{"slug": "vrchat", "name": "VRChat", "category": "communication", "category_name": "Email and chat", "description": "", "recommenders": 4, "commenters": 9, "warners": 1, "score": 3.645, "rising": 0.02, "first": "2025-11-12", "latest": "2026-09-15", "why": "VRChat is also free, so the only thing needed is to register", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 4, "neutral": 4, "compare": 0, "warn": 2}, "spark": [2, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "VRChat is also free, so the only thing needed is to register", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": "petterroea.com", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://hello.vrchat.com/", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["VRChat"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 795366784, "item_id": 49710424, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49710424", "by": "m4rtink", "date": "2026-09-15", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "VRChat is also free, so the only thing needed is to register", "excerpt": "I am sure more communities do it, but I mostly know it from VRChat. For some examples I have visited: Scan of a park in Japan with a steam locomotive on static display: https://vrclist.com/world/1191265 Scan of a park in Japan with blooming Sakura trees: https://vrclist.com/world/1216699 In general, you can see other 3D Gaussian splatting worlds using this tag: https://vrclist.com/?type=search&sort=recent&tags=3DGS T", "context": "", "use_case": "Exploring 3D virtual worlds", "switched_from": "", "story": "Steam Frame starts at $1059"}, {"id": 795310208, "item_id": 49706888, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49706888", "by": "m4rtink", "date": "2026-09-15", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I really suggest looking a bit into VRChat for some of the worlds people have created there", "excerpt": "I really suggest looking a bit into VRChat for some of the worlds people have created there - some of them are very complex & are telling stories by their environments that could be comparable to standalone VR games. For some examples - PROJECT: SUMMER FLARE: https://vrclist.com/world/2924 Complex 7: https://vrclist.com/world/870431 (and Fins worlds in general) 1:1 model of an Oneil Cylinder space colony that cna be ", "context": "", "use_case": "Social VR worlds", "switched_from": "", "story": "Steam Frame starts at $1059"}, {"id": 758990992, "item_id": 47436937, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47436937", "by": "puppykito", "date": "2026-03-19", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You should give VRChat a try", "excerpt": "You should give VRChat a try, the predecessor and more successful version of Horizon Worlds. Everything you described can arguably be done in VRChat WHILE not destroying the social aspect of it! It's really neato and VR is not even required, much less mandatory (but highly encouraged).", "context": "", "use_case": "social VR experiences", "switched_from": "", "story": "Meta will shut down VR Horizon Worlds access June 15"}, {"id": 734569121, "item_id": 45910570, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45910570", "by": "mrguyorama", "date": "2025-11-12", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "VR Chat is also a pretty incredible experience", "excerpt": "I once played a custom Japanese Highway map in Assetto Corsa made for nighttime cruising and was a little high and I forgot what reality was. I used to do a lot of GoKarting at a local course before the Pandemic, and VR racing is the single most immersive video game experience that you can have. The only thing you are missing is the physical exertion and G-Forces. Even the feel of the helmet and reduced field of view", "context": "", "use_case": "Social VR", "switched_from": "", "story": "Steam Frame"}, {"id": 734466928, "item_id": 45904183, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45904183", "by": "hnuser123456", "date": "2025-11-12", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I recommend preparing a drink or two and loading up VRchat and joining one of the rave club groups.", "excerpt": "I recommend preparing a drink or two and loading up VRchat and joining one of the rave club groups. Check out the metaverse zuck wishes he ran.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Steam Machine"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 752883329, "item_id": 47055208, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47055208", "by": "m4rtink", "date": "2026-02-17", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "This can be seen possibly as even more invasive in this case", "excerpt": "Looks like VRChat is using persona as well - multiple mentions here: https://wiki.vrchat.com/wiki/Age_Verification https://hello.vrchat.com/blog/age-verification And quite a few discussions about the controversy on Reddit, including comparisons with the Discord Persona debacle: https://www.reddit.com/r/VRchat/comments/1r0jj7g/with_todays_backlash_to_discords_upcoming_age/ https://www.reddit.com/r/VRchat/comments/1r51", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Discord Rival Gets Overwhelmed by Exodus of Players Fleeing Age-Verification"}]}], "who": [{"by": "petterroea", "context": "VRChat user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46321835", "date": "2025-12-18"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["social vr", "exploring 3d virtual worlds", "social vr worlds", "social vr experiences"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49700661", "title": "Steam Frame starts at $1059", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45903404", "title": "Steam Machine", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47517774", "title": "VR Is Not Dead", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47427214", "title": "Meta will shut down VR Horizon Worlds access June 15", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47323900", "title": "Meta hires duo behind Moltbook", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47050376", "title": "Discord Rival Gets Overwhelmed by Exodus of Players Fleeing Age-Verification", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"recommend": 2, "warn": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2025-12": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {"warn": 1}, "2026-03": {"neutral": 2, "recommend": 1}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 795366784, "item_id": 49710424, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49710424", "by": "m4rtink", "date": "2026-09-15", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "VRChat is also free, so the only thing needed is to register", "excerpt": "I am sure more communities do it, but I mostly know it from VRChat. For some examples I have visited: Scan of a park in Japan with a steam locomotive on static display: https://vrclist.com/world/1191265 Scan of a park in Japan with blooming Sakura trees: https://vrclist.com/world/1216699 In general, you can see other 3D Gaussian splatting worlds using this tag: https://vrclist.com/?type=search&sort=recent&tags=3DGS T", "context": "", "use_case": "Exploring 3D virtual worlds", "switched_from": "", "story": "Steam Frame starts at $1059"}, {"id": 795310208, "item_id": 49706888, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49706888", "by": "m4rtink", "date": "2026-09-15", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I really suggest looking a bit into VRChat for some of the worlds people have created there", "excerpt": "I really suggest looking a bit into VRChat for some of the worlds people have created there - some of them are very complex & are telling stories by their environments that could be comparable to standalone VR games. For some examples - PROJECT: SUMMER FLARE: https://vrclist.com/world/2924 Complex 7: https://vrclist.com/world/870431 (and Fins worlds in general) 1:1 model of an Oneil Cylinder space colony that cna be ", "context": "", "use_case": "Social VR worlds", "switched_from": "", "story": "Steam Frame starts at $1059"}, {"id": 761052144, "item_id": 47565759, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47565759", "by": "Animats", "date": "2026-03-29", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "VR Chat continues to grow, driven by young people who worked through the problems.", "excerpt": "From the article: \"The main theme in the Spanish Golden Age playwright Pedro Calder\u00f3n de la Barca\u2019s La Vida es Sue\u00f1o (Life is a Dream) from 1635 is the contrast between subjective and objective perceptions of reality.\" Huh? Is this AI slop? The basic problems with VR are well known. First, the headgear is too bulky. Carmack, who headed Oculus for a while, says that it won't get traction until the headgear is down to ", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "VR Is Not Dead"}, {"id": 758990992, "item_id": 47436937, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47436937", "by": "puppykito", "date": "2026-03-19", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You should give VRChat a try", "excerpt": "You should give VRChat a try, the predecessor and more successful version of Horizon Worlds. Everything you described can arguably be done in VRChat WHILE not destroying the social aspect of it! It's really neato and VR is not even required, much less mandatory (but highly encouraged).", "context": "", "use_case": "social VR experiences", "switched_from": "", "story": "Meta will shut down VR Horizon Worlds access June 15"}, {"id": 757315792, "item_id": 47332237, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47332237", "by": "Duralias", "date": "2026-03-10", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "The SteamDB player number for VRChat is kind of underselling its size", "excerpt": "The SteamDB player number for VRChat is kind of underselling its size since half the player base is on other platforms, primarily running it standalone on Meta Quest. A few days ago it reached 156k across all platforms because of some event that is outside my sphere of interest. And VRChat is generally above 100k per day peak nowadays. https://metrics.vrchat.community/?orgId=1&refresh=30s&from=now-1y&to=now But it is", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Meta hires duo behind Moltbook"}, {"id": 752883329, "item_id": 47055208, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47055208", "by": "m4rtink", "date": "2026-02-17", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "This can be seen possibly as even more invasive in this case", "excerpt": "Looks like VRChat is using persona as well - multiple mentions here: https://wiki.vrchat.com/wiki/Age_Verification https://hello.vrchat.com/blog/age-verification And quite a few discussions about the controversy on Reddit, including comparisons with the Discord Persona debacle: https://www.reddit.com/r/VRchat/comments/1r0jj7g/with_todays_backlash_to_discords_upcoming_age/ https://www.reddit.com/r/VRchat/comments/1r51", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Discord Rival Gets Overwhelmed by Exodus of Players Fleeing Age-Verification"}, {"id": 741149361, "item_id": 46321835, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46321835", "by": "petterroea", "date": "2025-12-18", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "anyone who has been on VRChat instinctively understands", "excerpt": "Contrary to what the article claims, the market being open and sloppy isn't enshittification. Jacking up prices and removing features users were using in the name of extracting profit is. But what I strongly agree with the author about is the uncertainty of Valve's fate after GabeN. Any company is able to enshittify, we are just one change of owners away. It's almost like potential energy vs kinetic energy - a compan", "context": "VRChat user", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Valve is running Apple's playbook in reverse"}, {"id": 737013344, "item_id": 46063334, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46063334", "by": "mghackerlady", "date": "2025-11-26", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I used to be really into VRchat, which I wouldn't really consider a game.", "excerpt": "I've had a quest 2 since a bit before the meta rebrand. I like it, but I mostly use it for games. I used to be really into VRchat, which I wouldn't really consider a game. I stopped using it when it became increasingly clear the quest 2 just isn't powerful enough for it", "context": "", "use_case": "social VR", "switched_from": "", "story": "Someone at YouTube Needs Glasses: The Prophecy Has Been Fulfilled"}, {"id": 734636048, "item_id": 45914753, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45914753", "by": "Andrex", "date": "2025-11-13", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "", "excerpt": "I haven't ventured in myself but I love reading people's anecdotes if you got any handy.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Steam Machine"}, {"id": 734569121, "item_id": 45910570, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45910570", "by": "mrguyorama", "date": "2025-11-12", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "VR Chat is also a pretty incredible experience", "excerpt": "I once played a custom Japanese Highway map in Assetto Corsa made for nighttime cruising and was a little high and I forgot what reality was. I used to do a lot of GoKarting at a local course before the Pandemic, and VR racing is the single most immersive video game experience that you can have. The only thing you are missing is the physical exertion and G-Forces. Even the feel of the helmet and reduced field of view", "context": "", "use_case": "Social VR", "switched_from": "", "story": "Steam Frame"}, {"id": 734466928, "item_id": 45904183, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45904183", "by": "hnuser123456", "date": "2025-11-12", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I recommend preparing a drink or two and loading up VRchat and joining one of the rave club groups.", "excerpt": "I recommend preparing a drink or two and loading up VRchat and joining one of the rave club groups. Check out the metaverse zuck wishes he ran.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Steam Machine"}]}