In the early months of the pandemic, when little was known about how easily the virus could spread, location-based virtual reality was facing an existential crisis. It was hard to fathom how businesses built around having groups of customers gather in a room to use shared equipment could avoid trouble.

But as vaccination rates rise and more areas relax restrictions, location-based VR companies that survived 2020 are showing signs of recovery. If the world returns to some semblance of normalcy soon, location-based VR entertainment may benefit from the fact that the experience it offers is difficult, if not impossible, to replicate at home.