Driven by the rapid innovation of science and technology and industrial manufacturing technology, virtual reality display technology has developed rapidly. At present, the application of virtual reality display technology is expanding in many fields such as military, medical, aviation and education. This paper analyzes the imaging principle of the human vision system and the optical performance requirements of VR heads-up display, summarizes the current design scheme of VR heads-up optical imaging system, focuses on the principle and index parameters of each optical system, and compares the advantages and disadvantages of different schemes. The development prospects and directions of virtual reality headset displays are also prospected.