Rec Room announces closure, bringing its massive VR community to an end amid financial struggles

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Story Highlights

  • Rec Room is a VR sandbox that was once valued at $3.5 billion.
  • Several in game features are now restricted, but you can still enjoy 80% discounts and free RR+ perks until EOS.
  • From June 1, both rec.net and Rec Room Studio’s online services will be shut down.

Rec Room Inc. has announced that the popular game, Rec Room, will close on June 1, 2026. Launched in 2016, the game became incredibly popular over the past ten years, attracting more than 150 million players and creators. It also featured collaborations with major brands such as the NFL, Mattel, and the NBA.

Rec Room says the inability to achieve sustainable profitability led to shutdown

Rec Room is a virtual reality game where you can explore and hang out with others. It’s similar to Roblox, featuring a wide variety of rooms created by both the game developers and players. You can also create your own games and experiences using a tool called the Maker Pen, and people especially enjoy moving between the different rooms.

The creators of Rec Room recently announced on their blog that the game will close down on June 1, 2026. They explained that despite its popularity, they weren’t able to make the game financially sustainable, as costs were consistently higher than the revenue it brought in.

Despite their efforts, recent changes in the VR market, combined with a general slowdown in the gaming industry, likely mean the end for the project. However, I commend the team for their graceful approach to shutting down, prioritizing fairness to those who contributed.

You can enjoy the final days with big discounts and RR+ perks

Following the recent announcement, several features are now limited. This means you can’t create new accounts, add friends, or subscribe to Rec Room Plus (RR+), though current RR+ memberships will remain active until the end of support. Additionally, earning tokens, selling user-created content, and a few other systems are temporarily unavailable.

There’s some good news: the team is offering an 80% discount on all their in-game content, and some previously exclusive items – like avatars and auras – are now available to everyone for free. However, I still find it hard to believe how a game once worth $3.5 billion could end up in this state, even after hearing their explanation.

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2026-04-01 02:11