Meta makes Horizon Worlds mobile-only after VR losses mount
Meta will remove Horizon Worlds from Quest headsets by June 15, 2026, and convert the platform to mobile-only after Reality Labs posted nearly $80 billion in cumulative operating losses since late 2020.
Meta will remove Horizon Worlds from Quest VR headsets by June 15, 2026, and pull the app from the Quest store by March 2026, converting the platform to a mobile-only experience. The company announced the change in a community blog, writing, “We are separating the two platforms so each can grow with greater focus, and the Horizon Worlds platform will become a mobile-only experience.”
Reality Labs, the Meta division that builds VR hardware and software, reported nearly $80 billion in cumulative operating losses since late 2020. The unit posted a $6.02 billion operating loss in the fourth quarter of 2025 and $19.1 billion in losses for 2025, up from $17.7 billion in 2024, according to company filings. Those results have prompted the company to reduce investment in VR projects.
Horizon Worlds never attracted a large audience, with monthly active user counts that did not exceed a few hundred thousand. High Quest headset prices and software glitches limited adoption of VR social experiences, affecting the platform’s growth and engagement.
In early 2026 Meta scaled back Reality Labs operations, laying off more than 1,000 employees and closing internal VR studios. The company said it will shift resources toward artificial intelligence and wearable devices, including the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses developed with EssilorLuxottica, a product that has drawn scrutiny over privacy practices.
On the company’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged the ongoing losses and expected Reality Labs’ losses in 2026 to be similar to the prior year and to peak as the company reduces spending over time. Meta said it will focus future Horizon Worlds development on mobile to try to reach a larger audience.
Meta rebranded from Facebook to Meta in October 2021 and created Reality Labs to develop Quest headsets and software such as Horizon Worlds. The company did not provide detailed timelines for additional changes to Reality Labs’ product lineup beyond the announced phase-out dates.
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