Horizon Worlds was introduced through Oculus virtual-reality hardware and software. Oculus was the headset brand and platform used by Meta when the social virtual-world experience was first developed and opened to users.
The service began as Facebook Horizon, a social virtual-reality platform announced by Facebook in 2019. It was renamed Horizon Worlds in 2021, around the same period that Facebook changed its corporate identity to Meta. Users could create and explore shared virtual spaces using compatible virtual-reality headsets.
Horizon Worlds is part of Meta’s wider Horizon platform, which has also included social spaces and work-oriented virtual environments. It is not the same thing as Portal, Meta’s discontinued smart-display hardware line, or any of Meta’s major mobile social apps.
The Oculus name later gave way to Meta branding on newer headset products, including the Meta Quest line. Nevertheless, Oculus is the historically specific platform association for Horizon Worlds’ early virtual-reality rollout.