• Which kinds of games do they gravitate towards?
• What do games need to appeal to different types of gamers?
• Which types of gamers are we likely to see growth with in the near future and what games do we need more of?

Who’s Playing on Meta Quest?

• Competence: Feeling skill mastery and accomplishment.
• Relatedness: Staying socially connected.
• Autonomy: Having freedom and choice.
• Leisure: Simply having fun and unwinding.

Segments at a Glance

• Leisure lover: This group consists of casual gamers who seek relaxation and de-stressing through solo, low-pressure experiences. They prefer accessible puzzle, strategy, or rhythm games on mobile platforms, focusing on enjoyment and a sense of accomplishment without heavy investment.
• Mainstream Omnivore: These gamers represent a balanced approach to gaming, seeking fun and challenge (without being overwhelmed by difficulty). They enjoy a mix of experiences with some degree of challenge and good stories, either solo or with known friends and family. They prefer well-known titles and practical, familiar games, often on consoles.
• Social Explorer: These are highly motivated gamers, but instead of challenge, they are primarily motivated by social connection and exploration in open, creative environments. They value playing with friends in sandbox or social genres and are often found on console, mobile, and VR platforms.
• Skill Seeker: These are highly motivated core gamers who seek to master challenging games and prove their abilities. They invest significant time and money across multiple platforms (console, PC, VR) and prefer genres like shooters, action-adventure, and horror.

How to Build for Each Segment

• Mainstream omnivores enjoy well-rounded games that offer a mix of story and empowerment without excessive frustration. They game both solo and with others, using gaming as a way to spend time with friends and family rather than strangers. Think about these aspects when building games that will appeal to this group:
  1. They have a well-rounded preference, wanting to enjoy compelling story lines and/or social experiences with friends while feeling some (but not too much challenge). They may prefer well-rounded and rich worlds typical of AAA or bigger F2P titles over indie games with a more niche set of features. They will also appreciate the ability to adjust difficulty settings to match their abilities or mood.
  2. They want to play what's popular so off-platform marketing and word of mouth is really popular here. These players are likely harder to target directly via the Meta Horizon Store so it’s important to foster communities (such as Discord) and either 1st party or content creators videos available show your game is popular, well-made, and worthy of their attention.

• Social explorers treat gaming as a primary form of entertainment explicitly used for socializing. They prefer connected experiences where co-presence enhances the game and often choose new games based on social factors like friends' recommendations or current trends. When designing games for this group, keep these things in mind:
  1. They prefer both structured (like cooperative or versus multiplayer) as well as unstructured play where they hang out or come up with their own games in the lobby.
  2. They want to form social connections, not just play with others. They’ll both bring their friends along or by finding and maintaining connections with online communities. Building strong social tools (e.g., guilds, communities) both on and off-platform can be really helpful for delivering on this motivation. Also make sure to include things like the social presence API so players can easily find and add each other as friends if they have a positive social interaction.
  3. They want to bring their friends along, so lowering the barrier to access is important. Lowering the up front cost can make it easier for friends to get the same game, but you may also consider other options like friend referrals.
  4. Social gamers also want customization options to express themselves and stand out. Giving them options to show off exclusive items, show things they are interested in, and show off their accomplishments can be really helpful.

• Skill seekers represent the smallest group, both generally in the US and on Quest. They are highly motivated by competence, seeking to feel skilled and receive validation for their abilities. They play to compete, not to connect, and will embrace single-player experiences for progression and achievement. Games for this group should focus on:
  1. Sharpening their skills. Make sure to provide these players with constant informative feedback on where and how to improve.
  2. Learning how to get better. Make it easy for skill seekers to copy and share effective strategies like loadouts or builds, direct them to outside resources such as communities or videos that help them improve, both on and off platform.
  3. Showing off their skills. Make sure there's progression that shows off their achievement and progress in skill such as a ranking system or leaderboards. This doesn't have to be exclusive to multiplayer games either; In single player games, you can offer a challenge to skill seekers by offering more technically challenging difficulties with rewards to show off their mastery.
  4. Customization options for progression. Giving players skill trees, options to maximize their loadouts or builds, or other ways to decide how to make their characters better as they progress.

• Leisure lovers primarily play games on their mobile devices and are less likely to own other game devices (e.g., consoles, gaming PCs). They tend to gravitate towards gaming as a feel-good pastime. Competence is a secondary motivation, often expressed in milder forms like beating a high score. This group is typically price-sensitive and likely to seek deals and free-to-play experiences. A few things to keep in mind when building / designing for this segment:
  1. Casual gamers are more likely to play solo. So when designing games for this audience make sure that team play is not required to have fun.
  2. They tend to have the shortest Quest sessions. Make sure that the experiences are easy to pick up and put down whether in VR or on mobile worlds. See lightning articles for specific tips on building shorter sessions.
  3. They’re price sensitive, with strong preferences for free-to-play. Consider business models that have low up front cost.
  4. They prioritize self improvement. Puzzle, rhythm, and active games are popular because they can improve their body and mind in short bursts without heavy time commitment. Give them feedback along multiple paths on how they are improving their own performance.

What’s Next: Designing for the Future Audience

• Leisure lovers are a large group generally but are underrepresented on Quest. They are likely to be more drawn to mobile experiences, seeking the convenience of entertainment over in-depth sessions. Mobile worlds present an opportunity here. If this group is integrated into the mobile strategy, it necessitates the delivery of unique experiences distinct from those needed by social gamers/worlds, such as solo, strategy/puzzle-oriented games with quick loops. Additionally, casual games may not be a primary reason to purchase a headset, but they can still be a reason to use it if users are drawn to other immersive experiences like movie watching, sports, or fitness, and also enjoy a fun game between episodes.
• Mainstream omnivores are well represented on Quest and are the most likely to sample varied experiences. This group represents the best opportunity to bring new people into the ecosystem since they enjoy traditional gaming as a hobby. To appeal to them, we are investing in games that move beyond mastery-focused experiences (which primarily appeal to Skill Seekers) and instead offer a more well-rounded, low-stakes gaming experience.
• Social explorers are currently overrepresented on Quest. To keep this group connected to those off-platform, Horizon Worlds mobile can leverage both in-headset and on-mobile cross-play, and we should explore ways to create complementary experiences that satisfy this group’s need for connection. For VR make sure to include things like the social presence API so players can easily find and add each other as friends if they have a positive social interaction.
• Skill seekers are also overrepresented, though they are a smaller group. While satisfying them can be valuable, there is low crossover with other segments and we expect more growth to come from other segments as we expand our audience. This is also a competitive space on Quest with a lot of games that focus on high levels of challenge. You can broaden out of this audience and into more mainstream gamers by introducing ways to progress that's not all tied to skill progression or by (e.g., leveling up to get stronger or unlockables can be viable alternatives) and offering different difficulty levels that let players focus on different aspects of the game.

Why This Matters