Meta has reversed course on plans to discontinue virtual reality support for its social metaverse platform, Horizon Worlds. The company announced on Thursday it will continue to allow users to access Horizon Worlds via its Quest headsets, just days after informing the community it would be moving to a mobile-only experience on June 15th. The decision, revealed by Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth in an Instagram post, comes as a surprise given the platform’s struggles to gain traction and the company’s broader pullback from virtual reality investments.
Bosworth explained the change of heart stemmed from feedback from dedicated users who expressed disappointment at the prospect of losing VR access. “We have decided, just today in fact, that we will keep Horizon Worlds working in VR,” he wrote. A Meta spokesperson subsequently confirmed the decision to TechCrunch. The initial plan to sunset VR support underscored the challenges Meta faces in establishing a compelling metaverse experience, particularly in virtual reality, despite years of investment and ambitious goals.
A Shift in Strategy Amidst Metaverse Realities
The reversal highlights a significant pivot for Meta, formerly Facebook, which once positioned Horizon Worlds as a central pillar of its metaverse vision. The company envisioned a future where users would socialize, work, and play in immersive virtual environments. However, adoption rates have been far lower than anticipated. According to Meta, Reality Labs, the division responsible for VR and AR development, has lost $73 billion since 2021. That staggering loss equates to roughly $1 million per day over the past four years, encompassing not only Horizon Worlds but also augmented reality projects and AI research.
The decision to initially discontinue VR support for Horizon Worlds was announced alongside broader cost-cutting measures within Meta, including layoffs impacting over 1,500 employees in the Reality Labs division in January. Reports also suggest the company is considering further layoffs, potentially affecting 20% of its workforce. These moves reflect a growing recognition that the metaverse, at least in its current form, is not delivering the expected returns.
Mobile Gains Traction, But Monetization Remains a Challenge
While Meta is maintaining VR access for existing Horizon Worlds experiences, the company is clearly prioritizing mobile development. Bosworth emphasized that the mobile version of the app is experiencing stronger growth and product-market fit. “There’s a much bigger audience in mobile, and it’s having a really positive pickup on mobile,” he said in a recent podcast with journalist Alex Heath. He explained that developers are more efficient focusing on a single platform, given the necessitate to build experiences twice – once for mobile and once for VR.
Data from mobile intelligence firm Appfigures indicates a 53% year-over-year increase in Horizon Worlds mobile app downloads, reaching 1.5 million downloads in the first part of 2026, compared to approximately 983,000 downloads during the same period last year. The app has seen a total of 45 million downloads across iOS and Google Play. However, despite the growing user base, monetization remains a significant hurdle. Appfigures estimates that consumers have spent only $1.1 million in the app to date, a relatively small sum considering Meta’s substantial investment in the metaverse.
The Broader VR Landscape Faces Headwinds
Meta’s struggles with Horizon Worlds are not unique. The broader virtual reality market is facing challenges. Sales of Meta’s Quest headsets declined by 16% year-over-year between 2024 and 2025, according to IDC. Even Apple, with its high-complete $3,500 Vision Pro headset, has had to scale back production due to lower-than-expected demand. These trends suggest that widespread consumer adoption of virtual reality is still some way off.
Bosworth indicated that the remaining VR experiences within Horizon Worlds will be those built using the Unity game engine, as these are not easily transferable to mobile. New development will largely focus on the Meta Horizon Engine, which the company believes will improve performance and allow for larger virtual spaces. The legacy version of the Horizon Worlds app will remain accessible via Quest “for the foreseeable future.”
The future of Horizon Worlds, and Meta’s metaverse ambitions, remains uncertain. While the company is continuing to support the VR version for now, its long-term strategy appears to be centered on mobile, where it sees a larger and more engaged audience. The next key update from Meta regarding Horizon Worlds is expected in the coming months, as the company assesses the performance of the mobile version and explores potential monetization strategies.
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