VR games surge on Android as Meta Quest 3 drives 60% growth

Date | Type | Companies Involved | Key Datapoint |
---|---|---|---|
Jan 29, 2025 | report | SplitMetrics |
Virtual reality games on Android gained 13 million new users in 2024, a 60% increase from 8m in 2023.
That's according to data from app growth solutions company Splitmetrics, which found that “excitement" around new VR devices like the Meta Quest 3 drove user growth to make 2024 a “record-breaking year for the VR gaming sector in terms of new Android users."
Android VR game downloads surged 198% in December 2024 compared to April 2023, before the headset's announcement. VR game portals also saw significant growth, with Google’s Cardboard app and the Meta Quest app reaching a combined 56m lifetime downloads on Google Play.
The Meta Horizon app saw a 254% surge in Android downloads in December 2024 following the Meta Quest 3 launch. December 2024 also highlighted the impact of seasonality, with Android VR game downloads rising 115% compared to December 2023.
Among 28 VR games analysed, the top five most downloaded in 2024 were Rec Room - Play with friends! (7.3m), VR Roller Coaster 360 (815K), VR Thrills Roller Coaster Game (733K), Sky On Fire: 1940 (596K), and VRChat (559K).
Continuous growth
“2024 was a big year for the VR and XR industries," said Splitmetrics Agency general manager Thomas Kriebernegg. “Although some headlines from the past few months may have suggested that the sector is stagnating, it is far from the truth. The record-breaking growth of the VR gaming sector demonstrates that VR is not just a fad and has a very promising future"
“There’s no reason to believe that this level of growth will drop off in 2025. As the market becomes more competitive, developers will need to shift their focus beyond UX and functionality improvements and concentrate on innovative marketing campaigns to sustain and boost their app performance."
“App marketers and developers should also note the impact that seasonality has on user growth. Optimising app storefronts is essential when it comes to capitalising on important calendar events, such as Christmas or the launch of a new industry-related device. When done right, growth around calendar events can be achieved without a big advertising budget.”