Meta reverses decision to shut down Horizon Worlds on VR
What's the story
Meta has decided to keep its social metaverse app, Horizon Worlds, alive on virtual reality (VR) platforms. The announcement was made by Andrew Bosworth, Meta's Chief Technology Officer (CTO), in an Instagram post. "We have decided, just today in fact, that we will keep Horizon Worlds working in VR," Bosworth said during a Q&A session on his Instagram Stories.
Change of heart
Meta's reversal on Horizon Worlds VR shutdown
This decision comes as a major shift from Meta's earlier plans. Earlier this week, the tech giant had announced that it would be discontinuing Horizon Worlds on its Quest VR headsets. The move was seen as a major blow to an app that was once considered central to socializing in virtual reality. However, just days after confirming the change on its community forums, Meta reversed the decision and confirmed that Horizon Worlds will continue to be supported on Quest.
Financial impact
Reality Labs division has lost $73 billion since 2021
Despite the decision to keep Horizon Worlds alive on VR, the move highlights the struggles of Meta's Reality Labs division. Since 2021, when Facebook rebranded as Meta, this division has lost a staggering $73 billion. IDC data shows that Quest headset sales have dropped by 16% year-on-year from 2024 to 2025. The decline in demand for VR products has also led Apple to cut production of its $3,500 Vision Pro headset due to low demand.
Workforce reduction
Meta has made huge cuts to Reality Labs division
In response to the declining demand for VR products, Meta has made huge cuts in its Reality Labs division. The January layoffs affected over 1,500 employees and led to the closure of several game studios. There are also rumors of another round of layoffs that could be even larger than the previous one, potentially affecting as much as 20% of the company.
Strategic shift
Mobile platform is still a focus for Meta
Despite the continued support for Horizon Worlds on Quest, Meta is still focusing on the mobile platform. Bosworth had said in a podcast interview that the app has found a better product-market fit on mobile. He noted there is a much larger audience for Horizon Worlds on mobile and it has been performing well there.
Mobile success
App has been downloaded 45 million times globally
According to Appfigures, a mobile intelligence firm, the Horizon Worlds mobile app has been downloaded 45 million times globally across iOS and Google Play. This is a 53% year-on-year (YoY) increase in the 1.5 million downloads so far in 2026 compared with about 983,000 at the same point in 2025. However, despite the growth in downloads, consumer spending on the app remains low at just $1.1 million in total consumer spending.