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Zuckerberg’s Meta Horizon Worlds VR Is Shutting Down

Zuckerberg’s Meta Horizon Worlds VR Is Shutting Down

Photo Credit: Meta

Meta has announced it will shut down the virtual reality version of Meta Horizon Worlds, marking a significant retreat from one of its flagship metaverse projects.

Starting March 31, 2026, Quest headset users will lose access to spaces like Horizon Central and the Events Arena. The full closure comes on June 15, 2026. The move leaves the mobile version intact on iOS and Android through the Meta Horizon app, as the company shifts its focus from VR headsets to “mobile-optimized worlds.”

The decision reflects broader challenges in Meta’s VR ambitions. Earlier in 2026, Meta said it would separate its Quest VR platform from Horizon Worlds and shift Worlds to a mobile-only experience. Early adopters hoped VR spaces like Horizon Worlds could host live performances akin to those in Fortnite and Roblox, but low engagement numbers hampered progress on the format taking off in the zeitgeist. That’s especially true when you need a custom headset, whereas most people over the age of 15 own a phone or internet-connected tablet.

The initial launch of Meta Horizon Worlds was much meme’d upon, to the point that Meta addressed the shoddy launch graphics above and upgraded them to something a little more Pixar-adjacent. But the internet is anything but forgiving, with the legless characters drawing derision from gamers and confusion from those wondering why they’d want to spent hours with a mask strapped to their face when you could just hang out outside?

Photo Credit: Meta (What am I gonna do about my legs, Mark Zuckerberg??)

Reality Labs, the division behind Horizon Worlds, Quest hardware, and related tech, has been a financial black hole for Meta. Cumulative losses exceed $70 billion since 2021, with yearly deficits climbing from $10.2 billion in 2021 to $17.7 billion in 2024. The most recent quarter alone saw the division take $6.02 billion in losses against just $955 million in revenue.

Meta now plans up to 30% budget cuts for the Reality Labs division in 2026, potentially saving $4-6 billion. The company has already trimmed over 1,000 jobs this year, shuttered three VR studios, and paused third-party plans for Horizon OS. These steps underscore the pressure to stem the massive bleeding, even as the Meta Quest headset remains the top-selling VR hardware on the market.

Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook under the new parent company Meta in 2021, betting the farm on the metaverse. (After losing big on the cryptocurrency bet he made well before the metaverse pivot.) Now five years later, the concept is shutting down for VR as Zuckerberg appears to pivot to focusing on AI-driven wearables in the future.