Monday Unblock

By now you should have something running on a Meta Quest headset, and that’s usually when the real problems start to show up. So bring whatever’s broken or stalling to Monday Unblock, a live session with Start Mentors Degly and Quentin.

They’ll begin by working through your blockers with you. Once those are out of the way, They'll help you figure out what you want to learn from your testers, so you go into the playtest later this week with a build that runs and questions worth asking.

You’ll walk away with:
- Your most pressing blocker cleared, or a clear next step for it
- A short list of what you want your testers to tell you
- A build in shape for the playtest later this week

EMEA
3:00 PM CET
Register (EMEA)

North America
10:00 AM PT
Register (NORAM)

AI for QA: Find the Bugs Before Players Do 

Can AI help you find bugs before your players do? That’s the question Start Mentor Degly digs into in this session. Degly will walk through Meta Muse Wonder and the AI pipelines developers are using to plan tests, run checks, and sort the feedback that comes back from playtests.

AI can’t do all of it, though. Some problems only show up when a person tests in headset, so we’ll cover which checks AI can handle and which ones still need you. Then we’ll open the floor for your questions, your ideas, and anything you’ve already tried.

You’ll leave with a test plan and a set of prompts you can reuse on your competition build.

EMEA
3:00 PM CET
Register (EMEA)

North America
10:00 AM PT
Register (NORAM)

Make It Yours: Restyling Free and Store-Bought Assets (GLOBAL) 

Free and store-bought assets can save you weeks. Mix three packs in three art styles, though, and your build starts to look like a yard sale. Special Guest Jelitza is here to fix that in a Blender session focused on making assets from different sources look like they belong together.

Jelitza will show you how to repaint textures, unify materials, and apply a shared color palette, with examples from a cabin game, a productivity app, and a watch party.

Bring an asset or two you’re struggling to fit into your scene, and leave with a before-and-after restyling workflow you can repeat on any asset.

10:00 AM PT
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Finding Your First Players: Recruiting External Testers 

Your team has played your build so many times that it’s hard to see it the way a newcomer would. Fresh testers don’t have that problem, and finding them is what this session with Start Mentor Tevfik is all about.

Tevfik will cover where to look beyond your own circle, how to invite people to try your VR experience, and how to make joining a playtest easy enough that users actually show up. Start now, and you’ll still have time to act on their feedback before the November 18 deadline.

Leave this session with:
- A practical plan for recruiting testers you don’t already know
- A simple way to invite people into a playtest and get them set up
- A head start on the early community your app will need after the competition

EMEA
3:00 PM CET
Register (EMEA)

North America
10:00 AM PT
Register (NORAM)

Playtesting Playground: Non-Gaming Edition (NORAM) 

Building a VR app that isn’t a game? Then this Playtesting Playground is for you. Start Mentor Tevfik is hosting a special edition just for entertainment and productivity projects: virtual workspaces, focus tools, concerts, watch parties, and any other app with no score or win condition.

The group will pick a few apps, spend about 15 minutes in headset with each one, then come back to Zoom to talk about it. There’s no sign-up and no agenda, so bring a build at any stage or just come to try what others are making.

Either way, you’ll find out whether people understand what your app is for and how to use it while it’s still easy to change.

North America
10:00 AM PT
Register (NORAM)

Monday Unblock (EMEA)

Don’t have a specific problem yet? Drop in to gain insights on how your fellow developers are pressure testing their builds. 

EMEA
3:00 PM CET
Register (EMEA)

XRCC: Packaging Workshop 

Your trailer is how judges and players first see what you built. Something as small as a shaky POV recording or weak audio can make a strong build look unfinished. XRCC is running this Packaging Workshop to cover those details and the rest of what makes a trailer work.

They’ll start with a before-and-after edit of the same VR game, made in about two hours. From there, they’ll cover the details that matter most: a hook in the first three seconds, a thumbnail that sparks curiosity, pacing that holds attention for a full minute, and clean 1920×1080 footage.

By the end, you’ll have an edit to model your own trailer on and a clear list of what to fix before you export.

10:00 AM PT
Click here to Watch

Monday Unblock (NORAM)

Got a bug you can’t shake or a feature that won’t come together? That’s what Monday Unblock is for. Join us for this live working session with Start Mentors Sidney and Tevfik, where you can get unstuck and get back to building.

Bring whatever’s in front of you, from a rough prototype to a nearly finished build. We’ll work through it together, then help you pick the next thing to tackle.

Don’t have a specific problem yet? Drop in to gain insights on how your fellow developers are pressure testing their builds.

North America
3:00 PM PT
Register (NORAM)

Pushing Your Buttons: Fixing Engineer UI 

Your UI works for you. You built it, and you’ve clicked through it a hundred times. Then someone else puts on the headset, and the button they need is two meters away.

That’s engineer UI, and it’s what Start Mentor Sidney tackles in Pushing Your Buttons. Sidney spent six years as a UI developer, and she’s an engineer herself, so she knows exactly how it happens. We’ll walk through the most common ways VR interfaces go wrong and how to fix each one: buttons that are too small, too far away, or in the wrong spot, the controls you use most placed out of easy reach, and menus locked to your head that follow you everywhere.

After that, we’ll share a few simple best practices that hold up for games, entertainment experiences, and productivity apps alike. The second half is an open review session, so bring your UI as a build, screenshots, or a short video.

EMEA
3:00 PM CET
Register (EMEA)

North America
10:00 AM PT
Register (NORAM)

Pushing Your Buttons: Fixing Engineer UI (NORAM)

Your UI works for you. You built it, and you’ve clicked through it a hundred times. Then someone else puts on the headset, and the button they need is two meters away.

That’s engineer UI, and it’s what Start Mentor Sidney tackles in Pushing Your Buttons. Sidney spent six years as a UI developer, and she’s an engineer herself, so she knows exactly how it happens. We’ll walk through the most common ways VR interfaces go wrong and how to fix each one: buttons that are too small, too far away, or in the wrong spot, the controls you use most placed out of easy reach, and menus locked to your head that follow you everywhere.

After that, we’ll share a few simple best practices that hold up for games, entertainment experiences, and productivity apps alike. The second half is an open review session, so bring your UI as a build, screenshots, or a short video.

North America
10:00 AM PT
Register (NORAM)

VR Optimization Unreal Engine

Stay tuned!

8:00 AM PT
Click here to Watch

Using Meta XR Simulator for Meta VR Glasses Development

Join Meta Developer Advocate Dilmer Valecillos for a hands-on look at Meta XR Simulator, the tool that lets you test apps for Meta VR Glasses without leaving your computer. He'll show you how to check Look and Pinch input, simulate the glasses' field of view, and try different IPD settings.

From there, Dilmer covers input simulation, hand tracking from your webcam, keyboard shortcuts, and switching between the simulator and the Unity Editor to analyze your app at runtime. He'll close with a brief look at Meta XR Operator.

Bring your project and leave with a faster way to test hands and gaze.

10:00 AM PT
Register

What the Top Hand Tracking Apps Get Right 

Some of the standout hand tracking apps on Meta Quest aren’t games at all. In this case study session, Start Mentor Quentin looks at what those apps got right and where they still struggle.

You’ll leave with lessons from those apps that you can apply to your own entry.

EMEA
3:00 PM CET
Register (EMEA)

North America
10:00 AM PT
Register (NORAM)

Playtesting Playground (NORAM) 

Want to know how your game feels to someone else before a formal playtest? Bring it to Playtesting Playground on Friday, a casual hangout with Start Mentor Tevfik where developers play each other’s builds.

The group will pick a few apps, spend about 15 minutes in headset with each one, then come back to Zoom to talk about it. There’s no sign-up and no agenda, so bring a build at any stage or just come to try what others are making.

8:00 AM PT
Register

XRCC: Submission Walkthrough 

Having a finished build is not the same as having a finished submission. A release channel that judges can’t open, a video set to private, or a form rushed in the last hour can undo weeks of work.

Join us for a step-by-step walkthrough of everything between “the build works” and hitting Submit on Devpost. We’ll start with uploading your APK to a “Competition” release channel in the Meta VR Developer Dashboard and creating the invite URL judges use to access it. For IWSDK projects, we’ll cover hosting your build and sharing the link instead. Then we’ll go through the demo video: under three minutes, public on YouTube or Vimeo, with your best material up front. Finally, we’ll go through each part of the submission form, including the tagline, track and division, description, hand interactions, and team details.

Once the deadline passes, you can’t change your entry, and your build has to stay accessible through judging. So test your links accordingly before you submit, not after.

You’ll leave with a submission checklist you can work through well before the November 18 deadline.

10:00 AM PT
Click here to Watch

Monday Unblock 

With two days to go before the November 18 deadline, this is the last Monday Unblock before submissions close. Bring whatever still stands between you and a build you can submit, and Start Mentors Quentin and Sidney will work through it with you.

That could be a bug, a feature that won’t come together, a scope question, or a decision you keep putting off. We’ll clear what’s in front of you, then help you pick the next thing to tackle. Come with a specific problem, or just drop in and listen.

You’ll leave knowing what to finish before November 18 and what can wait for your next update.

EMEA
3:00 PM CET
Register (EMEA)

North America
10:00 AM PT
Register (NORAM)

Celebrate Your Progress: What’s Next for Your VR Project? (GLOBAL) 

Submissions are in, and now it’s time to celebrate. Join Start Mentor Tevfik the day after the deadline to look back at what you built during the Meta VR Start Developer competition and share what you learned along the way.

From there, we’ll turn to what comes next, whether you’re preparing to launch or already working on your next update.

You’ll leave with a plan for turning player feedback into your next priorities and ways to keep your community engaged after the competition.

10:00 AM PT
Register

Assemble Your Party:
Competition Kickoff & Team Formation

Building an ambitious VR experience in eight weeks requires a clear plan from day one, and that starts with surrounding yourself with the right collaborators and getting aligned on project goals early.

In this opening session, Start Mentor Tevfik walks you through the full competition structure so you know what to expect at every step of the process. He details the two entry paths for building a new app or submitting a major update to a shipped title. Along with explaining submission requirements for the November 18 deadline, he shows you where to find mentor support throughout the competition.

After the program overview, you will move directly into live matchmaking to connect with potential collaborators. This structured time gives you space to establish team roles, select your game engine, align working schedules, and plan your repository setup.

After this session, you'll walk away with:

• A complete team for your project
• A direct path to finding teammates if you join solo
• An eight-week roadmap with weekly checkpoints
• A written team setup guide covering roles, tools, and code sharing

Focused Features for Functional Fun

It is easy to let your feature list expand during early planning, but fixed competition deadlines require disciplined scope management.

In this session, Gabe Heiland, Head of Growth Insights at Meta, joins us to share practical frameworks for defining a minimum feature set tailored to your genre. They walk through player motivation data, genre expectations, available development hours, and production constraints so you can deliver maximum value within your schedule.

By looking at real performance insights from Meta Quest titles, you will see how successful developers decide which features to build first and which ideas to save for post-launch updates. This perspective gives you a clear strategy for trimming feature creep before it stalls your progress.

Kill Your Darlings: Scope Your Build 

The most common reason entries never get submitted is simple: either they got too big, or the team simply ran out of time.

In this working session, Start Mentor Sidney helps you turn a good idea into objectives you can actually finish by November 18. You'll learn how to build quick litmus tests that show which features earn their place, and how to set gates on your assumptions so you know the minimum you need to prove before building further. We'll also help you decide between a new build and a significant update to something you've already shipped.

A few hours of planning now can save you weeks of development later. And yes, you'll have to kill a few darlings.

How to Win: Rules, Divisions and Judging Criteria

Building a technically impressive app is only half the battle. To submit a winning entry, you need to know exactly what the requirements are so every feature you build helps your final build.

Join Start Mentor Sidney for a plain-language walkthrough of the competition rules and judging criteria. You'll learn what each criterion rewards, what each division and track is looking for, and what gets an entry disqualified. Then you'll use user stories and personas to pin down who you're building for, so your entry is aimed at someone specific instead of at everyone.

Sidney will also cover the habit that separates entries that land from the ones that stall: building in the open. That means asking for feedback early and playtesting with people who aren't your friends, before you think you're ready.

Hands Tutorials Best Practices

Hand controls will be new to most of your players. Teach too little and they're lost, but teach too much and they're bored before the fun starts.

In this session, Ming Xia from Meta covers the common mistakes and best practices for teaching new players to play with their hands. The first 30 minutes of a game can have the biggest impact on retention, so your tutorial can make or break your game.

What you'll walk away with:

- The most common hand-tutorial mistakes, and how to avoid them
- Best practices for teaching hand controls without getting in the way of the fun
- A clearer plan for your game's first 30 minutes

Live Build Session - 0 to VR with Immersive Web SDK

Come see how fast it is to build a VR project with Immersive Web SDK and agentic tooling. Learn how to leverage Meta VR features like scene understanding, camera access and input that will help you with any Hackathon track. Spend less time scaffolding and debugging and more time on your core vision. This session is suitable for Beginners to Advanced. You can come with nothing and leave with a working concept!

Fast Essentials: Playable Prototype — Ship One Complete Thing (EMEA)

Most entries commit to a direction before testing it.

In this session, Start Mentor Tevfik shows you how to build rough, throwaway versions first, each one built to answer a single question. Is this fun? Does the interaction make sense without explanation? Does this feature change how the app feels?

We'll cover what belongs in a prototype and what to leave out, how to build fast in your stack (greyboxing in Unity, stripped-back versions on the web, or Android), and how to decide which direction to keep.

Agentic Workflows for New & Existing Apps

Join Dilmer and Yuchan to see how agentic workflows can help you accelerate your development, whether you’re starting a new build or adding to one you’ve already shipped. They’ll show you what existing agentic tools can be integrated in your workflow with real examples of start new prototyping or adapting old projects for Meta VR Glasses.

Guest Speaker: Show, Don't Tell: The Visual Craft of Onboarding

Nobody reads the popup. Your players, users and audience learn how your experience works from what they see, so this session is about teaching with artwork instead of text.

Special Guest Mentor Jelitza (also known as SpaceGlitterUnicorn) will provide a glimpse into the visual cues that tell people what to do without a word of instruction: ghost hands that show a grab, glow and motion that say “touch me,” and signage built into the world itself. Then we’ll apply them to three cases: learning a game mechanic, setting up a virtual workspace, and finding your seat in a VR theater.

You’ll leave with a small library of visual cue patterns and a guide to when to use each one, so your first five minutes feel like part of the experience, not a tutorial bolted onto it.

Tools in focus: Blender and Unity. Bring a scene you’re working on if you have one.

This session is for all three competition categories. It does not cover judging and does impact rules; the official competition rules and terms apply.