Meta reverses decision to end Horizon Worlds VR support

Meta has reversed its decision to shut down virtual reality support for Horizon Worlds. Andrew Bosworth, the CTO of Meta, confirmed that the social metaverse app will remain accessible on Quest, Meta’s VR headset line. The company had previously planned to stop supporting the social metaverse app on its Quest virtual reality headsets. On Tuesday, Meta confirmed on its community forums that Horizon Worlds would move to web and mobile only on June 15, but that announcement was quickly reversed. Bosworth announced the change of plans during an Instagram Q&A, stating, “We have decided, just today in fact, that we will keep Horizon Worlds working in VR.”

The abrupt strategic shift highlights the deep financial and market challenges facing Reality Labs, Meta’s division focused on VR/AR. Since 2021, the year Meta rebranded from Facebook, the division has lost $73 billion. The massive losses have led to characterizations of the division as a “black hole where Reality Labs funding went to die.” The hardware side is also struggling to find traction; according to tech market intelligence firm IDC, Quest headset sales declined 16% year-over-year from 2024 to 2025. In response to these headwinds, Meta cut over 1,500 employees from Reality Labs in January. Rumor has it that Meta is considering another round of layoffs, which could impact 20% of the company.

While Meta is keeping the VR version alive, the company is still shifting its primary focus toward mobile platforms, where Bosworth noted, “There’s a much bigger audience in mobile, and it’s having a really positive pickup on mobile.” According to mobile intelligence firm Appfigures, the mobile version of the app is seeing growing downloads, though monetization remains low. Key metrics for the Horizon Worlds mobile app include:

• Downloads: The app has reached 45 million total worldwide downloads across iOS and Google Play.
• Growth: It has secured 1.5 million downloads so far in 2026, representing a 53% year-over-year increase compared to around 983,000 downloads at this point last year.
• Revenue: Appfigures estimates that consumers have spent just $1.1 million in total consumer spending on the app.

Why it matters

Meta’s reversal highlights the company’s ongoing struggle to find product-market fit for its metaverse investments, forcing a delicate balance between legacy VR ambitions and mobile growth.