Meta Quest 3 on its way to becoming the most popular VR headset on Steam as it overtakes Valve Index (2025)
The winds are shifting on Steam’s VR charts. While Meta’s Quest 2 still commands the largest slice of the pie, the newer Quest 3 has vaulted past Valve Index, positioning itself as the next likely candidate for the top spot. According to the latest August 2025 Steam survey snapshot, Quest 3 is accelerating faster than any other PC-compatible headset, handily surpassing Index and pulling the Quest family even further ahead of the pack.
Quest 3 surges past Valve Index
Over the past month, Quest 3 usage rose by nearly 7%, a remarkable jump for a headset that only hit the market late last year. It now accounts for 23.32% of headsets used on Steam, leaving Valve Index behind after a long duel throughout the first half of 2025. The budget-friendly Quest 3S, released last October, has also quickly carved out a presence at 6.72%.
These gains put both Quest 3 models on a collision course with the reigning champ, Meta Quest 2, which still leads with a 31.35% share. The trendline, however, is clear: Quest 3 is climbing quickly, and the 3S variant is providing a low-cost ramp into the same ecosystem.
Quest 2 remains on top—for now
Quest 2’s staying power shouldn’t be underestimated. It became the de facto entry point for VR over the last few years and remains widely available at aggressive prices. That said, the emergence of the Quest 3S has changed the calculus for budget-minded buyers. With a more modern feature set and a price that often competes directly with remaining Quest 2 inventory, many newcomers are opting to start with the 3-series rather than picking up an older device.
VR on Steam is growing, but still niche
VR continues to be a small portion of the overall PC gaming audience, though momentum is steady. As of August 2025, only 1.63% of Steam users report owning a headset. Within that slice, Meta’s lineup dominates by a wide margin, and Quest 3’s month-to-month growth underscores how quickly the market can pivot when compelling hardware hits a sweet spot in price and capability.
Why Quest resonates with PC gamers
Meta’s strategy has leaned into versatility. Quest headsets run on the Android-based Meta Horizon OS, so they can operate completely standalone—no gaming PC required. That convenience has built a massive user base beyond Steam’s walls. When users want higher-fidelity experiences or PC-exclusive titles, they can connect to their rigs over a cable or wireless streaming to access the broader PC VR library.
For many players, the standalone-to-PC bridge is the killer feature: grab-and-go convenience for casual sessions, and a path to premium performance when tethered to a powerful GPU. Quest 3 strengthens this proposition with improved optics, better passthrough for mixed reality, and a generally snappier experience compared to earlier models.
Index loses ground as the market shifts
Valve Index has long been a favorite among enthusiasts for its excellent tracking and build quality. But as standalone-first headsets improve—and prices of the newer Meta devices become more accessible—the frictionless appeal of the Quest platform is winning out. The latest figures suggest that July’s narrow advantage for Index over Quest 3 has flipped decisively, with Meta’s newer headset pulling ahead by a comfortable margin in August.
Key numbers at a glance
- Estimated Steam users with a VR headset: 1.63%
- Meta Quest 2 share: 31.35%
- Meta Quest 3 share: 23.32% (nearly +7% month-over-month)
- Meta Quest 3S share: 6.72%
What this means for players and developers
For gamers, the takeaway is simple: Quest 3 is fast becoming the default recommendation for those who want a foot in both worlds—standalone VR and PC VR—without compromising too much in either direction. For developers, the swelling install base of Quest 3 and 3S creates a strong incentive to optimize for these devices, while still offering higher-end features for powerful PCs.
Expect more studios to treat Quest 3 as a baseline target, with scalable settings to take advantage of desktop GPUs. Meanwhile, PC-first games will likely continue supporting the Quest family due to sheer numbers, ensuring ongoing compatibility across both standalone and Steam ecosystems.
On the cusp of a new number one
Quest 2 remains king for now, but the writing is on the wall. If current trajectories hold, Quest 3 could claim the top spot on Steam sooner rather than later. The combination of strong month-over-month growth, a compelling budget sibling in the 3S, and the convenience of a standalone device that doubles as a PC VR headset is proving difficult for competitors to match.
As we head into the final stretch of 2025, all eyes will be on whether Meta’s newest headset can complete its climb to number one—and how quickly the rest of the market responds.
