Prize tracks include three main categories: Entertainment, Lifestyle, and Gaming. Here\u2019s how Meta describes it in the competition\u2019s rules<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meta is also pitching a series of awards for specific areas, including hand interactions, camera passthrough, Meta Spatial SDK, Immersive Web SDK, React Native, and Android development.<\/p>\n Notably, according to the competition\u2019s terms and conditions<\/a>, all entries and projects \u201cremain the intellectual property of the individuals or Organizations that developed them.\u201d<\/p>\n This doesn\u2019t imply platform exclusivity, although entrants are likely to integrate Meta software into their projects, which could naturally present challenges when porting to other platforms despite not being outright forbidden.<\/p>\n Platform exclusivity would only come if teams accept later Meta funding, which requires a separate contract, which could include exclusivity, timed or otherwise. Moreover, the contest specifically says your entry \u201cmust not have previously received or currently be receiving direct funding from Meta.\u201d<\/p>\n Meta is scheduled to judge entries before December 19th, with the winners set to be announced on or around December 23rd, 2025. Interested teams can find out more information on apply here<\/a>.<\/p>\n My Take<\/p>\n Meta has held a number of similar competitions in the past, which are essentially month-long dev jams targeting casual content\u2014a pretty common strategy to reward devs for using Quest hardware in unique and interesting ways.<\/p>\n But now, it\u2019s pretty clear to me where Meta\u2019s priorities lie. Big, expensive single-player games are on the way out, and casual, more social stuff is now the best-performing content on the Quest Store.<\/p>\n While I didn\u2019t think it was enough for a standalone article, in a recent Meta developer blog post<\/a>, Japan-based XR veteran MyDearest detailed their pivot from premium narrative experiences to more casual content.<\/p>\n \u201cA shrinking number of players were seeking cinematic VR epics,\u201d the post narrates, recounting the pivot. \u201cThe landscape was shifting towards chaotic experiences that were easy to pick up, and shareable with friends. If MyDearest was going to survive, it would need to evolve \u2014 and fast. What followed was nothing short of a complete rethinking of how to build and launch games in the modern VR era.\u201d<\/p>\n And that modern VR era (as defined by Meta) is now heavily focused on reaching younger users and mainstream consumers, which has consequently allowed free-to-play content to flourish. Maybe not at the complete detriment of single-player epics, but enough to sway third-party studios to think twice before committing to big budgets and long development cycles.<\/p>\n Samantha Ryan, Meta\u2019s VP of Metaverse Content, explained earlier this year\u00a0that Quest is essentially a \u201csocial-first platform\u201d<\/a>, which seems to be to be a fairly clear message to developers building XR experiences.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re building a social-first platform, and these younger users are more likely to spend time with friends in multiplayer experiences and social hangout apps,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cThey\u2019re contributing to the rise of free-to-play titles \u2014 a pattern historically common on other platforms. We\u2019re also seeing growth of younger users in\u00a0Horizon Worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n While Ryan doesn\u2019t expect free-to-play content to replace premium apps, the revenue generated by in-app purchases is undoubtedly alluring. And Another Axiom\u2019s breakout VR game\u00a0Gorilla Tag (2022)\u00a0has lead the way.<\/p>\n\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/quest-3s-lifestyle-20.jpg\")
<\/a>Image courtesy Meta<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gorilla-tag.jpeg\")
<\/a>Image courtesy Another Axiom<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/asgards-wrath-2.jpg\")
<\/a>Image courtesy Sanzuru Games, Meta<\/p>\n