Meta is shutting down its Horizons VR for businesses - I doubt it will be missed

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Meta's VR meeting rooms are closing down

Meta Horizon Workrooms
(Image credit: Meta)
  • Meta Horizon Workrooms will be shut down from February 16, 2026
  • Businesses didn't seem to be using Quest headsets for VR meetings
  • Meta Quest commercial headsets are also being pulled – consumer versions remain

Meta is pulling the plug on its business-focused VR hardware and services to focus on artificial intelligence, but its consumer-focused VR business will continue.

The company confirmed it will be shutting down Horizon Workrooms, its VR workspace app, on February 16, 2026, after which point all user data will be permanently deleted.

Meta Quest commercial headsets will also be pulled from sale, though strangely the deadline for this is four days later on February 20.

Meta pulls out of commercial VR business

"Meta Horizon has since developed into a social platform that supports a wide range of productivity apps and tools," the company wrote.

Though Meta Horizon lives on for consumers, business users are being told to seek other collaboration platforms like Teams and Zoom to stay in touch with colleagues.

When it launched, Horizon Workrooms was described as a remote collaboration platform in virtual reality. It launched in beta in August 2021 for Meta Quest 2 devices, but participants could also join on the computer via regular video call.

Horizon Workrooms was designed to put more context to calls, such as virtual meeting rooms filled with avatar-like personas of participants and screens for presentations.

Meta doesn't publish specific figures for Horizon Workrooms users, but it previously told The Verge the whole Horizon platform had 300,000 users in early 2022. This seemed to be mostly attributable to Horizon Worlds, a community VR game.

Although hybrid working is here to stay, many reports detail worker burnout associated with excessive meetings. Maybe quick videos calls are less taxing than full-on VR experiences. They're certainly cheaper.

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Craig Hale
Craig Hale

With several years’ experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the decarbonisation of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value!

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