Meta VR Start Developer Competition 2026

Overview

The Meta VR Start Developer Competition 2026 is an eight-week challenge designed to accelerate VR development. Participants are encouraged to create next-generation Entertainment, Gaming, and Productivity experiences for Meta VR devices, focusing on hands-first interactions for natural and intuitive gameplay. This competition builds on the success of previous years, aiming to push the boundaries of immersive technology. Whether participants are new to the Start program with innovative ideas or experienced creators showcasing advanced platform capabilities, this is an opportunity to contribute to the future of VR. Entrants are expected to design experiences primarily powered by hand interactions, without requiring controllers. The competition also encourages the exploration of the latest OS capabilities and device features across Meta VR Glasses and Meta Quest, along with leveraging AI tooling like Meta VR CLI. Participants will join a global community, benefiting from mentor programming, collaboration with other developers, and insights from a network of experienced VR developers. A total of $1M in cash prizes is available, with top prizes reaching $100,000.

What to build

Participants must build an experience for Meta VR devices, aligning with at least one of three tracks: Entertainment, Gaming, or Productivity. Top awards will be given to the strongest entries in each track, with special awards for standout craft across all. In the Entertainment track, projects should focus on lean-back media and content experiences such as spatial cinema, interactive video, music visualization, immersive storytelling, spatial audio, or media companion apps. Content should be consumable in any environment. For the Gaming track, projects should be games designed for hands-first or eyes and hands interaction. Genres that thrive in a seated position without controllers, such as puzzle, strategy, casual, social, and narrative games, are encouraged. The Productivity track requires apps that enhance effectiveness or are designed around specific daily moments. Examples include multi-panel workspaces, task management, creative tools, or habits tied to recurring contexts like morning routines, commutes, or wind-downs. Projects can fall into one of two divisions: 'New Experience,' where the project is conceived and built entirely within the competition window (beginning September 24, 2026), or 'Adapted/Significantly Updated Experience,' for pre-existing projects that receive meaningful new features, modes, or platform integrations during the competition window. Significant updates include implementing hand interactions, adding multiplayer support, or introducing a mixed reality interaction mode.

Prizes

Key dates

• Competition Start (for new experiences)September 24, 2026
• Submission DeadlineNovember 18, 2026 @ 12:00pm PST

Eligibility

Participants must be above the legal age of majority in their country of residence. Specific countries/territories are excluded; participants should view the full rules for details. Participants must also be members of the Meta VR Start program.

How to enter

1. If not already a member, apply to the Start program.
2. Build an experience for Meta VR devices, aligning with one of the three tracks (Entertainment, Gaming, or Productivity) and one of the two divisions (New Experience or Adapted/Significantly Updated Experience).
3. Ensure the experience is fully usable with hands, end-to-end, and adheres to all relevant Meta VR/Start policies and terms.
4. Design the experience for seated, stationary use, limiting roomscale and large physical movement, and ensuring it's easy to get into and out of (e.g., satisfying within 10 minutes or less).
5. Submit a playable build by uploading an APK to a new release channel named “Competition” in the Meta VR Developer Dashboard (for Unity, Unreal, Godot, Android/Native) and create an Invite URL for judges, or share a link for IWSDK (WebXR) projects.
6. Submit a demonstration video, under three minutes, showcasing the project on a Meta VR device or emulator. Upload to YouTube or Vimeo and provide a public link.
7. Complete the Submission Form with details including project name, tagline, track, division, a text description, and team member information.

Submission requirements

• Experience must be built for Meta VR devices (Meta VR Glasses and Meta Quest).
• Experience must be fully usable with hands, end-to-end; controller support is optional.
• Experience must adhere to all relevant Meta VR/Start policies and terms (Meta VR Start Program Terms, Community Standards, Code of Conduct in VR Policy, Developer App Policies, Developer Content Guidelines, and all other Developer Policies).
• Experience should be optimized for seated, stationary use, limiting roomscale and large physical movement.
• Experience should be easy to get into and out of, with a fast cold start, clean pause/resume, and something satisfying in 10 minutes or less.
• Core experience must be Entrant-built, not a thin wrapper around existing platforms or services.
• For 'New Experience' division, the project must be conceived and built within the competition window, starting September 24, 2026.
• For 'Adapted/Significantly Updated Experience' division, the pre-existing project must have a meaningful new feature, mode, or platform integration shipped during the competition window (e.g., implementing hand interactions, adding multiplayer support, introducing mixed reality interaction mode).

Judging criteria

• Innovation & Creativity: Measures originality, creative ambition, and relevance to the chosen track.
• Experience Design: Evaluates the quality of design, mechanics, and user journey tailored to the intended audience, emphasizing seated, hands-first, or specific context use.
• Technical Implementation: Assesses technical expertise, reliability, and strategic use of platform tools, particularly features defining hands-first experiences (gaze interactions, hand tracking, passthrough, spatial anchoring, and FoV-aware design).
• Polish & Presentation: Assesses the overall quality of UI/UX, art direction, and sound design.

Sponsors & partners

Resources

• Last year’s winning submissions and Sample Use Cases for Inspiration
• Unity: VR 101
• Unity: VR 102
• Unreal: How to Make VR Games in UE5
• Android: From Mobile to VR Overview
• Immersive Web SDK: Your First Steps into Immersive Web Development
• Getting Started with Hands & Eyes
• Resources tab for more technical documentation
• Meta Developer Forum for ongoing support and access to upcoming competition events and workshops
• Full competition rules