Meta hasn’t been particularly forthcoming about how many VR headsets it’s actually selling, but there are some interesting ways to get a sense of its platform’s reach. One such way is through the Meta Horizon app, a necessary companion for their headsets, which can be downloaded on both Android and iOS devices.
Taking a close look at the numbers provided by independent analyst Omdia, Game Developer, as reported by Forbes, highlighted a significant 27% drop in downloads of the Meta Horizon app on Christmas Day 2024 compared to the same day in 2023. Historically, this day has been the peak period for such downloads.
Thanks to a chart from Omdia and Sensor Tower, we can track notable milestones in Meta’s VR timeline. These milestones include the launch of the Quest 2 in October 2020, which achieved record-breaking sales the following year, the debut of Quest 3 in October 2023, and the launch of Quest 3S in October 2024.
The new Quest 3S, Meta’s latest attempt in the mixed reality space, combines Quest 3’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset and full-color mixed reality capabilities with older displays and bulkier Fresnel lenses from the Quest 2. At $300, it offers great value, although the Quest 3 at $500 might be worth the extra investment for many users.
However, these figures don’t paint the entire picture. The chart omits various forms of app engagement, such as re-downloads, updates, and installations on additional devices under an existing account. It also misses users who might already own older Quest models but are adding a new headset like the Quest 3S to their collection.
Game Developer points out that a few factors complicate this data further. These include second-hand sales, the sharing of headsets, and even instances where non-headset owners download the app just to check out the app store.
Without exact sales numbers from Meta, another useful benchmark comes from third-party sales data. According to Game Developer, based on Amazon’s sale pages, Meta moved over 160,000 Quest units in November 2024 across eight countries, marking a year-over-year decline of 16% on Amazon. Of these, two-thirds were Quest 3S devices, while the rest were Quest 3.
Interestingly, despite this dip, the Quest 3S emerged as the top-selling game console on Amazon US in 2024, surpassing the Switch, PlayStation 5 Pro, and both refreshed versions of Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X.
The dip in app downloads and the drop in Amazon sales might suggest a waning enthusiasm when compared to the Quest 2 era, which was a remarkable period of growth for Meta. Post Quest 2’s release, Meta managed to more than double its app downloads in one year and nearly tripled downloads the following Christmas.
As the holiday season looms, it’s uncertain how aggressively Meta will push the Quest 3 and 3S as well as the potential games that could tip the scales. To entice potential buyers, Meta has cut $50 off the largest storage model (256GB) of Quest 3S, reducing it to $350, and is offering a free copy of the well-reviewed Batman: Arkham Shadow along with a three-month trial for Quest+, their game subscription service.
There remains an open question whether these signs point to a plateau in the VR industry’s growth or simply a shift in buyer tendencies. Nevertheless, Meta’s Quest line continues to lead the charge in consumer VR. That said, change might be on the horizon, with companies like Google certainly hoping it is.
