Despite experiencing studio closures and layoffs, Meta Quest usage reached an "all-time high" in 2025
In 2025, usage of Meta Quest reached unprecedented levels, with over 100 games earning more than $1 million in total revenues.
During the 2026 GDC Festival of Gaming, Chris Pruett, Meta's games director, elaborated on the firm's ongoing dedication to virtual reality, despite facing challenges such as studio closures and workforce reductions. He also discussed the division's performance from the previous year.
In 2025, Meta's Reality Labs brought in $2.2 billion in revenue, while also recording a loss of $19.2 billion.
Revenues from in-app purchases swelled by over 10%, with premium applications leading the charge in revenue generation. The number of in-app purchase applications achieving $500,000 or more in earnings rose by 20%.
When it comes to subscriptions, earnings grew by "double-digit percentage points," although they still form a minor share of the larger ecosystem and are largely not tied to gaming content.
Furthermore, the Meta Horizon+ subscription surpassed the milestone of one million users, distributing close to $20 million to the developers involved.
Pruett stated, "Our commitment to Meta Quest and its games is robust. We are exploring new hardware, audiences, and games. Despite competition, Meta's investment in VR remains the foremost globally by a significant margin."
The discontinuation of Horizon Worlds from the Meta Horizon store earlier this year in June was another topic Pruett touched on. He explained, "The inclusion of Worlds on the Store was intended to enhance device usage retention."
He continued, "After a year of gathering data and trying various approaches, it became evident that the assumption regarding Worlds' role in device retention did not hold."
He further explained, "The process of experimenting, learning, and adapting is typical for Meta. We avoid relying on unverified assumptions, and we adjust course when needed. Additionally, it's critical for our developers to know their feedback influenced this decision substantially."