NordVPN on Meta Quest: Turning Proven Demand Into an Official Launch

A Need Users Had Already Proven

NordVPN⁠ came to Meta Quest to meet a need already visible in its data and in user behavior.

For years, Quest owners who cared about privacy had been sideloading a VR build of the NordVPN Android app onto their headsets, taking extra steps just to secure their connection in VR. "The demand was already there," said Marijus Briedis, CTO of NordVPN. "People were actively looking for privacy protection in VR even when accessing it required extra effort."

That demand landed in a market with a clear gap. At the time, Briedis noted, the Store on Meta Quest had no officially distributed VPN apps, even though users were looking for this kind of protection. For NordVPN, privacy was both a needed and an underrepresented category.

When official distribution became available, the company evaluated Quest on user demand, market potential, feasibility, and speed to impact. Quest held up on all four. "We were not starting from zero," Briedis said. With a working VR build already in users' hands, NordVPN had two advantages at once: a technical foundation and real usage signal. That lowered development friction compared with building for a new platform from scratch, and it let the team move quickly once the path to the Store opened. "Ultimately, Quest offered a strong combination of reach, readiness, and relevance," he added.

Going official also made the experience simpler for users. In place of fragmented sideloading workarounds, NordVPN could offer an easy Store install, a consistent setup flow, and a reliable experience that matched what users already knew on mobile and desktop. It also let the company establish an early position before the category got crowded.

From Decision to Launch in About a Month

With a functional VR build already in place, NordVPN focused on adapting a proven product for official distribution rather than reinventing it. From the decision to move forward to the official Store launch in March 2026, the process took roughly one month.

The work fell into three main tracks:

Platform requirements: Aligning the app with the Store's technical and compliance requirements.
Store readiness: Preparing and submitting the listing, then moving through approval.
Launch support: Getting messaging, web paths, and internal coordination ready so the Store listing wouldn't launch in isolation.

"Having the technical foundation already in place made a significant difference," Briedis said. "It allowed the product and marketing teams to move in parallel and turn an already validated use case into an official launch within a relatively short timeframe."

The product choice was intentionally simple. NordVPN kept the experience in a 2D panel, the format that fits a utility app. The goal was reliability first: meet platform requirements, protect users, and deliver the same NordVPN quality users expect everywhere else.

NordVPN's scam and phishing protection settings displayed in a 2D panel on Meta Quest.

NordVPN chose a 2D panel app for Meta Quest, giving users a familiar, reliable way to manage their privacy and security.

Briedis described the overall developer experience as positive. Meta's developer tools and documentation gave the team a clear framework, and once the app was technically ready, the Store submission process was relatively straightforward.

A Launch Built on Owned Traffic and Store Discovery

NordVPN didn't rely on a single launch channel. It combined its own channels with discovery in the Store.

On the owned side, the company updated its VR landing page on nordvpn.com so the Store listing became the primary installation path. That reduced friction for users who already wanted NordVPN on Quest, and it redirected intent away from sideloading toward the official Store install. NordVPN also supported the launch with a dedicated blog post that aligned messaging and gave existing audiences a clear "why now" story.

At the same time, the Store itself became a meaningful growth engine. With privacy still an open category and few competing official VPN options, visibility in the Store helped NordVPN reach users who were browsing rather than searching with a plan to install. Owned channels captured known intent, and Store discovery broadened reach.

Strong, Sustained Adoption

In its first five months, NordVPN's lifetime user base on Meta Quest grew roughly 10x. Monthly active users jumped about 3.5x in the first full month after launch, then stayed within about 5% of that level over the next four months. Weekly activity held steady over the same period.

"Users have continued to discover and actively use the app over time," Briedis said, "suggesting that the demand we saw before launch was not just early curiosity, but a genuine and sustained need for privacy protection in the VR environment."

NordVPN attributes that consistency to three factors working together:

Trust: People already know the NordVPN brand for privacy and security, which gives them confidence on a new device.
Predictable product quality: The app behaves the way users expect from NordVPN on other devices, reinforcing that trust.
Ongoing discovery: Store visibility continues bringing in new users, helping balance natural churn and keeping the active base stable.

As one of the first VPN apps officially available on the Store, NordVPN earned early category presence and the practical benefit of being easy to find. "The clearest first-mover advantage so far has been visibility and positioning," Briedis said.

NordVPN's Products panel on Meta Quest showing its privacy and security suite.

By establishing an early presence in an underrepresented category in VR, NordVPN paired Store visibility with existing brand trust to grow adoption on a new device.

Business Value Beyond the Headset

NordVPN measures Quest differently than a typical app marketplace funnel. One NordVPN subscription works across supported devices, so Quest users can sign in with an account they already have or subscribe on another device.

That's why NordVPN tracks Quest primarily through adoption, activity, and engagement, using Store analytics alongside internal aggregated statistics. The value isn't limited to turning downloads into paid subscriptions on a single device. It comes from extending a subscription that already works across devices into another place where users want to stay protected.

So far, the most visible upside has been ecosystem and brand value: strengthening NordVPN's presence in VR and expanding where its security suite can be part of a user's daily digital life. Retention and engagement signals have been encouraging, with usage remaining stable after launch.

Looking Ahead

Near term, NordVPN's focus on Quest is execution: keep improving quality, performance, and security, and bring relevant new functionality to the VR build where it is technically feasible. The priority is strengthening the core experience.

Longer term, Briedis expects usage to grow with the platform. Gaming and entertainment should remain the most visible drivers for now, but as headsets become more capable, he sees virtual desktops, browsing, communication, and remote work becoming increasingly important. As more everyday activity moves into VR, privacy and secure connectivity become baseline expectations rather than optional extras.

"As mixed reality becomes another extension of people's digital lives," Briedis said, "we believe users will increasingly expect the same level of privacy and security there that they already expect on mobile and desktop."

NordVPN's Quest story started with a simple truth: users already wanted privacy in VR. Official distribution made it easier to act on it.

What You Can Learn

Treat workarounds as demand. If users are already forcing your product into a new environment, that behavior can be the strongest validation you'll get, and an official launch lets you meet that demand inside the platform. "The ecosystem is still evolving, which means there is room for useful, established products to enter categories that are not yet crowded and meet needs users may already be solving through workarounds," Briedis said.
Prepare for the platform early. Work through Store requirements, your listing, and launch support alongside the build, not after it.
Pair your own channels with Store discovery. Point your website and existing audience to your Store listing, and let visibility in the Store bring in people who are browsing.

Have an Android app? Learn how to bring it to Meta Quest.

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