Meta Keeps Horizon Worlds VR Available After Backlash

Meta has softened its plan to retire the VR edition of Horizon Worlds. After announcing a June 15 shutdown in favor of a renewed focus on the mobile Horizon experience, the company’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth, said in an Instagram AMA that VR worlds would remain online and the Horizon Worlds VR app will stay downloadable "for the foreseeable future."

The initial June closure had signaled a clearer pivot to mobile — where Meta sees broader user reach and simpler onboarding — but the reversal appears driven in part by community response. Bosworth said Meta wanted to preserve access for "the fans who reached out... who really care about that," acknowledging that a segment of users still value immersive VR social spaces.

Practically, this means creators’ existing VR-built worlds won’t be wiped out and people with headsets can continue to visit and interact in those spaces. Meta is still communicating a strategic preference for investing in the mobile app, which aligns with its broader push to make social 3D experiences more accessible across phones and tablets rather than tethered to VR hardware.

For creators and regular VR users, the announcement brings relief and a bit of uncertainty. Keeping the app available preserves social ties and content investments, but the company’s emphasis on mobile suggests new features and resources will likely favor phone-based experiences. Bosworth didn’t provide a detailed roadmap for future VR-specific investment.

In short, Horizon Worlds isn’t going away on headsets overnight — but its future development may tilt toward mobile-first priorities. For now, VR fans can keep exploring their favorite worlds while watching how Meta balances two different approaches to the metaverse.