Do Meta Quest 2 games work on Quest 3?

Meta's follow up to the Quest 2 is more powerful, slimmer and also backward compatible with older titles

(Credit: Meta)

Meta’s next-generation headset, the Meta Quest 3, is creeping closer to its October 10 release date, and we now know we know now exactly how much it’ll cost and whether it’s backward compatible.

Thankfully, if you’ve already amassed an impressive library of Meta Quest 2 games, you’ll be pleased to hear that Meta Quest 3 is fully backward compatible with Quest 2’s entire library of over 500 games and apps, meaning you won’t have to repurchase anything you’ve already bought.

That means all of the best Meta Quest 2 games like Beat Saber, Resident Evil 4, Moss: Book 1 and 2, Bonelab, and many more will all work as you’d expect on the Meta Quest 3.

That’s a massive relief to those who picked up the headset when it was first released in October 2020, and may also make picking up the older model a tempting proposition if you’d like to save some cash. It also makes downloading the Meta Quest+ free games worthwhile, as every game you grab will work on Meta’s next-gen headset. Also, those who pick up the Meta Quest 3 will get six months of Meta Quest+ for free.

Ahead of the Quest 3’s release, Meta Quest 2 is dropping to $299.99 for the 128GB model, while the Meta Quest 3 will cost $499.99. The Quest 2 headset is also getting an unexpected performance boost via a software update, with the CPU performance increasing by 26% and the GPU performance increasing by 19%.

That makes the Meta Quest 2 slightly more future-proof despite being released almost three years ago and makes it a great option if you’re new to VR but want a more affordable entry-level device.

Not everyone needs a slimmer and more powerful device after all, and you might not be interested in augmented reality (Quest 3 will also let you play Xbox games thanks to Xbox Cloud Gaming). But if you do build up a library of VR titles, it’s good to know you’ll be able to take them with you if you upgrade in the future.

Meta Quest 2 games working on Quest 3 is also pleasing to hear after we learned that PSVR 2 isn’t backward compatible with PSVR games. That means PlayStation VR2 users had to rebuild their games library from scratch, which isn’t ideal when the PSVR 2 price is $549 and you need a PS5, which is $499 or $399 depending on whether you pick the PS5 disc vs Digital.

It remains to be seen whether Quest 2 games will look and run better on Meta Quest 3, but the higher resolution displays and improved controllers will at least make it more enjoyable.

Last updated: September 28, 2023