Meta keeps Horizon Worlds alive, reverses plans to shut down VR platform

According to an Instagram post from Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth, Meta has decided not to discontinue VR support for Horizon Worlds after all, a move that may come as a surprise given the platform’s limited user base.

“We have decided, just today in fact, that we will keep Horizon Worlds working in VR,” Bosworth said during an Instagram Stories Q&A after a user expressed disappointment over the potential shutdown.

Earlier this year, Meta suggested it would phase out support for the social metaverse app on its Quest virtual reality headsets, signalling a shift away from a platform once positioned as central to social interaction in VR. The initial plan indicated that Horizon Worlds would transition to web and mobile platforms only by June 15, a decision that Meta confirmed on its community forums before quickly reversing course.

Even with the reversal, the earlier plan highlights the broader struggles of the metaverse concept, particularly in its VR form. Meta’s Reality Labs division, which focuses on virtual and augmented reality technologies, has recorded losses totalling $73 billion since 2021, the year the company rebranded from Facebook. That level of spending underscores the scale of investment made into a vision that has yet to achieve widespread adoption.

Data from market research firm IDC shows that Meta’s Quest headset sales declined by 16% year-over-year from 2024 to 2025, raising further doubts about VR hardware becoming a mainstream alternative to smartphones. The challenges are not unique to Meta. Apple also reportedly reduced production of its $3,500 Vision Pro headset after facing weak demand.

In response to these trends, Meta implemented significant cost-cutting measures within Reality Labs earlier this year, including layoffs affecting more than 1,500 employees and the closure of several game development studios. Reports have also suggested that the company may be considering an additional round of layoffs affecting up to 20% of its workforce.

Despite continuing support for Horizon Worlds on Quest devices, Meta is shifting its primary focus toward mobile platforms. Bosworth noted in a podcast interview with journalist Alex Heath that the mobile version of the app has demonstrated stronger product-market fit than the VR version.

“There’s a much bigger audience in mobile, and it’s having a really positive pickup on mobile,” Bosworth said. “[The team] is having to build everything twice — they’re building it once for the mobile phone, and they’re building it again for VR. There’s a pretty easy way to increase their velocity, which is just like, let them build for mobile.”

According to mobile analytics firm Appfigures, Horizon Worlds has achieved 45 million downloads globally across iOS and Android platforms, with 1.5 million downloads recorded so far in 2026. This represents a 53% increase over the same period last year, when downloads totalled approximately 983,000.

However, despite the growth in downloads, user spending remains relatively low. Appfigures estimates that total consumer spending on the app has reached just $1.1 million, a modest figure when compared to the scale of Meta’s investment in the metaverse.

While mobile adoption appears to be growing, the long-term viability of Horizon Worlds will likely depend on whether the platform can translate its expanding user base into meaningful revenue.