Shorten Time-to-First-Dollar with Meta Horizon Launch Tools
Launching an app on the Meta Horizon Store is multi-faceted; it doesn’t just start on the day of publish. In fact, what you do prior to shipping your app on the Meta Horizon Store is more important than ever, and it demands a strategic launch that’ll help you stand out. A strong pre-launch makes titles easily discoverable before Day 0 and helps sustain momentum afterward. When discoverability is treated as an afterthought, developers tend to face an uphill battle for visibility post-launch. That’s why we’re excited to highlight our new video-enabled educational playbook, designed to help you think about different pre-launch strategies while you're still building and show how to generate anticipation, gather feedback, and drive early adoption. Below, we highlight each launch feature you can leverage, along with a recommended “Golden Path” sequence for effective pre-launch strategies to help you cut your time-to-first dollar. You’ll also get to hear from some other developers who have had success launching with these tools. Let’s dive in. Launch Features: Your Toolkit for a Strong Debut Meta provides a suite of launch features to help you maximize your app’s visibility and success. Here’s how you can leverage each tool: Playtesting: Gather early feedback while you’re still building Playtesting gives you a private space to gather feedback from real users. It’s your chance to validate gameplay, comfort, and performance early so you can refine with confidence. You can think of it as a small, closed test (more like micro-beta) that gives you a read on user preferences, validates core mechanics, and surfaces issues that only show up in the wild. Pro Tip: Start playtesting as early as possible—even before your app is polished. Respond to written reviews to build trust and show you’re listening to your community. "By carefully limiting access during early playtesting for UG, we were able to validate game mechanics, iterate on in-app purchase pricing, and fine-tune the experience to hit our target session length and other critical metrics. That data directly informed our go-to-market strategy. Ultimately, it’s not about whether the studio loves the game; it’s about whether players do. Testing early and often made all the difference." - Spencer Cook, CEO, Continuum "Trusted testers are worth their weight in gold. I’ve seen time and time again the power of having five to ten highly-engaged players playing directly with the developers, and I’d take this over a disparate group of thousands of players any day. The earlier this happens, the better the chances of launch success because our development decisions are grounded in real behavior and not our own assumptions about what players want." - Kyle Joyce, CEO, Enver Studio (Scary Baboon) Coming Soon Pages: Generate anticipation within 180 days of launch Building out a coming soon page lets you showcase your app up to 180 days before launch to help build excitement and provide users with an opportunity to wishlist your title. Keep in mind that a coming soon page is best for capturing interest, not creating it. Most visibility and growth will come from your own marketing efforts off-platform, like social posts, trailers, and community engagement. Pro Tip: A/B test your store assets (key art, trailer, description) to see what resonates with your audience. "The single biggest determinant of a game’s success is pre-marketing. Whether that’s on socials, or Coming Soon pages, you need to be able to drive your community to take an action like signing up for email alerts or a Discord community." - Kyle Joyce, CEO, Enver Studio (Scary Baboon) "Across titles like Starship Troopers VR, Hitman 3 VR, and BEATABLE, the Coming Soon page helped us inform our community and influencers early while capturing wishlists. It’s become a key tool for building awareness and demand well before launch." - XR Games Pre-orders: Secure early sales within 90 days of launch Pre-orders enable users to purchase paid apps up to 90 days before launch, while providing developers with a convenient way to convert interest into committed downloads and generate revenue before release. You’ll need a price, description, and marketing assets to set up pre-orders. "Offering pre-orders for Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded significantly increased launch-day sales by concentrating demand and excitement ahead of release. It gave us a much stronger day-one performance than previous launches." - XR Games Early Access: An open beta for ongoing refinement Launching your app with an Early Access label tells users that it’s still in development, but it also enables you to reach a broader audience, gather real feedback, and allow space to continue refining your app pre and post-launch. Apps best suited for Early Access are stable and enjoyable, but not fully polished. Remember, this is still your only chance to make a first impression, so consider carefully whether your app is ready for an audience. This feature can be especially beneficial for free-to-play (F2P) apps, where lowering the barrier to entry helps you reach more players and build momentum. And since the app is free, users tend to be more forgiving in their reviews. If you utilize the Early Access label, it is your responsibility to communicate what it means to your users. Pro Tip: Once you remove the Early Access label, it’s permanent—plan your transition carefully. "Early access let us grow a passionate community while we were still shaping the game. Their feedback sharpened our priorities and their enthusiasm created a foundation for us to build around." - Johnny Wing, General Manager, Orion Drift "Early access is fundamental to community building and game success. Of course it helps surface critical bugs early on but more importantly it creates a core group of highly invested players. The Quest Store thrives on the network effect. Players want to be the first to discover a game and be the one to recommend it to their friends and take a massive pride in discovering something early." - Kyle Joyce, CEO, Enver Studio (Scary Baboon) "Early access for BEATABLE was critical in building a passionate community before launch. It created early advocates who helped amplify the game organically the moment we went live." - XR Games The Golden Path: Putting it all together for a recommended launch sequence The Golden Path launch sequence can set you up for maximum exposure, interest, and conversions. Using each of these features we’ve covered today sequentially can put you on the path to build an audience early, sustain momentum, and set your app up for a strong debut. In the graphic above, you can see a recommended cadence on when to start leveraging each feature. Remember, this is just a recommendation; you can define your own strategy and determine what makes the most sense for your title. "Meta has created flexible launch paths that let developers choose what best fits their game. For UG, Early Access was the perfect way to set expectations around polish, bugs, and our roadmap toward a full future launch. It invited players to join us early, get excited about the vision, and actively influence what UG is becoming. This approach let us build hand-in-hand with our community and even helped spark a wave of user-generated content as players documented the game’s growth from its earliest days." - Spencer Cook, CEO, Continuum Incentivization and Best Practices Know your audience: We’ve broken down key audience behaviors and motivations that can help you plan effective content and marketing strategies for your VR apps. Reward early adopters: Offer exclusive content, discounts, or early access perks to wishlisters and pre-order customers. Leverage off-platform marketing: Most momentum comes from your own efforts—use social media, communities, and events to drive awareness. Communicate clearly: Use Developer Posts and direct messaging on platforms such as Discord to keep your audience engaged and informed. Measure and optimize: Use integrated analytics to track what’s working and adjust your strategy in real time. Ready to launch? Start building momentum today Don’t let your launch be just another date on the calendar. Utilize launch features and our new resource guide to build momentum, engage your community, and set your app up for lasting success.Building the Foundation of a Social VR Game — Movement & Multiplayer in Baby VR Episode 2
So, I’m building Baby VR — a social VR game that I’m developing with the community on YouTube. In the first episode, I talked about where the idea came from and what kind of social sandbox I want Baby VR to become. But before we touch things like game modes, cosmetics, progression, or monetization, there’s something much more important we need to build first: The foundation. Movement and multiplayer. If these two systems aren’t solid, nothing else in a Social VR game really matters. So in this post, I’ll walk you through how I’m structuring Baby VR’s technical core — from modular architecture to Gorilla Tag–style locomotion and real-time networking using Photon Fusion. Let’s dive in. WHY FOUNDATION COMES FIRST In Social VR, players don’t just control a character — they are the character. Every movement, every hand gesture, every head turn becomes part of how other players perceive you. That means two things need to feel perfect from day one: * Locomotion — how you move through the world * Networking — how other players see you move in real time Everything else — game modes, progression, stores, and live events — is built on top of these systems. THE MODULAR ARCHITECTURE (FLAMECORE) Baby VR is built using a modular system I call FlameCore. Instead of one giant, tangled codebase, the game is split into independent modules, where each one does a single job. This makes the project: * Easier to build * Easier to maintain * Easier to scale over time Think of it like LEGO blocks. You can swap, upgrade, or rebuild parts without breaking the whole system. THE 5 CORE MODULES Here’s the high-level structure: * Core Module: Locomotion, VR Interactions, player rigs *Networking Module: Multiplayer sync, player authority, sessions * Gameplay Module: Game modes, rules, sandbox logic * Backend Module: Economy, store, platform services * LiveOps Module: Challenges, analytics, moderation, live events Social VR isn’t just a “game” — it’s a live service, which is why LiveOps is treated as a first-class system, not an afterthought. LOCOMOTION — MOVING LIKE A PLAYER, NOT A CONTROLLER Inside the Core Module, Baby VR uses Gorilla Tag–style arm locomotion.This system is based on an open-source project from the creator of Gorilla Tag, and it changes how players relate to the world: You don’t press a joystick to move You push against the environment You climb, swing, and launch yourself physically This creates what I like to call somatic progression — players don’t “level up” their character. They level up their own coordination and skill. For a social sandbox, this kind of movement makes every interaction feel more personal and more expressive. MULTIPLAYER — HOW SOCIAL VR ACTUALLY WORKS Every player in Baby VR exists as two representations: HardwareRig (Local Player) This is the version of you that lives only on your computer. It reads directly from your VR hardware: headset position, controller positions, and hand movement. Its job is simple: read reality. NetworkRig (Online Avatar) This is the version of you that everyone else sees. It syncs your movement across the network and represents you inside the multiplayer session. Its job is also simple: show reality to others. THE DATA FLOW Here’s the full loop: * You join a Photon Session (the game room) * Your HardwareRig reads your VR hardware * That data is packaged into custom network data * Your NetworkRig sends it to the session * Photon Cloud broadcasts it to all players * Other clients update your avatar in real time The key concept here is State Authority. You only control your own NetworkRig. Other players’ NetworkRigs are read-only on your machine. This prevents conflicts, keeps the simulation stable, and ensures everyone stays in sync. Your head and hands follow the exact same logic — they’re just smaller versions of the same pipeline. META STORE RELEASE CHANNEL To make this truly community-driven, I’ve opened a Meta Store Release Channel. Join here. This lets you access early builds, test experimental features, and see Baby VR evolve step by step. If you join, you’re not just a player — you’re an OG tester helping shape the game from the ground up. CLOSING THOUGHTS This episode — and this post — is about one thing: Understanding how Social VR actually works under the hood. Movement and multiplayer aren’t just features. They’re the language players use to express themselves in virtual worlds. In the next episode, I’ll start building on top of this foundation — VR interactions, sandbox systems, and game modes designed for controlled chaos. If you want your ideas to turn into features, leave a comment, join the builds, and be part of the process. Let’s build Baby VR — together. 👶🚀 -TevfikBuilding a Social VR Game From Scratch Part 1: Entitlement
So, I am building Baby VR, a social VR game that I will build with the community on YouTube. While planning the curriculum, I realized that before working on the core things like Networking, Voice Chat or Game Mechanics, we need to first integrate Baby VR into the Meta Horizon Store. And it starts with the Entitlement. So, in this blog post, I will show you how I did the Entitlement for the Meta Horizon Store. Let's get started. Introduction If you're building a VR app for Meta Quest, you absolutely need to implement entitlement checking. There's no way around it. Without it, anyone could potentially access your app without actually purchasing it from the Meta Quest Store. Think of entitlement as your app's bouncer - it checks if someone actually paid to get in before letting them through the door. Meta requires entitlement checks for apps published on their store, and it's really not optional if you want to protect your work and ensure users have legitimately obtained your application. According to Meta's official documentation. In this blog post, I'll walk you through a real-world implementation that handles all the edge cases - retry logic, error handling, and proper user data retrieval. Let's dive in. How It Works: The Complete Flow Before we get into the code, here's the big picture of how the entitlement process flows: The system consists of a few key components working together=> MetaStoreManager - The main orchestrator that kicks everything off EntitlementHandler - Does the heavy lifting of verification Event System - Notifies other parts of your game when entitlement completes MetaPlayerData - Stores the user info we retrieve Step-by-Step Implementation 1. The MetaStoreManager: Your Entry Point The `MetaStoreManager` is a Unity `MonoBehaviour` that orchestrates everything. It's simple - it initializes the entitlement handler and listens for when the entitlement completes: When you call `Initialize()`, it kicks off the entitlement process. Once complete, it stores the player data for use throughout your game. 2. The EntitlementHandler: The Core Logic This is where the real work happens. The handler performs a four-step verification process with automatic retry logic (up to 3 attempts with 2-second delays between retries): The `CheckEntitlement()` method runs four critical steps in sequence - if any step fails, the whole process fails and retries: Step 2 is the critical one- `CheckUserEntitlement()` calls `Entitlements.IsUserEntitledToApplication()` which queries Meta's servers to verify the user actually purchased your app. This is where the piracy protection happens. The other steps retrieve user data (ID, display name, Oculus ID) and generate a cryptographic proof (nonce) that you can use for server-side verification later. 3. The Data Structure After successful entitlement, you get a `MetaPlayerData` object containing: public class MetaPlayerData { public string UserId; // Unique user identifier public string UserName; // Display name public string AliasName; // Oculus ID public string OculusNonce; // Cryptographic proof for server verification } The`OculusNonce` is particularly important - it's a proof token you can send to your backend server to verify the user's identity securely. Best Practices When to check: Run entitlement as early as possible - ideally during your splash screen or initial loading. Don't let users access premium features until verification completes. Error handling: The implementation includes automatic retry logic (3 attempts with 2-second delays), but you should also show user-friendly error messages and provide a manual retry option if all attempts fail. Security: Never trust client-side verification alone. Always use the `OculusNonce` to verify user identity on your backend server for critical features. This prevents tampering and ensures real security. Performance: The async/await pattern keeps everything non-blocking, so your game stays responsive during the verification process. Common Issues and Solutions Entitlement always fails? Make sure your app is properly configured in the Meta Developer Dashboard, and test on a device that has actually purchased the app. Network issues can also cause failures. Platform not initializing? Verify the Oculus Platform SDK is properly imported and check your AndroidManifest.xml for required permissions. Also ensure you're testing on actual Quest hardware. User data not retrieved? The user needs to be logged into their Oculus account, and privacy settings might be blocking access. Check both the device settings and ensure you're using a compatible SDK version. Quick Integration Example Here's the basic pattern for using this in your game: Conclusion Meta Store entitlement isn't optional - it's a requirement for protecting your VR application. The implementation we've covered gives you: - ✅ Robust verification with automatic retry logic - ✅ Complete user data retrieval for personalization - ✅ Event-based architecture that keeps your code clean - ✅ Production-ready error handling Remember to test on actual Quest hardware, verify your app configuration in the Meta Developer Dashboard, and always implement server-side verification using the `OculusNonce` for critical features. This system provides a solid foundation that protects your app while keeping the user experience smooth. The retry logic handles network hiccups, and the event system keeps everything decoupled and maintainable. Let me know if you need the source code. Additional Resources Meta's Official Entitlement Check Documentation *This blog post is based on a production implementation. Always refer to the latest Meta documentation for the most up-to-date information and best practices.*The F2P Engagement Playbook for Meta Quest | Free-to-Play Academy (Ep. 2)
Most free-to-play apps fail because players download them once, play for 10 minutes, and never open them again. In this second session of the Free-to-Play Academy series, Gabe Heiland and Akash Phadtare teach you how to break that pattern by building apps people want to return to. You'll learn how to design three critical moments: the first 5 minutes that hook new players, the daily systems that bring them back tomorrow, and the long-term progression that keeps them engaged for weeks and months. Then you'll see exactly how to implement those systems using Unity and the Meta SDK. 💡 After viewing this session, you’ll understand how to: Measure engagement using the metrics that actually predict player retention and lifetime value Design onboarding experiences and session lengths that hook players in the first 5 minutes and keep them coming back Implement social features, matchmaking, leaderboards, and notification systems using Unity and the Meta SDK Use platform tools like deep links, review prompts, and Group Presence to drive long-term engagement 🎙️ FEATURING: Gabe Heiland (Meta Growth Consultant), Akash Phadtare (Partner Engineer) Recorded in September 2025 as part of the Meta Horizon Start program. 🎬 CHAPTERS 👋 INTRODUCTION & METRICS 🕒 0:00 - The Funnel: Defining & Measuring Engagement 🕒 1:47 - Engagement Metrics: Quantity vs. Quality 🚀 ONBOARDING & SESSION DESIGN 🕒 5:01 - The Three Pillars of Successful Onboarding 🕒 8:22 - Introducing Meaningful Progression 🕒 9:47 - The "Goldilocks Zone": Finding the Ideal Session Length 🕒 11:39 - Understanding Churn: Why Players Leave VR Sessions 🛠️ TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION (SDK) 🕒 15:15 - Technical Implementation: Architecting for Engagement 🕒 17:21 - Reducing Friction: Comfort, Locomotion, and Seamless Lobbies 📲 PLATFORM TOOLS & RE-ENGAGEMENT 🕒 22:41 - Platform Tools: User Notifications & Posts with Deep Links 🕒 27:05 - Platform Tools: Leveraging User Reviews & Leaderboards 🤝 SOCIAL & COMMUNITY 🕒 34:40 - Deep Dives: Destinations and Group Presence for Social Play 🕒 38:04 - Fostering Healthy Communities: Moderation & Social Interaction 📚 RESOURCES ➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/ ➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH US ➡️ Sign up to get the latest news from Meta Horizon: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/newsletter 💡 LEARN ABOUT THE META HORIZON START PROGRAM The Meta Horizon Start program provides intermediate and advanced developers with the resources, hands-on support, and expert guidance needed to accelerate their app development. Join a thriving community to get the tools and go-to-market guidance you need to successfully deploy and grow your app on Meta Horizon OS. Apply to Start today: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/discover/programs/start
The Definitive F2P Launch Roadmap for Meta Quest | Free-to-Play Academy (Ep. 1)
In the first session of the Free-to-Play Academy series, Meta's Growth Insights team walks through the strategic foundation required to successfully launch and monetize a free-to-play app on Meta Quest. This session covers business model selection, pre-launch planning, retention-first design principles, and the marketing infrastructure needed to drive sustainable player acquisition. 💡 After viewing this session, you’ll understand how to: Choose the right monetization model (microtransactions, free-to-start, or subscriptions) Build a 6-12 month pre-launch timeline & post-launch content roadmap Build pre-launch social media presence and gather actionable feedback Optimize key art, trailers, and product pages using A/B testing Leverage Developer Dashboard tools for analytics, notifications, and community engagement 🎙️ FEATURING: Gabe Heiland, Chenelle Bremont, Richard Duck & Michelle Vo Recorded in July 2025 as part of the Meta Horizon Start program. 🎬 CHAPTERS �� INTRODUCTION 🕒 00:00 - Welcome to Free-to-Play Academy 🕒 01:29 - Free-to-Play Business Models and Microtransactions 🕒 03:02 - Free-to-Start, Demos, and Subscriptions 📈 F2P FOUNDATIONS 🕒 05:33 - Core Ingredients: Acquisition, Engagement, Retention, Monetization 🕒 12:03 - Acquisition Basics and Perception of Value 🎯 DEFINING QUALITY PLAYERS 🕒 15:55 - Defining and Finding Quality Users 🕒 19:27 - Creators, Influencers, and Designing for Virality 🛠️ LAUNCH PLANNING AND STORE PRESENCE 🕒 23:13 - Acquisition and Launch Strategy Missed Opportunities 🕒 26:11 - Store Presence, Key Art, and Trailers 🤝 COMMUNITY, DATA, AND NEXT STEPS 🕒 32:07 - Social Media Strategy, Community Building, and Feedback 🕒 39:38 - Developer Dashboard Tools, Analytics, and Reviews Workflow 🕒 45:16 - Six Actions for Success and Closing Thoughts 📚 RESOURCES ➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/ ➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH US ➡️ Sign up to get the latest news from Meta Horizon: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/newsletter 💡 LEARN ABOUT THE META HORIZON START PROGRAM The Meta Horizon Start program provides intermediate and advanced developers with the resources, hands-on support, and expert guidance needed to accelerate their app development. Join a thriving community to get the tools and go-to-market guidance you need to successfully deploy and grow your app on Meta Horizon OS. Apply to Start today: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/discover/programs/start
New Resource Guide Available: Simplifying Payouts for Builders!
Hello Builder Community, We’re thrilled to share our brand new resource guide: Payouts Made Simple for Builders! With 14% of Non-Technical Support Tickets being payments related, we wanted to find better ways to help solve common issues, so you can focus on building great apps and getting paid quickly for them. What’s It About? Whether you’re new to the platform or have managed payouts before, this guide is here to make payouts easy, clear, and hassle-free. It walks you step-by-step through everything you need to know—from setting up your account to receiving payments with minimal stress. Key Benefits Clear instructions for account setup, bank verification, and tax requirements Easy troubleshooting for common issues and payment delays Handy tips to help make sure your payouts are processed quickly Access to support resources right when you need them Get Involved! We want this guide to be as helpful as possible. Please check it out, try the suggestions, and let us know what you think! Your feedback helps us improve. If you spot something confusing or think we missed an important topic, drop a comment below! Already a payouts pro? Share your experience and best tips in the thread! Check out the guide here, and help us make Builder payouts smoother and simpler for everyone!New Resource Guide Available: Simplifying Payouts for Builders!
Hello Builder Community, We’re thrilled to share our brand new resource guide: Payouts Made Simple for Builders! With 14% of Non-Technical Support Tickets being payments related, we wanted to find better ways to help solve common issues, so you can focus on building great apps and getting paid quickly for them. What’s It About? Whether you’re new to the platform or have managed payouts before, this guide is here to make payouts easy, clear, and hassle-free. It walks you step-by-step through everything you need to know—from setting up your account to receiving payments with minimal stress. Key Benefits Clear instructions for account setup, bank verification, and tax requirements Easy troubleshooting for common issues and payment delays Handy tips to help make sure your payouts are processed quickly Access to support resources right when you need them Get Involved! We want this guide to be as helpful as possible. Please check it out, try the suggestions, and let us know what you think! Your feedback helps us improve. If you spot something confusing or think we missed an important topic, drop a comment below! Already a payouts pro? Share your experience and best tips in the thread! Check out the guide here, and help us make Builder payouts smoother and simpler for everyone!6 Best Practices For Launching on the Meta Horizon Store
Ready to maximize your VR game's launch success? Learn directly from Benjamin Miller, Head of Store Operations, as he reveals 6 essential go-to-market (GTM) best practices for deploying your title on the Meta Horizon Store - actionable strategies to improve discoverability, increase conversions, and build a thriving community around your product. 💡 In this video, you’ll learn how to: Develop a holistic GTM strategy from pre-launch to post-launch. Leverage pre-launch offers like Coming Soon and Pre-orders to build momentum. Optimize your Product Detail Page (PDP) and A/B test assets for maximum impact. Engage your community using Developer Profiles and other on-platform tools. 🎙️ SPEAKER Benjamin Miller, Head of Store Operations at Meta ▶️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 📈 The VR Market Landscape 🕒 00:00: Welcome & Session Goals 🕒 02:42: VR Market Growth & Developer Opportunity 🕒 05:13: Understanding Modern Launch Challenges 🗺️ Your Go-To-Market Blueprint 🕒 09:43: Framework for Maximizing Launch Success 🕒 12:46: Defining a Holistic GTM Strategy 🕒 18:04: How to Set Goals Using Comparable Titles 🚀 Pre-Launch & Discovery Engine 🕒 21:22: Pre-Launch Offers: Coming Soon vs. Pre-Order vs. Early Access 🕒 25:42: How the Meta Horizon Store Ranking Algorithm Works 🕒 29:01: Advanced Pre-Launch Monetization Tactics 🎨 Asset Optimization & Testing 🕒 30:42: Building a High-Converting Product Detail Page (PDP) 🕒 32:18: A/B Testing Your Assets for Maximum Impact 🕒 33:52: Engaging Your Community with Developer Profiles & Posts ✅ Final Takeaways 🕒 35:40: Key Takeaways for Your Launch 🕒 36:31: Final Recommendations & How to Get Support 📚 RESOURCES ➡️ Check out the first article in our Growth Insights Series: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/blog/tips-monetizing-in-app-purchases-free-to-play-strategies ➡️The Goldilocks Zone Pricing Article: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/blog/optimize-user-time-goldilocks-session-length-meta-quest ➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/ ➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH US ➡️ Meta for Developers: https://developers.meta.com/ ➡️ Sign up to get the latest news from Meta Horizon: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/newsletter 💡 LEARN ABOUT THE META HORIZON START PROGRAM The Meta Horizon Start program provides intermediate and advanced developers with the resources, hands-on support, and expert guidance needed to accelerate their app development. Join a thriving community to get the tools and go-to-market guidance you need to successfully deploy and grow your app on Meta Horizon OS. Apply to Start today: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/discover/programs/startVR 103: Preparing Your App for the Meta Horizon Store
Join our team of experts in this Meta Connect 2025 series as they guide you through the fundamentals of VR development. You’ll learn how to start your project in Unity using Meta’s SDKs, explore essential building blocks for creating immersive experiences, and follow step-by-step instructions to deploy your first VR app. Whether you’re new to VR or looking to expand your skills, this series offers practical insights and hands-on demonstrations to help you succeed in building for Meta’s VR platforms. In the final session of this series, Jake Steinerman guides you through all of the steps to getting your app ready to publish on the Meta Horizon Store, and shares tips on finding and building your community. Join him in walking your app through the steps of passing VRCs, beta testing, building out a Product Detail Page, and finally, publishing your app. Your VR app is built—now let’s get it ready for the Meta Horizon Store. This launch session will guide you through everything from passing Virtual Reality Checks (VRCs) and effective beta testing to building a strong community and optimizing your product detail page. Learn proven strategies for a smooth submission, launch, and post-launch, featuring real-world examples and actionable tips to help your app thrive from day one.
Understanding App Requirements & Distribution on the Meta Horizon Store
We’re here to support you every step of the way as you build on our platform. It’s important to us that you have access to the best resources and guides to navigate our platform requirements so your apps can reach distribution and monetization even faster. With the Trusted Developer Essentials Program (TDE), we offer a free collection of resources led by Meta experts and hosted on the Data Protocol Platform. TDE covers topics like the developer journey, the app submission process, VRCs (all of our technical requirements to get your app published on the Horizon Store), privacy policy, Age Group Self-Certification, content guidelines, how to navigate Data Handling, how to submit your Data Use Checkup, and more. We’re always expanding TDE to include more helpful topics to make app publishing as easy as possible. Look out for new resources throughout the year, and please let us know if there are any materials or topics you’d like to see explained by filling out the Data Protocol survey or replying in this post—we’re always looking for more ways to help! An App's Journey Through Meta's Requirements Use this interactive flow-chart to understand the key milestones and requirements your app will encounter on its journey, from development to submission. Understanding Meta's Content Guidelines Understand the principles that determine what content is allowed and what content is prohibited under Meta’s Content Guidelines with this video. How to Pass the Most Commonly Failed VRCs Avoid common pitfalls by reviewing the most frequent VRC failures and how to address them effectively in our How to Pass the Most Commonly Failed VRCs resource guide. Boosting Conversion on the Meta Horizon Store Learn tips for crafting strong descriptions, screenshots, and trailers that help your app stand out and convert users in our course on Boosting Conversion on the Meta Horizon Store and read our guide on Crafting a Product Details Page (PDP) that converts. Driving Discoverability with Metadata Learn how to use metadata to increase your app’s visibility and reach the right audience in this video resource. Meta Horizon TDE Channel For additional educational resources on the Data Protocol platform, please visit our Meta Horizon TDE Channel.
