Cybersickness Mitigation in Immersive Virtual Reality Environments: A Systematic Review and Exploratory Meta-Analysis

Cybersickness remains a barrier to immersive virtual reality adoption. This systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis synthesized mitigation studies using head-mounted displays. Six databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies published during 2014–2025 that compared mitigation with a control using standardized sickness outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed using design-appropriate tools. Fifty-nine studies were classified into seven categories; 39 (66%) reported at least one significant reduction. Exploratory random-effects analyses yielded pooled effects for field-of-view restriction (k = 6, g = 0.48) and heterogeneous cognitive/behavioral interventions (k = 3, g = 0.79, I² = 56%). Five of 13 studies using both the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire and Fast Motion Sickness Scale found significant effects only on the latter. No study had low overall risk of bias, and only two reported preregistration. Two provisional frameworks, the Multi-Level Cybersickness Modulation model and Temporal Dynamics Framework, are proposed to generate testable hypotheses and require prospective validation.