When it comes to sharing numbers, Meta tends to keep its cards close to the chest, especially regarding the sales figures of its VR headsets. However, there’s a clever way to guesstimate the platform’s traction: keeping an eye on how often its companion app, Meta Horizon, gets downloaded on Android and iOS.
Game Developer, drawing from independent analyst insights by Omdia (and highlighted by Forbes), has pointed out a noticeable decline. The Meta Horizon app witnessed a 27% drop in downloads on Christmas Day 2024 compared to the previous year. Historically, this day marks the high point for new app downloads each year.
The chart crafted by Omdia and Sensor Tower captures major milestones in the Quest series’ journey. It plots the launch of Quest 2 back in October 2020, its record-breaking sales, the unveiling of Quest 3 in October 2023, followed closely by the Quest 3S in October 2024.
Now, let’s take a quick detour to talk about Quest 3S. This recent addition to Meta’s mixed reality lineup shares Quest 3’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset and colorful MR capabilities, yet retains the older-style displays and more cumbersome Fresnel lenses seen in Quest 2. While it’s a great pick if your budget maxes out at $300, spending an extra $200 is worth it for a Quest 3 instead.
Going back to the chart — it’s important to remember what it doesn’t cover. It skips over re-downloads, app updates, and fresh installations on other devices using the same iOS or Google Play account. It also overlooks existing Quest users adding new headsets to their collection, like moving from Quest 2 to the 3S model.
Game Developer raises another angle, pointing out that app downloads don’t always translate neatly to headset sales. This discrepancy can come from second-hand sales, device sharing among users, or even curious non-owners exploring the app store.
To fill in gaps left by official sales data, we look to third-party sellers. According to figures from Amazon’s product pages, Meta managed to sell over 160,000 Quest headsets in November 2024 across eight countries, showing a 16% year-over-year dip on Amazon. Of these, two-thirds were Quest 3S units, with the remainder being Quest 3, as reported.
Interestingly, in 2024, Quest 3S claimed the title of top-selling console on Amazon US, edging out the likes of Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 Pro, and both Xbox Series S and X upgrades.
Despite this success, fewer app downloads and reduced Amazon sales hint at waning excitement compared to the heyday of Quest 2. Back when Quest 2 debuted, Omdia’s data shows Meta more than doubled its overall app downloads within a year, and saw a near threefold surge during the following Christmas season.
The real test for Meta will be how much momentum it can build behind Quest 3 and Quest 3S through this year, especially whether it can bankroll major, perhaps exclusive, game titles. As it stands, Meta is trying to boost Quest 3S sales by slashing $50 off the 256GB model, dropping it to $350 for a short time. This offer is sweetened with a free copy of the well-received Batman: Arkham Shadow and a three-month Quest+ games subscription trial.
Whether this all signals a peak in VR enthusiasm or a shift in consumer focus remains to be seen. Nevertheless, one thing is certain: Meta’s Quest series continues to lead the charge in shaping the consumer VR landscape. But is there a change on the horizon? Google certainly hopes so.
