Multiplayer functionality can be tested in Unreal using Meta Horizon Link and Meta XR Simulator. This approach enables three separate users to participate simultaneously in your Unreal app. The three players operate as follows:

Player 1 uses Meta Horizon Link from the first Quest headset

Player 2 uses Meta XR Simulator along with Meta Quest Touch Controllers from the second Quest headset

Player 3 uses Meta XR Simulator and controls their player via mouse and keyboard

Prerequisites

To use this form of multiplayer testing, ensure you have the following:

At least two Quest headsets

A VR app set up for Unreal

Meta Horizon Link set up for your Quest headset and PC

Meta XR Simulator installed on your PC

For multiplayer testing without Meta XR Simulator using a single Quest headset, see Set up multiplayer testing in Unreal.

Test multiplayer with Link and XR Simulator

To test multiplayer for three users in your Unreal app, use the following process:

Connect your two Quest headsets to the same PC via USB. For the first Quest headset, start Link by navigating to Quick Settings > Settings > Link > Enable Link > Launch Link.

Disable Link for the second Quest headset to use Meta XR Simulator and Meta Quest Touch Controllers. Navigate to Quick Settings > Settings > Link in the second player’s Quest headset and ensure that the Enable Link option is disabled. With Link disabled, you can use Meta XR Simulator with Meta Quest Touch Controllers to control the second player.

Select Edit > Editor Preferences and configure the following options:

Disable Run Under One Process to ensure all players are running as separate processes

Disable HMD For Primary Process Only to ensure all connected players can use a Quest headset with switchable Link

Set Play Number of Clients to a number larger than 1

Change Play Net Mode per sample

Note: Do not use Standalone mode, which does not use a server for multiplayer applications.

Unreal editor options for Meta XR Simulator

To activate Meta XR Simulator, use the toggle button in the Meta XR toolbar within the Unreal Editor. The Meta XR plugin auto-detects the installation path from the Windows registry.

Note: Do not activate Meta XR Simulator until you are ready to begin testing in step 5. In OpenXR mode, toggling Meta XR Simulator requires an editor restart.

Select the three dots from the play menu bar, then select VR Preview.

The system displays the Multiple PIE (Play In Editor) windows and the debug window.

With Meta Quest Touch Controllers set up for the second player, Player 1 receives input from the first Quest headset via Link. Player 2 receives input via Meta Quest Touch Controllers from the second Quest headset, and Player 3 is controlled entirely via Meta XR Simulator using mouse and keyboard inputs.

Link and XR Simulator sample video

The following is a sample video of three Unreal Engine instances to test multiplayer functionality:

In the sample video, the first player uses Link to work with the first Quest headset, the second player uses Meta Quest Touch Controllers to get inputs from the second Quest headset and works with its own Meta XR Simulator, and the third player gets input from the mouse and keyboard in its own Meta XR Simulator.