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- The NordVPN client is now available on the Meta Horizon platform
- The app is installable directly on Quest headsets, no sideloading required
- NordVPN is the third VPN provider to enter the metaverse
NordVPN has arrived on the Meta Horizon platform, making it one of the very few VPN services you can drop straight onto a Quest headset. For anyone who has struggled to get one of the best VPNs running in virtual reality, it's a small but meaningful shift.
Until now, protecting a headset meant tinkering: configuring a VPN on your router, sharing a connection from a computer over a hotspot, or sideloading an app through developer tools. None of those routes is friendly to the average user.
Meta has been folding its Quest ecosystem into Meta Horizon, and one result is that VPN apps can now be installed natively on Quest devices. NordVPN is now the third provider to take advantage.
What's new and why it matters
The change is simplicity. NordVPN now installs directly through Meta Horizon, so the encryption lives on the headset rather than being bolted on from your router. That means full-device coverage: the app encrypts traffic leaving your headset, and masks your IP across the whole device, not just the browser.
This is great for online play on the Quest 2 and 3, which exposes your traffic and IP address much like any connected device. Masking it makes it harder for others in multiplayer lobbies to trace your location. It won't stop Meta's own data collection, but it does limit what third parties learn about your connection.
Because this is a native app rather than a browser extension, you install it the same way you'd add any other Quest title.
- Open the app store on your headset through Meta Horizon;
- Search for NordVPN;
- Install the app;
- And sign in with your account to connect.
The older methods haven't gone anywhere for people who prefer them.
A virtual private network (VPN) configured on your router will automatically cover any Quest device that connects over Wi-Fi, and sharing a VPN connection from a computer via a hotspot remains an option.
More advanced users can still sideload apps through SideQuest, though that route requires enabling developer mode and is better suited to those comfortable poking around in system-level settings.
Other VPNs available on VR headsets
NordVPN isn't arriving in an empty field, but it is joining a very short list.
ExpressVPN got there first, unveiling a dedicated Meta Quest app that encrypts everything entering and leaving the headset last February, which it pitched as a way to stop ISP throttling during demanding VR streaming and gaming.
The provider paired the launch with an "industry-first" hybrid browser extension that combines a lightweight proxy with remote control of the full desktop app. This lets users assign different VPN locations to specific sites, while adding safety nets like WebRTC leak blocking and HTML5 geolocation spoofing.
AdGuard took a different route, launching two privacy-focused extensions for the Meta Quest Browser: the AdGuard Ad Blocker and the AdGuard VPN.
The VPN extension encrypts browser traffic and masks your IP to help bypass geo-blocks, while the ad blocker scrubs ads, trackers, and pop-ups that feel especially intrusive when they're floating inches from your eyes.
Because they're browser extensions rather than system-level apps, they only protect what happens in the browser, making AdGuard the lightweight choice for people who mainly want cleaner web surfing rather than VPN-protected gaming.
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