UPDATE: Meta Horizon Worlds Begins Beta Test for Members-Only Spaces

UPDATE May 16, 2023: Today, we’re excited to start an expanded beta test of members-only worlds. Here’s a look at what’s changing—and what’s staying the same.

People with access to the beta test will now have the ability to make visible members-only worlds – and anyone with access to Meta Horizon Worlds will be able to search for and request to join those members-only worlds, helping people grow their communities, find and make new ones in Worlds. Creators of members-only worlds will still have the option to keep their members-only worlds hidden if that’s their preference.

In addition to our existing moderation tools offered to creators in closed spaces, we’re introducing reports for members-only worlds—a one-stop shop where the owners of those worlds can view and take action on member-submitted incident reports. We built the dashboard from user feedback, engagement with external experts, and insights gathered during the alpha test. We’ll iterate on the creator report experience throughout the beta test as we continue to work closely with creators and their communities to understand their needs.

Alongside the creators who are already participating in the alpha test, we’ll slowly roll out the ability to create members-only worlds to a randomized group of people with access to Worlds. This will help us continue learning and testing what’s needed to empower them to moderate their own closed spaces within Worlds.

We’re excited to help more people craft a unique culture for their own communities inside members-only worlds. We’ll have more to share in the months ahead.

We expanded the availability of personal space in Meta Horizon Worlds, giving more people access to the first closed experience within Worlds and the additional freedom and control that comes along with it. And today, we’re opening up a new type of closed space—members-only worlds—and kicking off a limited alpha test to give creators that same level of autonomy to grow and moderate their own communities.

Just like personal space gives people a place to call their own, members-only worlds let creators build and cultivate a space where a community of people can come together to enjoy a curated experience. By hand-selecting members (during the alpha test, each members-only world can have up to 150 world members and 25 concurrent visitors at any given time), creators can offer exclusive and uniquely tailored experiences. They’ll be able to grant exclusive access to VIP supporters, create a dedicated space to showcase their world design portfolio to the creator community, host a book club, gather a gaming group, organize a support group, or just hang out with friends and family—all without worrying about uninvited guests. With full control over who has access to visit their worlds, creators can consistently offer a positive experience where people can build connections and foster a strong, thriving community. Our goal is to put design in the creators’ hands so that they can fully craft the experience they want to offer others.

Our vision for members-only worlds is to empower creators to craft the culture of their communities.

Every community develops its own norms, etiquette, and social rules over time as it fosters a unique culture. To enable that, we’ll provide the tools that allow the creators of members-only worlds to set the rules for their communities and maintain those rules for their closed spaces. Creators can choose whether or not to share their moderation responsibilities with other trusted group members and decide if they’ll allow members to visit the world without a creator or moderator present. Everyone will always have the ability to report worlds to Meta and report others for behavior that violates our Code of Conduct for Virtual Experiences.

Members-only worlds will be just one building block available to our creator ecosystem, in addition to public worlds and more within the Meta Horizon Worlds platform. Meta Horizon will soon be available on the Web and mobile devices, and across closed experiences, including members-only worlds, rules will be made and enforced similarly to how mobile operating systems manage experiences on their platforms. These OS providers share and enforce guidelines about what is allowed on their platform, but those who build experiences on those platforms are ultimately responsible for ensuring that people have safe experiences. Similarly, we’ve shared Meta’s Code of Conduct for Virtual Experiences so creators who choose to build closed experiences on top of our platform know our guidelines and can moderate these experiences.

During this alpha test, we’ll select a small group of trusted creators to partner closely with to build and obtain feedback on the design and moderation of members-only worlds so that we can further iterate and improve the product. We’re excited to give creators a new way to foster safe and thriving communities and empower them to effectively govern their own closed spaces. The test will help ensure that we’ve set up creators with the tools they need to succeed and users see clear benefits before we consider expanding the availability of members-only worlds to more creators.