Meta Finalizing Shutdown of Horizon Worlds VR Experience
Meta is closing Horizon Worlds VR platform on Meta Quest, shifting focus to AI and smart glasses instead.
San Francisco: Meta is ending its virtual reality world called Horizon Worlds. The company will stop selling it in the Quest store on March 31. Special items like credits and custom avatars will also be removed.
The VR service will completely shut down on June 15, 2026. After that date, Horizon Worlds will only work as a mobile app. Meta recently cut many jobs in its VR department, laying off 10% of Reality Labs employees.
Horizon Worlds started as Meta’s big project for creating a metaverse. This meant building a virtual world where people could meet and interact. Meta even changed its company name from Facebook to show how serious it was about this VR effort.
Many people didn’t like Horizon Worlds. The app had problems from the start. Characters didn’t have legs, and the avatars looked strange. Kids became the main users, but they aren’t reliable for making money. Meta spent billions on famous concerts and partnerships, but other VR chat services stayed more popular.
Now Meta wants to focus on artificial intelligence and smart glasses instead. Experts say Horizon Worlds failed because most people don’t own VR headsets, and wearing them for long periods isn’t comfortable. The service couldn’t find enough users to stay successful.