The Meta Quest 4 is reportedly coming in 2026 with a big twist

What you need to know

• The Meta Quest 4 and Quest 4s are coming in 2026, according to one report.
• The Meta Quest Pro 2 will debut in 2027, confirming earlier reports on the pro-level headset sequel.
• Meta is said to be cutting R&D costs for Reality Labs by 20% by 2026.

While the Meta Quest 3 is only just about to celebrate its first birthday, a new report suggests that its successor will be headed to market in just two years from now. What's more, Meta is reportedly looking to release a Meta Quest 4s at the same time, debuting a premium and budget line at the same time.

That's opposed to Meta's current strategy, as the company is rumored to be debuting a budget-minded Meta Quest 3s this Fall. The report comes from The Information (via UploadVR ) and is written by Wayne Ma and Kalley Huang. Ma has reported on several Meta leaks in the past that turned out to be true, which means there's a high likelihood of this report being quite accurate.

Releasing the Meta Quest 4 when the Quest 3 is just three years old might seem like a fast timeframe — especially if you're a console gamer who is used to 6-8 years between major Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo releases — but it falls right in line with the length of time between the Quest 2 and Quest 3's release.

The report also says that a Meta Quest Pro 2 headset is still in the works for a 2027 release despite the recent cancellation of an LG-made prototype. Quest Pro 2 rumors have been all over the place recently, so it might be wise to take this one with a grain of salt.

Meta is also said to start cutting Reality Labs' budget by 20% between this year and 2026. Reality Labs is the group within Meta that's responsible for products like the Meta Quest and Ray-Ban Meta Smart glasses , as well as Meta's Llama AI and other behind-the-scenes developments.

Reality Labs has earned a reputation for spending lots of money despite churning out several successful products lately, including the Meta Quest line and the aforementioned Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Most recently, Reality Labs pulled in 30% more revenue than in previous quarters, showing continued growth in Quest headset sales and the VR market, as a whole.

Meta is said to be debuting a new pair of AR glasses this Fall in addition to the Meta Quest 3s. The launch of more products gives Reality Labs a chance to increase its revenue further and, combined with lower R&D spending, could be the way Meta finally makes the infamous division profitable.

The Meta Quest 3 is the best VR headset on the market today with thousands of games, cutting-edge mixed reality vision, and more developer support than any other headset.