The company is discontinuing support for its social VR service Horizon Worlds on Quest headsets: the app will be removed from the store at the end of March, and the VR version will be fully shut down on June 15. Going forward, the platform will exist exclusively as a mobile application, according to Meta’s official blog.
The decision is explained by a clearer strategic focus. The platforms will now be developed separately, with Horizon Worlds shifting its primary focus to mobile.
The metaverse failed to meet expectations amid billions in losses
Horizon Worlds was once positioned as a core element of Meta’s metaverse strategy but failed to attract a broad user base. The platform recorded only a few hundred thousand monthly active users. At the same time, the Reality Labs division remains under pressure: multi-billion losses and recent layoffs highlight the high cost of the metaverse push. According to CNBC, the operating loss reached $6.02 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Shift in focus toward AI
Meta is responding with a strategic pivot. While the VR ecosystem will remain, the company is placing greater emphasis on artificial intelligence. The withdrawal of Horizon Worlds from the VR segment marks another step away from the original metaverse vision that CEO Mark Zuckerberg promoted as a key pillar of the company’s future back in 2021.
