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Meta is actually keeping its VR metaverse running, for now

The Verge / 3/20/2026

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Key Points

  • Meta announced plans to shut down the VR version of Horizon Worlds in June, but later clarified in an AMA that existing VR worlds would remain available for the foreseeable future.
  • The company is shifting focus toward the mobile Horizon Worlds experience, effectively re-prioritizing resources away from VR.
  • The decision preserves access for current fans and developers, signaling a cautious, hedged approach to the metaverse strategy.
  • The move suggests Meta is balancing between traditional VR investments and a mobile-first metaverse strategy, with implications for roadmap and funding.
Some Horizon Worlds avatars hanging out around a virtual campfire.

Meta is reversing its plans to shut down its VR metaverse - sort of.

On Monday, the company announced that it would be shutting down the VR version of its 3D social platform Horizon Worlds on June 15th in favor of a new focus on the mobile version of the app. But in a Wednesday AMA on his Instagram, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth said the company has decided that existing VR worlds would remain available and that the Horizon Worlds VR app will be available to download "for the foreseeable future."

Meta is keeping VR Horizon Worlds experiences around as a way to support "the fans who reached out, like yourself, who really care about that," Boswor …

Read the full story at The Verge.