Develop

Setting up your first project

Updated: Apr 14, 2026

Set up your project using Unreal Engine to take the first step toward developing a Meta Horizon OS app.

Before you begin, set up your development environment, including Unreal Engine and the Meta XR Plugin. This page assumes Unreal Engine 5.4.4 from the Oculus-VR fork, which includes the plugin and other Meta-specific fixes and functionality. If you use a different version, the process is similar. For setup instructions, see Setting up your dev environment.

The following steps are needed for setting up your project:

Create a new project

Configure your project

Next step

For a full reference of Meta XR Plugin settings, see Meta XR Plugin Settings.

Create a new project

You can have multiple versions of Unreal Engine on your computer at the same time. Select the version to work with on your new project in the Epic Games Launcher when you create your project.

Note: Epic Games is constantly iterating Unreal Engine. As a result, the newest version changes frequently, but regardless of the version, your process should look similar to the steps in this section. These examples use UE 5.4.4.

To create your first project in Unreal Engine 5.4.4, do the following:

Open the Epic Games Launcher and then open the Library tab.

Under Engine Versions, find the entry for Unreal 5.4.4 and click Launch.

In the Unreal Project Browser, select Games and then Virtual Reality.

A description of the generic Virtual Reality template is shown on the right. Clear the Starter Content option to reduce the initial project size and avoid bundling assets that are not needed for VR development.

Screenshot of default VR template options

The template description panel lists the included assets and features.

At the bottom of the screen, set the Project Location and Project Name.

Screenshot of project name options for creating a new project

Click Create to create the new project from the VR template.

Note: There are other templates available for new projects. For Meta Quest development, the Virtual Reality template is the recommended starting point because it includes a pre-configured VR camera, motion controller setup, and teleportation locomotion.

Configure your project

With your project created, you need to configure it. How you configure your project depends on your team and your project’s needs. Some of the configuration options (such as Description) are largely informational and may only affect your project’s metadata. However, other options include packaging, encryption, and so on. Review all options when configuring your project.

To configure a project in Unreal Engine, do the following:

Load your project in Unreal Engine.

In the Unreal Editor, go to Edit and select Project Settings.

Screenshot of Unreal editor Edit > Project Settings

Under Project in the left nav, go through the list of configuration and information options for your project, filling out the appropriate information for each one as required by your team and your project’s needs.

Note: There are multiple sections covering the various options.

Screenshot of project settings in Unreal Editor

Restart the Unreal Editor if prompted.

Note: VR-specific settings such as rendering, mobile HDR, Vulkan support, and Meta Quest packaging are configured through the Meta XR Plugin and its Project Setup Tool. These are covered in the next step.