We recently published a list of the 12 Best Virtual Reality Stocks to Buy According to Analysts. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) stands against the other best virtual reality stocks to buy according to analysts.

Overview of the Global VR Industry

Virtual Reality (VR) creates a 3D artificial environment in the real world through VR technology gadgets such as headsets, gloves, glasses, and bodysuits. According to Grand View Research, the global VR market had a market size of $59.96 billion in 2022. The industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 27.5% between 2023 and 2030.

The VR industry has metamorphosed the entertainment and gaming sector by allowing users to engage in a simulated environment. In addition to its popularity in these sectors, another significant factor behind its anticipated growth is its use in instructional training, such as for engineers, pilots, field workers, defense personnel, mechanics, and technicians working in various industrial sectors. In addition, VR is also used in industries like healthcare and automotive due to its significant operational benefits.

READ ALSO: 10 Cheap Food Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds and 10 Best Video Game Stocks to Buy Now

VR in Gaming

VR in gaming refers to a simulated, immersive experience that manufactures an interactive 3D environment, allowing users to feel as if they are physically present in the simulated reality. This reality is generally administered through a headset that traces head movements and displays images to create a feeling of immersion. The technology also employs additional factors, such as treadmills or motion controllers, to augment the realistic and interactive mode of the experience.

According to Fortune Business Insights, the global Virtual Reality (VR) market in gaming was valued at around $17.96 billion in 2023. It is anticipated to grow at a significant compound annual growth rate of 30.4% between 2024 and 2032, going from $22.63 billion to $189.17 billion between the forecast period. North America is anticipated to be the largest market dominating the global industry, holding a share of 37.42% in 2023.

VR in gaming is increasing in popularity across the globe, with major technology companies making significant investments in developing innovative and advanced VR software and hardware. This trend is making the technology more accessible to a broader consumer base.

VR in Healthcare

According to Fortune Business Insights, the global VR in the healthcare market had a share of $3.12 billion in 2023. It is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 35.1% between 2024 and 2032, going from $4.18 billion to $46.37 billion over the forecast period. VR in healthcare is gaining significant traction due to its immense benefits for the industry. The technology employs computer-developed mechanisms to deliver medical training to healthcare professionals and allows efficient healthcare treatments in immersive environments.

Medical professionals attain interactive, simulation-driven training, providing more efficient treatment strategies and accurate diagnoses. The technology also helps medical marketing and creates significant scope for income generation through enriched patient experiences. In addition, several major VR providers in healthcare solutions are integrating 360-degree video features and interactive 3D content to develop effective learning programs for healthcare students and professionals.

Our Methodology

We sifted through stock screeners, online rankings, and ETFs to compile a list of 20 virtual reality stocks. We then selected the top 12 with the highest analyst upside potential as of March 3, 2025. We also added the number of hedge fund holders for each stock as of fiscal Q4 2024. We sourced the hedge fund sentiment data from Insider Monkey’s database. The list is sorted in ascending order of analyst upside potential as of March 7, 2025.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).

A laptop and phone open to Google's services in an everyday setting.

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)

Analyst Upside: 26.28%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 174

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is a holding company with segments including Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets. The Google Services segment operates various services and products, including Android, Google Maps, Google Play, Chrome, Search, and YouTube. Its Google Cardboard application allows users to build immersive experiences of their own.

The company launched the Android XR platform at the end of 2024 in collaboration with Samsung and Qualcomm. The platform allows users to develop immersive, state-of-the-art experiences and indulge in them across various devices, ranging from headsets to glasses. In addition, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) recently announced plans to acquire a part of HTC’s extended reality (XR) business for $250 million, marking the second major deal between the companies after the $1.1 billion purchase of HTC’s smartphone unit in 2017. The acquisition is anticipated to further boost the company’s VR, AR, and XR business and the development of the Android XR platform development across headsets and glasses.

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) also has sound operations. Fiscal Q4 2024 showed a 12% growth in overall revenue for the company and a 12.5% growth in search revenue. YouTube grew by 13.8%, while revenue from Google Cloud rose by around 30% to $12 billion.

Merion Road Capital Management stated the following regarding Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:

“Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG): We have held GOOG for a long time (since 2018) on the basis of its immense business quality paired with an undemanding valuation, improving treatment of minority shareholders, and multiple options for value creation. Recently we have seen Alphabet bashed for losing the AI race to now heralded for its progress. I remain excited about their prospects with several near-term, mid-term, and long-term tailwinds. Near-term, Google Cloud continues its rapid growth and their latest large language model, Gemini 2.0, appears to have made significant progress to better serve consumer needs and improve GOOG’s other product offerings. Mid-term, Waymo is on the cusp of becoming a real value driver for the company; there are abundant articles discussing Waymo stealing share from the ride-share economy and launching in new geographies. Long-term, GOOG’s recently announced quantum computing chip positions it well for a future (many, many years away) where computing process are fundamentally different than today. All of these options are embedded in a company that already has an established and dominant earnings stream.”

Overall, GOOG ranks 8th on our list of the best virtual reality stocks to buy according to analysts. While we acknowledge the potential of GOOG as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than GOOG but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.