Running Virtual Reality Experiments Online: A Brief Introduction and Tutorial

Achieving meaningful and representative findings in cognitive/behavioural research requires both externally valid experimental settings and representative participant samples. Virtual Reality (VR) has become a powerful tool for enhancing realism while maintaining control of experimental environments. Simultaneously, online testing broadens and diversifies samples. Combining these approaches – running VR experiments online – is compelling but remains challenging due to incompatibilities between tools used in in lab-based VR studies vs. online testing. This paper offers a practical solution to bridge this gap. We provide a brief overview of current approaches to online VR experimentation and offer a step-by-step tutorial for converting lab-based VR studies into remote deployments using Unity and Steam. Further, we share an open-source onlineVR-toolbox – including code, example workflows, and practical Notebooks – to facilitate critical processes such as secure data transfer and participant management. To validate this approach, we present a proof-of-concept case study replicating a well-established memory effect. Our results demonstrate that remote data collection via Steam is technically feasible, and yields results consistent with laboratory-based findings. Together, our tutorial, tools, and case study show that online VR studies are possible and practical, opening the door to more scalable, inclusive, and externally valid behavioural science.