low-lighting.
Dates: June 2, 2024–January 12, 2025
Location: 100 Queens Park, Toronto
Arcadia Earth
Located at The Well, Arcadia Earth combines creative art installations with fantastical technological displays to showcase the planet’s beauty and the impact of human actions on the environment.
After marvelling at the displays, visit the Marketplace, which offers sustainable products.
Location: 486 Front Street West, Toronto
Candlelight Concerts
Experience a wide variety of themes and genres of music, from classical and jazz to pop and movie soundtracks, in an enchanting candlelit venue.
Toronto venues for shows include Paradise Theatre, Evergreen Brickworks and Metropolitan Community Church.
Locations:
Paradise Theatre, 1006c Bloor Street West, Toronto
Evergreen Brickworks, 55 Bayview Avenue, Toronto
Metropolitan Church, 115 Simpson Avenue, Toronto
Levelup VR
Go beyond the limits of reality with over 80 virtual reality games at one of the most popular VR arcades in Toronto.
Walk along the edge of Mount Everest or fight your way through a zombie apocalypse—the only limit is your imagination.
Location: 661 Yonge Street, Toronto
Activate Games Toronto Stockyards
As the largest Activate location in the world, this is the ultimate active gaming experience. It features all the newest games and game rooms, designed to challenge your mind and body.
Location: 30 Weston Road, Unit C209, Toronto
Sandbox VR
Be transported into a fully immersive world as you star in your own action movie.
Featuring full-body motion capture and high-quality haptics, survive the perils of Squid Game or embark on an intergalactic mission in the world of Star Trek.
Location: 21 Wellesley Street West #1, Toronto
Zero Latency Toronto
Play solo or with up to a group of eight at this VR arcade. With your VR headset and wireless controller, immerse yourself in one of several action-packed scenarios.
Location: 875 St Clair Avenue West, Toronto
Mirage VR
From free-roam to stationary virtual reality experiences, play solo or group games with Mirage VR’s heart-pounding wireless virtual adventures.
Location: 2425 Truscott Drive #29, Mississauga
VR Noble
Play free-roaming or room-scale VR games, like laser tag or racing. Additionally, immerse yourself in VR movies and watch the world’s universe come alive around you.
Location: 2351 Royal Windsor Drive Suite 206, Mississauga
Mayze Games
Team up to defend your base from incoming enemies or fight against your friends in a death match.
Mayze Games also has escape rooms to challenge your puzzle-solving skills.
Location: 2210 Markham Road #3, Scarborough
Southwestern Ontario
The Next Level VR
Located in The Factory, Canada’s largest indoor adventure park, The Next Level VR offers a massive game library that includes VR escape rooms, programs that allow you to design art in 3D space and interactive world tours.
Location: 100 Kellogg Lane, London
Reload
Endless opportunities for fun are available at Reload, with VR escape rooms and games, an augmented reality (AR) family play zone, AR yoga and fitness classes and 9D roller coaster rides.
Location: 28592 Centre Road, Strathroy
Niagara Region
Hologate Virtual Reality
There’s so much family fun at Great Wolf Lodge Water Park Resort, including Northern Lights Arcade’s ever-expanding library of VR games.
Location: 3950 Victoria Avenue, Niagara Falls
York, Durham and Headwaters
VR Escapism
In addition to arcade-style games, VR Escapism in Markham and Newmarket offers virtual escape rooms and epic multiplayer shooting games.
VR Escapism is also located in Waterloo, near the Wilfred Laurier University Waterloo campus.
Locations:
7500 Woodbine Avenue #108, Markham
130 Davis Drive Unit B1, Newmarket
Huron, Perth, Waterloo and Wellington
Exitus Escape Rooms
In addition to traditional escape rooms, try Exits’ virtual escape rooms. Stop a meteor from destroying earth or break out of prison to avoid being sacrificed to a dragon.
Location: 340 Woodlawn Road West, Guelph
Bruce, Grey and Simcoe
Wizard's Castle VR Arcade
Take part in a wide range of exciting free-roam multiplayer experiences at Wizard’s Castle VR Arcade in Owen Sound.
Location: 239 8th Street East, Owen Sound
Ottawa Region
VR Adventure Zone
There are endless VR experiences at VR Adventure Zone, including free-roam VR and arcade-style games, escape rooms and experiential and educational adventures.
Location: 1642 Merivale Road, Nepean
Southeastern Ontario
Checkpoint Game Lounge
In addition to VR games, Checkpoint Game Lounge has video game consoles and gaming computers (PCs) available for maximum entertainment.
Location: 93 King Street West, Brockville
Last updated: September 23, 2024