Meta is removing “Horizon Worlds” from its Quest VR headsets by June 2026, redirecting the social platform toward mobile as part of a broader strategic separation between its VR and Worlds businesses.

The company announced that it will stop displaying “Horizon Worlds” and “Events” in the Quest Store by March 31. Specific environments, “Horizon Central,” “Events Arena,” “Kaiju,” and “Bobber Bay,” will go offline on the same date. Users can continue accessing other Horizon Worlds in VR until June 15, after which the app will be removed from Quest entirely.

Meta Horizon Plus subscribers will also see their Horizon-specific perks, including Meta Credits, Digital Clothing, Avatars, and In-World Purchases, removed from the subscription by March 31. Core gaming benefits and monthly game catalog access will remain unaffected.

The Rationale

Meta framed the shift as a deliberate effort to allow each platform to develop independently. “We’re explicitly separating our Quest VR platform from our Worlds platform in order to create more space for both products to grow,” Samantha Ryan, VP of Content at Reality Labs, wrote in a February blog post.

The company cited accelerating mobile traction as a driver of the decision. Meta reported more than 4x growth in mobile monthly active users for “Horizon Worlds” in 2025, and said the 2025 Creator Fund helped grow mobile-only worlds from zero to more than 2,000. Four creators reached $1 million in lifetime revenue on the platform, and nearly 100 earned six figures last year.

VR Investment Continues

Meta says it will maintain investment in the Quest VR ecosystem despite pulling “Horizon Worlds” from headsets. The company spent nearly $150 million on VR developer programs in 2025 and reported a 13% year-over-year increase in in-app purchases on the platform. Meta Horizon Plus surpassed 1 million active subscribers in 2025, with a games catalog exceeding 100 titles.

Reality Labs, however, has incurred more than $70 billion in losses since 2021, and Meta announced plans in late 2025 to cut the division’s budget by up to 30%.