This week, Meta introduced the newest evolution in its Metaverse technique, and whereas it isn’t completely sudden, it’s nonetheless a bit stunning. Horizon Worlds, Meta’s Roblox-like Metaverse ecosystem for Meta Quest headsets, is formally being killed off on Meta’s VR platform, with the final day of service taking place on June 15, 2026. This was detailed in an e-mail despatched to Meta Quest account holders:
AC thVRsday
In his weekly column, Android Central Senior Content material Producer Nick Sutrich delves into all issues VR, from new {hardware} to new video games, upcoming applied sciences, and a lot extra.
Meta spent a lot of 2024 and 2025 deeply integrating Horizon Worlds into the Meta Quest expertise, going as far as to rename the Meta Quest’s working system to Horizon OS and making Horizon Worlds the very first thing you see within the headset and on the companion cellular app. Meta not too long ago introduced that the Horizon feed can be sundown, and now it is absolutely pulling the plug on all the pieces from the Horizon Central social hub and the Horizon Worlds app.
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In different phrases, the Meta Quest expertise goes again to the golden age of 2022 when the Meta Quest was a gaming-first platform. It is a transfer many (together with myself) have been calling for for years, and proves Meta actually is cleansing up all of the junk and getting again to fundamentals with the Quest.
Right this moment’s finest Meta Quest 3S and Meta Quest 3 offers
What ‘gaming-first’ actually means
(Picture credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
Again in December, I wrote about how Meta was “slicing the fats” and getting again to fundamentals. Based mostly on what I knew, that meant abandoning the idea of an built-in Metaverse and going again to creating massive video games to draw massive numbers of avid gamers. Sadly, I used to be mistaken in regards to the latter half of that equation. Meta is not the subsequent Nintendo or Sony, and that is an actual disgrace, contemplating the standard of the video games we obtained from its first-party studios during the last decade.
As an alternative, Meta will focus solely on funding third-party video games and studios, however, even then, it will not be the “gravy prepare” because it has been for the previous few years. Meta stated that Oculus Publishing shipped over 140 video games in 2025 and has many extra transport this 12 months, so whereas clean cheques will not be written, the corporate nonetheless seems to be severe about funding sport improvement.
Sadly, the modifications being made to Horizon Worlds additionally imply a number of good tasks shall be tossed to the wayside. Again in November, Meta debuted social Hyperscape worlds utilizing the up to date Horizon engine, permitting customers to socialize in hyper-realistic environments. This service shall be sundown together with Horizon Worlds, however no less than the scanning and constructing of Hyperscape environments within the unique app will stick round.
And whereas it is unhappy to see a few of these issues go, the truth is that they must die to save lots of the remainder of the ecosystem. Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth has said many occasions that Meta “is an enormous firm and might work on many issues on the similar time,” however customers solely have a lot time and a spotlight, and it is clear that Meta’s deal with a Metaverse-first platform shouldn’t be what’s been profitable avid gamers over to the platform.
The avid gamers have spoken
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To show that the Quest is a gaming-first platform, Chris Pruett, Director of Video games at Meta, spoke at GDC in regards to the state of the Quest ecosystem. “Quest utilization has been rising 12 months over 12 months, and in 2025, we hit our all-time highest numbers of distinctive customers ever in our historical past.” That is not an indication of a dying platform — fairly the alternative.
In 2025, “over 100 titles generated $1M+ in gross income in 2025,” and Pruett defined that “premium app gross sales stay the most important income driver for our ecosystem, however IAP grew considerably in 2025, by over 10%.” That is nice information for video games, and what’s notably telling is that Pruett would not point out Horizon Worlds numbers as soon as. Meta is not making an attempt to justify funding a function nobody needs.
What to learn subsequent
So as an alternative of garbage-tier free content material being thrust in your face the second you activate the headset, Meta appears to be like prefer it’s going again to selling precise video games that individuals are spending heaps of actual cash on.
(Picture credit score: Meta / Cortopia Studios / PLAION)
To again that up, Meta will proceed increasing its Meta Horizon+ gaming subscription, which provides avid gamers entry to over 100 video games for under $8 per thirty days. To make issues even higher, Pruett famous that Meta doled out over $20 million to builders who participated in this system in 2025, proving there’s really revenue to be made for builders as a part of the service.
Meta nonetheless maintains that its promotion of Horizon Worlds had a restricted unfavourable influence on sport gross sales, however the knowledge would not align with what builders have advised me and different publications. Pruett famous that regardless of the low influence, selling Horizon Worlds entrance and middle “was universally unpopular with our developer neighborhood, so we have eliminated them from the Retailer cabinets.”
Meta is commonly criticized for performing “too Silicon Valley” in that it always tries new issues and abandons them earlier than customers really have an opportunity to simply accept them or change habits. “The cycle of experiment-learn-adjust is typical for Meta. We’re cautious to not make assumptions we can not show, and when our assumptions are disproved, we modify course.”
Decelerate
VR Video games Showcase Spring 2026 Announcement Trailer | March 24 2026, 9 AM PT – YouTube
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My recommendation to Meta is identical I gave final 12 months relating to month-to-month software program updates that had been pushed out earlier than being examined sufficient: decelerate. The adage of the tortoise and the hare completely applies to avid gamers, who’re infamously resistant to vary of any type, and Meta wants to begin recognizing that.
That is going to be a bizarre 12 months for VR gaming, undoubtedly, however loads of superb video games are nonetheless on the horizon (pun meant), together with the subsequent VR Video games Showcase subsequent week (trailer above) and new {hardware} from a number of firms over the subsequent 12 months, together with Meta itself.
Whereas I feel it is a large mistake for Meta to desert first-party sport improvement, the corporate remains to be getting again to fundamentals and specializing in gaming as the first objective of the Quest platform, and that is the correct transfer on the finish of the day.
Get inside the sport with the Meta Quest 3, the easiest way to play VR video games any time, wherever. It is the VR console you’ve got been ready for!
