VRChat

Spookality 2026 launched with Camp Whispering Screams, new horror-themed worlds and avatars, and October events including a four-DJ Halloween performance. Cosmic Princess Kaguya! Bundle also delivered its full set of collaboration items, while VRChat announced a phased UK Age Assurance test and plans for additional protections for under-18 users.

• Spookality 2026: Camp Whispering Screams became the centerpiece of the seasonal event, with creator-made horror content, community showcases, themed rewards, and the October 31 DJ event featuring Camellia and three other performers.
  • Community Scary Worlds Event: The VRChat Community Team hosted a live exploration of scary worlds.
  • Top Worlds and Avatars Ceremony: The October 24 ceremony showcased the three highest-ranked worlds and avatars on Twitch.
• Cosmic Princess Kaguya! and Hoshimatsuri: The Cosmic Princess Kaguya! Bundle packaged the collaboration’s items, while the Tanabata 2026 Hoshimatsuri Bundle brought a separate seasonal collection.
• Age Assurance: VRChat announced a phased UK test of free age checks, with content gating planned afterward. The studio also outlined plans for creator tagging and Age Assured Groups.
• New VRChat tools: Several player-facing features expanded customization and in-world interaction.
  • Desktop HUD: Added a new HUD experience for desktop users.
  • Chuckable Camera: Introduced a camera that players could throw into the environment.
  • Bio & Nameplate Update: Added expanded profile bios and nameplate features alongside Profile Decorations.
  • News Module: Added an in-game way to follow VRChat patch notes.
• Pride 2026 and Moonchaser: Pride 2026 added a gifting campaign with badges, accessories, stickers, and the Hype Train feature; the Moonchaser Event rewarded participation in its world and Twitch DJ performances with the Moonchaser Wristband, Shades, and Penlight.
• Creator and social changes: The Referral Program launched with rewards including a water bottle and Profile Decoration set, while the Hype Train requirement dropped from 50 VRC+ gifts to five. The client moved to Unity 6 on October 2. VRChat advised creators to keep their SDK projects on the existing Unity version.

The Avatar Marketplace launched on June 2, 2025 in version 2025.2.2, letting users buy and sell avatars. Desktop Selfie Expression also arrived as VRC+ Early Access for PC Desktop, alongside a series of social and discovery changes.

• Avatar Marketplace: Announced in May and released in June, the marketplace gave users a place to buy and sell avatars.
• Desktop Selfie Expression: The webcam-based VRC+ early-access feature animated compatible avatars on PC Desktop without a VR headset, with settings for activation and quality.
• Accounts and social tools: Discord Login, Instance Linking and Boops broadened the ways users could connect and interact. A new reporting flow updated moderation tools.
• Discovery and groups: Live Now became available to all users and Group Auto Invites supported communities.
• VRC+ storage: Subscribers received increased world-favorites capacity during the period.

VRChat began a limited Age Verification rollout in its December 5, 2024 build, followed by VRC+ Early Access in late January 2025. Social and creator updates also gave users more ways to share and explore community creations.

• Age Verification: The initial December rollout was limited; VRC+ Early Access followed in late January rather than a broad launch in early December.
• Sharing and communication: Stickers and Sharing added VRC+ subscriber features, while Chatbox 2.0 updated the chat interface and camera updates improved photo tools.
• Gifts and photos: Gift Drops let users receive gifts, and Prints added another way to create and share snapshots.
• Spookality: The 2024 event featured themed worlds and avatars, including Fractured Realm, the Spookality Showcase and community submissions in the home world.
• Creator events: World & Avatar Jam submissions and the Summer Music Fest Jam supported community creators, with a featured period promoting jam winners.

VRChat Mobile Alpha for Android launched for VRChat Plus subscribers, bringing the platform to Android in alpha form. Groups also expanded with new instance types, moderation tools, and a much larger membership cap, while Unity 2022 delivered a major engine upgrade.

• Mobile access: VRChat Mobile Alpha for Android went live for VRChat Plus subscribers, giving users a new way to access VRChat outside the traditional headset experience.
• Groups expansion:
  • Group+ and Groups Public instances introduced new ways to host and join group-focused spaces.
  • Group Queues let users wait for space in full Group instances.
  • Group Bans allowed moderators to ban users from Groups and their instances, including non-members.
  • 100,000-member Group limit increased the maximum Group size tenfold.
• Creator and avatar tools:
  • Creator Economy Paid Subscriptions let creators offer paid subscriptions for their content.
  • Avatar Scaling and Match Eyeheight added native control over avatar height and face-to-face interaction.
  • Native Eye Tracking supported standalone Quest Pro tracking and OSC input.
  • Custom Emoji let VRChat Plus subscribers upload, edit, and animate five emojis; the native scaling system also made older prefabs such as GoGoLoco nonfunctional.
• World and discovery features:
  • World Preloading allowed users to download a world before joining it.
  • Content Filtering and Content Gating Labels added more control over unwanted or restricted content.
  • Group Timelines organized group announcements chronologically.
  • Video Link Support for Meta Quest expanded compatible video hosts without requiring URL changes.
• Platform upgrade: Unity 2022 moved VRChat to a newer engine version, alongside improved portal handling and the addition of avatar texture memory to the ranked performance stats.
• Seasonal events: New Year’s Eve 2024 Celebration in VRChat featured community-submitted posters, booths, music logos, and videos, while Spookality Submission Event showcased selected avatars and worlds in a temporary row and pedestal.

Avatar Dynamics launched on Live, bringing PhysBones, Contacts, and permission controls that expanded avatar-to-avatar interactions across platforms. IK 2.0 also arrived with substantially broader full-body tracking, while UI 2.0 overhauled VRChat’s main-menu and discovery experience.

• Avatar interaction: Avatar Dynamics added new ways for avatars to detect and respond to one another.
  • PhysBones replaced Dynamic Bones with secondary movement for features such as hair and tails, including on Quest.
  • Contacts let creators define signal-sending and signal-receiving volumes that drove Animator Parameters.
  • Avatar Dynamics Permissions gave users control over who could interact with these systems.
  • Dynamic Bones Runtime Auto-Converter helped migrate existing content, while avatar parameter memory doubled from 128 to 256 bits.
• Tracking and creator tools: IK 2.0 improved tracking and calibration for all users.
  • 11 Points of Tracking added chest, knee, and upper-arm tracking options.
  • Per-tracker IK Combinations allowed custom tracker-location setups, and Calibration Saving preserved settings across avatar changes.
  • OSC API for Avatars and OSC API for Input opened avatar-parameter and custom-controller integrations, including eye and face tracking.
  • VRCPlayerAPI.Respawn, SDK Method Definitions for Custom Events, Tunneling VR Movement, and the Voice Parameter for Avatars expanded Udon, comfort, and avatar-creation options.
• Security and interface: Easy Anti-Cheat blocked client modifications, while Secure Instances moved instance-rule enforcement server-side and Portal Locking controlled portal access. UI 2.0 redesigned the Main Menu with customizable tabs, Launch Pad access, improved social and world menus, better search, HUD customization, and enhanced avatar discovery.
• New Year’s 2023: The New Years 2023 Celebration Event introduced dedicated 16-player and 40-player worlds, timezone-spanning fireworks, community decorations, and the VRChat Entertainment Network with DJ sets and community videos.

Identity Update Features delivered user profiles, custom status messages, profile pictures, and expanded social presentation, while Regions for Instance Creation added US, EU, and JP instance selection. Unity 2019.4.29f1 also moved VRChat onto a newer engine base, alongside major Quick Menu and VRChat Camera redesigns.

• Social and identity: VRChat’s social layer gained several major additions.
  • Identity Update Features added user profiles, custom status messages, and profile pictures.
  • Gallery Feature for VRChat Plus enabled image uploads and custom profile images.
  • VRChat Plus Gifting, Invite Messages, and Photo Messages expanded how users could support friends and personalize invitations.
• Udon and SDK creation tools: MIDI support in Udon and the event-based input system in Udon made instrument and controller-driven interactions easier to build.
  • Array Variables Can Be Synced, Manual Sync Mode for UdonBehaviours, and VRCObjectSync expanded networking options for SDK3 worlds.
  • OnVariableChanged Event Node, PostLateUpdate, Udon variable dropdowns, and the sendChange option added more control to visual scripting.
• Platform and interface changes: Regions for Instance Creation introduced US, EU, and JP instance selection, followed by Added US East Region Servers for Virginia-based hosting.
  • Fallback Avatars Feature covered both missing Quest avatars and performance-blocked avatars, with new fallback indicators and author information.
  • Redesigned Quick Menu, Quick Menu Wings, Redesigned VRChat Camera, and Camera Depth of Field Options substantially refreshed navigation and capture tools.
  • Camera Added to VRChat on Quest brought camera functionality to Quest, while Increased Maximum World Size for Quest Worlds raised the limit from 50MB to 100MB.
• Engine and networking: Unity 2019.4.29f1, Unity 2019.4.30f1, and Unity 2019.4.31f1 upgrades improved the technical foundation; Improved Networking Behavior reduced issues such as choppy IK, while Memory Usage Improvements for Avatar Caching unloaded unused avatars more regularly.
• Events: New Years Eve 2022 Celebration in VRChat launched the VRC Square world with fireworks and live DJ performances. Spookality 2021 Event Announcement also opened submissions for spooky avatar and world creations.

VRChat Plus launched in December 2020 after an open beta, introducing a subscription with custom user icons and expanded avatar favorites. Udon and Avatars 3.0 also gave creators more ways to build interactive worlds and avatar behavior.

• VRChat Plus: The subscription offered custom icons, up to 100 favorite-avatar slots, supporter badges and Trust-level benefits.
• Creator tools: Udon Alpha introduced a programming language for interactive worlds. SDK 3 added Udon support, video-player capabilities, Unity Timelines and TextMeshPro, while the Udon Node Graph supported visual scripting.
• Avatar systems: Avatars 3.0 moved from an open beta to its framework release. The Action Menu, customizable controller bindings and separate avatar and world SDK packages supported creators and users.
• Platform upgrades: A Unity LTS migration, networking and IK improvements, and later performance work targeted fidelity, menus, loading and memory usage.
• Social spaces: Seasonal updates brought themed features to the hub and The Great Pug.

Valve Index Controller support with finger tracking arrived in June 2019, giving VRChat users more expressive hand input and a dedicated Gesture Toggle. Full-Body Tracking Updates and VRChat Community Labs were also major additions, improving avatar embodiment while opening a faster route for creators to publish worlds.

• Hardware and input: Valve Index Controllers gained finger tracking, Gesture Overrides toggling, and further refinements. The Grip Control Change also separated grip input from OnInteract, affecting chairs and interaction triggers on Rift, Rift S, and Index.
• Tracking and avatar systems:
  • Full-Body Tracking Updates improved fidelity and behavior, with a new Calibrate button replacing Sit/Stand while active.
  • Return of Networked IK restored networked inverse kinematics, followed by additional Networked IK Refinements.
  • Dynamic Bone Limitation System let creators cap and configure the number of Dynamic Bones on avatars.
  • Minimum Allowed Performance Rank Feature let users hide poorly performing avatars, with later improvements reducing unnecessary hiding.
• Creator ecosystem:
  • VRChat Community Labs introduced a quicker way for creators to put worlds into public view, alongside a dedicated Community Labs SDK and searchable Community Labs worlds.
  • Support for Cross-Platform Content prepared creator-made content for the Oculus Quest version.
  • VRCSDK-2019.07.31.13.58_Public.unitypackage delivered a newer creator SDK, while New Featured Avatars from Community expanded showcased avatar content.
• Platform and technical upgrades: VRChat 2019.2.5 brought audio-system and creator-SDK changes, while the Unity 2017.4.28f1 upgrade improved compatibility. Major voice and UI optimizations, faster avatar loading, and improved notification performance accompanied the technical work.
• Seasonal content: Spookality 2019 was announced with a Spookality Contest spanning four categories, and the Halloween Worlds Row added creator-made creepy worlds and unsettling locales.

Trust and Safety System arrived with player-facing controls for nuisance users, followed by Report User and expanded Panic Mode protections. VRChat Home Kit opened custom Home-world creation, while Unity 2017.4.15f1 migration marked a major creator-side shift with re-upload requirements for affected content.

• Trust and Safety System:

  • Panic Mode muted avatars and audio from non-friends during unwanted spam.
  • Report User added Social-menu reporting for behavior and avatar issues.
  • Trust and Safety System gave users more control over nuisance users and their overall experience.

• Creator toolkit:

  • VRChat Home Kit let users build their own version of the Home world.
  • VRC_SyncVideoStream, VRC_VideoScreen, and VRC_VideoSpeaker enabled Twitch and YouTube Live streams in user-created worlds.
  • VRChat SDK added MIDI/OSC inputs, haptics, velocity and force actions, particle collision triggers, and other creator tools.
  • Unity 2017.4.15f1 migration required some worlds and avatars to be re-uploaded and affected mirrors, baked lighting, and realtime GI.

• Camera and Home tools:

  • Photo Camera introduced handheld VR photography, detachable lenses, timers, and selfie extensions.
  • Cameras v2 added new camera models, filters, and movement settings including Steady Cam and Look at Me.
  • Stream Camera mirrored a headset camera view to the desktop, while high-resolution screenshots supported 4K captures.
  • VRChat Home became the default launch world, with Custom Home World and Go Home options for personal destinations.

• Social and avatar systems:

  • Steam Account Upgrade to VRChat Account unlocked friends, favorites, groups, and content uploading for Steam users.
  • Invite and Invite+ Instances expanded private-session access, including joining friends in eligible Friend instances.
  • Avatar Cloning and Avatar Performance UI made it easier to copy avatars and assess their performance impact.
  • Custom Status, friend bookmarks, and public-world visibility improved social discovery.

• Movement and tuning:

  • Vive Movement Toggle and Vive Movement Tweaks refined trackpad movement and gesture use while moving.
  • Particle Limiter returned as an optional beta system with user-configurable settings.
  • Favorite Worlds increased its limit from 20 to 32.

New Hub launched as VRChat’s default destination, replacing the old hub with portals for community worlds, events, avatars, and social tools. Private Worlds became available for friends-only or invite-only gatherings, while HTC Vive Tracker Support for Full Body Tracking brought single-hip or three-tracker body tracking to avatars.

• New Hub: The November launch added a substantial community-focused landing area.
  • Avatar Hall, Event Hall, and Featured Worlds highlighted community avatars, approved events, and rotating user-made content.
  • New Worlds, Help Area, and Travel Maps made it easier to discover worlds, learn the basics, and teleport around the Hub.
  • Social Sculpture Area, VRCHIVE Panosphere, Unique Aquariums with Feedable Fish, and AI Robotic Birds added interactive attractions.
• Private Worlds: Users could create private copies of public worlds, choose friends-only or invite-only access, and remove unwanted visitors through Private World Moderation.
  • Request Invite Functionality let users ask friends for access to invite-only worlds.
  • A January security change disabled invite requests from people inside Private Instances, while a separate fix restored inviting users who were already in one.
• Avatars and creator tools: HTC Vive Tracker Support for Full Body Tracking enabled hip-only or hip-and-feet tracking, and Customizable Avatar Animations let users change walking, crouching, emotes, and gestures.
  • New Avatar Menu with 360 Preview and Mirrors Show Facial Animations improved avatar selection and presentation.
  • Unity VideoPlayer Component and VRC_SyncVideoPlayer gained synchronized playback, playlists, and support for Vimeo and Dailymotion alongside YouTube.
• Communication and play: New Communication System required users to select others before hearing them, with mute and friend controls, while Personal Space hid avatars that moved too close.
  • Voice Prioritizing and adjusted Audio Drop Off made focused conversations easier in crowded rooms.
  • Steel ’n’ Gold added joining games in progress.
• Scared to Reality: The Halloween contest featured custom worlds and avatars, with an HTC Vive among its prizes.