Meta Quest: Why VR games are getting shorter and shorter

Meta recommends that developers design content for Meta Quest headsets specifically for a session duration of 20 to 40 minutes. This so-called “Goldilocks Zone” should be neither too short nor too long and, according to Meta, is ideal for most people's everyday lives. The company justifies this design paradigm with usage data, comfort studies, and the physical limitations of current VR hardware.

Design for brief immersion

The recommendation for VR games on Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S are short gameplay loops of 10 to 20 minutes, which can be strung together in a modular fashion and enable noticeable progress within a 20 to 40-minute session. Short achievements, daily quests, and a clearly structured meta-progression are to be rewarded. Meta cites the battle royale game “Population: ONE” as an example, in which matches, including rewards and progress, can be completed in around 15 minutes.

If you want to continue playing, simply enter the next round. If you want to stop, you can do so without feeling like you've been interrupted “in the middle of the game”. Such modular structures should also apply to single-player titles. Levels or story sections should be completed in under 20 minutes. It is important that content can be interrupted at any time and resumed later, for example through autosaves, checkpoints, and clear objective markers.

Meta justifies these design recommendations with the significant initial effort that characterizes VR experiences: Putting on the headset, clearing the room, physically isolating yourself. If this is only followed by a ten-minute session, many feel that the effort is not justified. Longer sessions, on the other hand, often lead to physical strain such as neck tension, eye fatigue or even motion sickness. Many users report initial discomfort after just 20 to 30 minutes.

The form factor as a spoilsport

Meta openly admits that this limit is not only psychological but also due to the hardware: weight, heat generation, battery life, and the lack of social interaction make extended VR sessions unattractive or simply impossible for many people. The “Goldilocks Zone” is therefore not a pipe dream for Meta but a pragmatic compromise between technical reality and user behavior.

These technical limits also have a concrete impact on the ecosystem, which is now characterized by compact free-to-play titles, workout games, social mini-experiences and arcade formats. Blockbusters such as Batman: Arkham Shadow, Skydance's Behemoth or Marvel's Deadpool VR, which has been announced for this year, are still being released. However, narrative depth or large-scale open worlds remain the exception.

(joe)