Horizon Worlds
Horizon Worlds is a social virtual reality platform developed by Meta Platforms, Inc., enabling users to create, explore, and interact within community-generated virtual environments using compatible VR headsets such as the Meta Quest series.[1][2] Launched initially as an invite-only beta in August 2020 under the name Facebook Horizon, it expanded to public access for users aged 18 and older in the United States and Canada in December 2021, with subsequent rollouts to additional countries including France, Spain, and the United Kingdom.[3][4] The platform emphasizes user-generated content, social connectivity, and immersive experiences like gaming, events, and virtual hangouts, accessible primarily through Meta's Horizon OS ecosystem.[5] Despite ambitions to pioneer the metaverse, Horizon Worlds has struggled with user adoption, reporting fewer than 200,000 monthly active users as of recent analyses, a decline from peaks around 300,000 in early 2022.[6][7] Internal challenges include persistent technical bugs, underdeveloped content quality, and low engagement even among Meta employees, contributing to criticisms of the platform's execution.[8] Safety concerns have also emerged prominently, with reports of harassment, bullying, and exposure to toxic content, particularly after lowering age restrictions to include teenagers, prompting warnings from child advocates about inadequate moderation.[9][10][11] As part of Meta's Reality Labs division, Horizon Worlds has been central to the company's metaverse vision but has incurred substantial financial losses, with the division posting quarterly operating deficits exceeding $4 billion in 2025 amid ongoing investments in VR hardware and software.[12][13] Efforts to revitalize the platform in 2025 include AI-assisted creation tools, desktop editing capabilities, and broader integration with Meta's mobile apps to potentially reach billions of users, though core VR retention remains a defining challenge.[14][7]