Meta has announced the closure of the VR platform Horizon Worlds on Quest devices, reflecting the company’s reassessment of its priorities in the metaverse following significant financial losses.
This is reported by Finway
Closure of the VR Version of Horizon Worlds: What Will Change for Users
The social VR platform Horizon Worlds will be removed from the Quest app store on March 31, 2026, and its operation on these devices will cease completely on June 15. After that, the service will only be available in a mobile app format, but with limited functionality. Users will lose the ability to make in-game purchases, receive digital items, and access a range of bonuses that were previously available in the platform’s ecosystem.
Horizon Worlds was a key project for Meta in its metaverse development strategy. It was on this basis that the company underwent a major rebranding in 2021, moving away from the Facebook name. At that time, Meta’s leadership positioned the metaverse as a new computing platform that would change the way people interact digitally.
Reasons for Closure: Low Demand and Financial Losses
Despite significant investments and collaborations with well-known brands and artists, attracting a broad audience to Horizon Worlds proved unsuccessful. The monthly number of active users remained at a few hundred thousand, which was significantly lower than expected. The platform’s reputation was also undermined by criticism regarding low-quality graphics, technical limitations, and feedback about “legless avatars,” which became the subject of numerous jokes online, even involving the image of Mark Zuckerberg.
In response to the insufficient demand, Meta began cutting costs in the VR sector at the start of 2026. In February, the company laid off about 10% of the employees in its Reality Labs division, which has accumulated losses of nearly $80 billion since 2020. Analysts note that one of the main issues remained the narrow user base of VR devices, which significantly limited the project’s potential.
“Meta was trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist,” said Mike Proulx, vice president of the research firm Forrester.
Proulx emphasized that most people are not ready to regularly use VR headsets for everyday communication or entertainment.
Despite the closure of Horizon Worlds in VR format, Meta continues to invest in the development of virtual and augmented reality. The company plans to expand its line of headsets, smart glasses, and is making significant investments in areas related to artificial intelligence. In particular, Meta has signed an agreement with Nebius for up to $27 billion to supply artificial intelligence infrastructure, highlighting a shift in business strategy towards AI technologies.