- Meta will shut down the VR version of Horizon Worlds on June 15, 2026
- Horizon Worlds will continue as a mobile-only experience after VR closure
- The platform launched in 2021 but never exceeded a few hundred thousand users
Meta is shutting down the virtual reality (VR) version of its "Horizon Worlds" social network, a project once hailed by CEO Mark Zuckerberg as the next frontier for connecting people. Starting June 15, 2026, the platform will no longer be accessible via VR headsets, though it will remain active as a mobile-only experience.
This shift highlights Meta's strategic pivot from its original "Metaverse" ambitions toward a greater focus on artificial intelligence (AI). Originally launched in 2021, Horizon Worlds was designed as a 3D social hub for Quest users to interact through avatars and games.
"By March 31, 2026, Horizon Worlds and Events will no longer appear in the Store on Quest. Also, Horizon Central, Events Arena, Kaiju, and Bobber Bay worlds will no longer be available in VR," Meta said in a statement.
"You can still jump into your other favourite worlds in VR until June 15, 2026, after which the Horizon Worlds app will be removed from Quest, and Worlds will no longer be available in VR," it added.
Initially launched for VR, Horizon Worlds never drew more than a few hundred thousand monthly active users, which wasn't nearly enough for a project that consumed billions of dollars. Reality Labs, the Meta division responsible for VR and metaverse development, has accumulated nearly $80 billion in losses since 2020.
In February, Samantha Ryan, Reality Labs' VP of content, said the platform was "shifting focus of Worlds to be almost exclusively mobile". The move was intended for the platform to better compete with platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, which offer user-generated experiences that can be played on a phone.
“We're in a strong position to deliver synchronous social games at scale, thanks to our unique ability to connect those games with billions of people on the world's biggest social networks,” said Ryan in a blog post, adding: "You saw this strategy start to unfold in 2025, and now, it's our main focus.”
