Meta will shut down Horizon Worlds on its Quest headsets, with the application set to be removed from the Quest store on March 31, 2026, and discontinued in VR by June 15, 2026. This decision comes as the company pivots to a mobile-only experience for Horizon Worlds, which has struggled to attract a significant user base, averaging only a couple hundred thousand active users per month.
Launched in 2021, Horizon Worlds was initially part of Meta’s ambitious vision for the metaverse, a concept that CEO Mark Zuckerberg has championed since rebranding Facebook to Meta. However, Reality Labs, the division responsible for developing the metaverse, has faced significant challenges, accumulating nearly $80 billion in losses since 2020.
In a recent statement, Meta emphasized, “We are separating the two platforms so each can grow with greater focus, and the Horizon Worlds platform will become a mobile-only experience.” This shift reflects a broader strategy to streamline operations amid ongoing financial pressures.
Additionally, Meta has recently cut over 1,000 jobs at Reality Labs, affecting about 10 percent of its VR workforce. This move underscores the company’s efforts to reduce costs while navigating a competitive landscape in the virtual reality sector.
Despite these setbacks, Zuckerberg remains optimistic about the metaverse’s potential, stating, “The metaverse will reach a billion people, host hundreds of billions of dollars of digital commerce, and support jobs for millions of creators and developers.” However, observers are left questioning the future of Meta’s VR initiatives.
Details remain unconfirmed regarding whether future Meta headsets will work with phones to access experiences or if the company plans to eventually shut down VR altogether. As the metaverse landscape evolves, the implications of these changes will be closely monitored by industry experts and users alike.
