Quest App Downloads Drop 27% Year-Over-Year as Meta Aims to Bolster Quest 3S Sales

Meta is not very forthcoming when it comes to disclosing the number of headsets it sells. However, one way to gauge the platform’s popularity is by looking at the fresh downloads of its companion app, Meta Horizon, which is available on Android and iOS devices.

According to data from independent analyst Omdia, downloads of the Meta Horizon app dropped by 27% on Christmas Day 2024 compared to 2023, which is typically the app’s peak for downloads each year, as reported by Game Developer (via Forbes).

The chart below, provided by Omdia and Sensor Tower, highlights significant moments in Meta’s Quest releases, such as the launch of Quest 2 in October 2020, the record-setting sales in the following year, the release of Quest 3 in October 2023, and the release of Quest 3S in October 2024.

Note: Quest 3S is Meta’s latest mixed reality headset, combining Quest 3’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset and full-color mixed reality capabilities with Quest 2’s older displays and bulkier Fresnel lenses.

Quest 3S is a great headset for those with a budget of $300, although it is recommended to go for Quest 3 priced at $500.

However, the chart above doesn’t consider re-downloads, app updates, or subsequent downloads on new or additional devices for an existing iOS/Google Play account. It also doesn’t account for users who already own a Quest device and are adding a new one to their account, like a user upgrading from Quest 2 to Quest 3S.

As noted by Game Developer, other factors that could impact linking app downloads directly to headset sales include second-hand sales, headset sharing, and non-owners downloading the app to explore the app store.

In the absence of official data, another indicator is third-party retailers. According to data from Amazon product pages, Game Developer reports that Meta sold over 160,000 Quest headsets in November 2024 across eight countries, representing a 16% decrease in sales on Amazon compared to the previous year. The report mentions that two-thirds of those headsets were Quest 3S, while the rest were Quest 3.

On the other hand, Quest 3S was the best-selling console on Amazon US in 2024, surpassing Switch, PlayStation 5 Pro, and both Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X hardware refreshes.

Despite this, the decline in app downloads and year-over-year Amazon sales may indicate a waning excitement compared to the Quest 2 era, which set a high standard. According to Omdia’s data, Meta managed to more than double overall app downloads in the year following the initial release of Quest 2 and nearly triple the number of downloads the following Christmas.

Only time will reveal the impact of Quest 3 and Quest 3S and the extent to which Meta can support them with big (and likely exclusive) games leading up to this year’s holiday season. In a bid to boost Quest 3S sales, Meta has discounted the largest storage variant of Quest 3S (256GB) by $50 for a limited time, bringing it down to $350, along with a free copy of the highly-rated Batman: Arkham Shadow and a three-month trial of Quest+, the platform’s games subscription service.

Whether these trends indicate a plateau in the VR market or a shift in consumer preferences remains to be seen. However, one thing is clear: Meta’s Quest line continues to be the dominant force in the evolution of consumer VR.

But perhaps that is changing? Google may be hoping so.