Meta is officially phasing out virtual reality (VR) access to Horizon Worlds, its pioneering metaverse platform, with a complete shutdown for VR headsets scheduled for June 15, 2026. This decision, initially hinted at in February, has now been fully detailed by Meta, outlining a strategic pivot to exclusively support the smartphone version of the application.
The deprecation process will begin on March 31, when individual Horizon Worlds and associated Events will be delisted from the Quest Store, rendering popular destinations like ‘Horizon Central’ and ‘Events Arena’ inaccessible to VR headset owners. Following this, by June 15, 2026, the Horizon Worlds app will be entirely removed from Quest headsets, effectively terminating all VR access to the platform. Moving forward, the Meta Horizon app on iOS and Android will serve as the sole entry point for users.
Furthermore, the Hyperscape Capture feature, a recent beta addition allowing Quest users to create and explore detailed 3D scans of real-world locations, will also be impacted. While users will retain the ability to capture and personally view Hyperscapes, the functionalities for sharing, inviting others, and co-experiencing these immersive scans will be discontinued within Horizon Worlds.
This definitive move clarifies any prior ambiguity regarding the future of VR access to Horizon Worlds. Despite earlier communications suggesting a potential partial continuation for dedicated Quest users, Meta has confirmed a full cessation of VR support. The company attributes this complete shift to the ‘positive momentum’ observed in the mobile version of Horizon Worlds throughout 2025, making a full abandonment of the VR counterpart in 2026 a logical step. While this decision appears to diverge from Meta’s self-proclaimed identity as a ‘metaverse company,’ it aligns with its current strategic priorities and investment areas, specifically artificial intelligence (AI) and smart glasses, where it has reported greater financial commitment and relative success.
