Immersion in virtual reality refers to the effect produced by a virtual reality environment that allows a user’s awareness of being exposed to illusory stimuli to fade to the background, causing the virtual environment to be perceived as real.

This effect is achieved by representing and simultaneously perceiving an apparent reality and its physical properties in a real-time, computer-generated, interactive virtual setting. To achieve high immersion, users of VR systems are surrounded by images, sounds, or other stimuli that provide an engaging overall environment.

When the degree of immersion is particularly high, it is also referred to as “presence.” The term “immersion” originates from the physical submersion of an object in water and its associated interaction, but in a figurative sense, it is also used in other contexts.