Meta’s social VR platform took a big step outside of Quest-exclusivity late last month, as the company launched a closed beta for Horizon Worlds on standard web browsers and Android. A version for iOS is now confirmed to arrive in “the coming weeks.”
Update (September 15th, 2023): Meta announced that in addition to rolling out early access version of Horizon Worlds on Android and web browsers, that iOS access is due to arrive in “the coming weeks.” For now, iOS users can play via Safari, however it seems the company is also set to include access directly in-app, as with the Android version. Access is still invite-only, which you can sign up for here.
The same country restrictions apply, only allowing access in the following regions: Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The previous version of the article below incorrectly stated that the browser version wasn’t available yet, however it actually arrived during the launch of Android access late last month. This has been updated in the body.
Original Article (August 28th, 2023): You won’t find Horizon Worlds on Google Play. Users taking part in the closed beta can directly launch the app through the Quest Android app. It’s also available through web browsers on both mobile and desktop. On desktop, Meta recommends Google Chrome, Safari, and Microsoft Edge, and says Firefox is currently not supported.
X (formerly Twitter) user Lunayian was apparently one of those chosen few, showing off a brief hands-on in the Super Rumble lobby, Meta’s first-party hero shooter revealed late last month.
At the time of this writing, the standard geolocation restrictions are still in effect for Horizon Worlds, with only users in the following countries able to access the platform: Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
When it does roll out to more locations and platforms though, it will be better positioned to actually compete with the most successful metaverse apps, such as Rec Room, Roblox, and VR Chat, all of which have benefited from releasing on essentially every major platform worldwide—VR headsets and traditional platforms included. Undoubtedly, Meta is looking to replicate this success with Horizon Worlds, as it is now offering up better (and decidedly more sticky) first-party content like Super Rumble.
We’re sure to learn more about new Horizon Worlds features at the company’s annual Connect developer conference soon, which takes place September 27th, steaming both online and in-person for a select few at the company’s Menlo Park headquarters.