Recently, virtual reality (VR) technology has evolved beyond mere visual experience to become a tool that influences creativity and cognitive ability. Its immersive nature is increasingly utilized and studied in fields such as education, healthcare, and office work. Recent studies suggest that VR environments can enhance creativity, particularly when simulating natural settings. Ichimura (2023) found that VR platforms with natural landscapes, such as beaches, boost divergent thinking. Similarly, Nanjappan et al. (2023) and Li et al. (2022) demonstrated that nature-inspired VR environments enhance creativity more effectively than urban VR settings. However, the cognitive workload for creative tasks in VR has not been fully explored. This study investigated the effects of natural VR environments on creativity and workload using divergent thinking tasks and subjective evaluations. A total of 36 male university students experienced three conditions: a real office (CTRL), virtual office (VR), and virtual natural landscape (VR-N). They performed two tasks: the alternative uses task (AUT) and the creative uses task (CUT). The results demonstrated that CTRL conditions led to higher elaboration scores in the AUT, whereas the VR conditions enhanced flexibility and fluency in the CUT. Subjective assessments indicated higher eyestrain and mental workload under the VR conditions but reduced discomfort under the VR-N conditions. Future studies should explore different work environments and tasks to further understand the impact of VR on creativity and workload.