Last reviewed 31 Jul 2026

Applies to

VRChat Worlds SDK Android worlds Meta Quest worlds Android mobile players

Difficulty Intermediate

Build and Test VRChat Worlds for Android and Quest

A world uploaded for Android is available to VRChat users on Meta Quest and Android phones or tablets. The same build serves devices with very different controls, screens, and performance characteristics, so the world needs both technical optimization and mobile interaction testing.

This guide concentrates on world production. Use the broader compatibility checklist when you also need avatar limits or iOS platform setup.

Prepare the Android World

Switch the SDK platform early, optimize the world as a mobile scene, and test the result directly on an Android or Quest device.

Install Android Build Support for VRChat's supported Unity editor.
Select Android in the SDK Builder and let Unity reimport the project.
Check world size, textures, materials, lighting, occlusion, shaders, and active systems.
Test the complete world with touch and Quest controls.
Publish the Android build under the same world ID as the PC version.

Quest uses the Android world

In VRChat's SDK documentation, Quest guidance generally applies to Android. Publishing the Android version makes the world available on Quest and Android mobile clients.

Set Up the Android Target

Confirm the project uses VRChat's supported Unity editor.
In Unity Hub, verify that Android Build Support is installed for that editor.
Open VRChat SDK > Show Control Panel.
Select Builder.
In the platform selector, deselect Windows and select Android.
Confirm the change and wait for the platform import to finish.
Review the Android-specific validation results.

Creator Companion normally installs Android Build Support with the supported editor. If Android cannot be selected, add the module through Unity Hub and reopen the project.

Keep the Android Build Attached to the PC World

The PC and Android versions must use the same blueprint ID to appear as one cross-platform world.

Publish the first platform version.
Preserve its blueprint ID when preparing the second platform.
Use the SDK Content Manager to find an existing world ID when needed.
Do not detach the Pipeline Manager unless you intend to create a separate world entry.

Players then receive the version built for their platform while joining the same world and instance system.

Android World Budgets

Measurement	Current VRChat guidance
Compressed world size	Must not exceed 100 MB after build-time compression.
World geometry	Budget approximately 250,000 triangles for the world so there is room for player avatars.
Texture dimensions	Aim for 1K textures or smaller; use larger textures only when the asset justifies the cost.
Materials	Minimize material count while retaining useful object separation.
Lighting	Bake lighting, use light probes, and keep lightmap resolution controlled.
Visibility	Bake occlusion culling so hidden world sections do not render unnecessarily.

Treat these as a starting budget, not proof that the world runs well. The actual view, active systems, and number of visible players still affect performance.

Check Build Size and Memory

The Android world cannot exceed 100 MB after build-time compression.

After a build:

review the SDK result
inspect Unity's Editor log for build statistics when diagnosing size
identify the largest textures, audio files, meshes, and media assets
remove assets not used by the shipped scene
reduce texture import sizes before lowering many unrelated settings

Crunch compression can reduce download size, but it does not reduce the texture's in-memory cost. Keep the uncompressed asset footprint and runtime memory use in view as well.

Optimize Geometry, Materials, and Visibility

VRChat recommends approximately 250,000 world triangles for Android.

For scene organization:

combine closely related props where that reduces unnecessary renderer and material overhead
keep major rooms, buildings, and occlusion regions separate
reduce material slots and atlas related surfaces
enable GPU instancing on materials
bake occlusion culling
verify that occlusion areas and portals match the final geometry

Over-merging a world can make occlusion less effective because Unity can no longer hide the merged section independently.

Use the Unity Profiler to compare draw calls and component time. A desktop profile does not reproduce mobile hardware, but it can still identify a system that costs disproportionately more than the rest of the scene.

Optimize Textures, Lighting, and Shaders

For textures:

aim for 1024 × 1024 or smaller
pack compatible surfaces into sensible atlases
reduce Max Size on low-priority textures
use compression appropriate to the Android target
avoid relying on Crunch as a memory optimization

For lighting:

bake static lighting
use light probes for moving objects
keep lightmap resolution low enough for the platform budget
remove real-time lights that are not essential

Android worlds can use custom shaders, unlike Android avatars. Custom shader support does not guarantee acceptable performance. VRChat recommends Mobile/VRChat/Lightmapped as an efficient basic world shader and advises avoiding unnecessary transparency because alpha fill rate is costly on mobile GPUs.

Audit Active World Systems

Test the cost and behavior of:

mirrors and additional Cameras
real-time lights and shadows
post-processing
video players
Audio Sources
Particle Systems
Rigidbodies, Colliders, and Joints
constraints
Udon behaviours
large animated objects

Some component restrictions documented for Android avatars do not apply identically to worlds. Test the world component itself instead of assuming the avatar restriction is the world rule.

Design for Touch, Desktop, and VR Input

Android mobile players use touchscreen controls, while Quest players use VR controllers.

Interaction area	Mobile-world check
Text	Use legible fonts, large type, short labels, and sufficient contrast.
Buttons	Use large targets with forgiving interaction areas.
Navigation	Provide clear back, close, and return actions.
Core interactions	Do not require a VR-only gesture or precise controller movement.
Menus	Consider screen-space UI when a distant world-space canvas is difficult on a phone.
Orientation	Recheck layouts when the screen resolution or orientation changes.

Udon can respond to OnInputMethodChanged and query GetLastUsedInputMethod. Use VRCInputMethod.Touch when the world needs to provide a touchscreen-specific path.

The OnScreenUpdate event can help a world respond to resolution or orientation changes. Use the current VRChat API documentation when implementing these events.

Test the World on Android

VRChat's SDK uses Android Debug Bridge to send a test build to an Android phone, tablet, or Quest.

Prepare the device:

Enable developer mode.
Enable USB debugging.
Connect the device with a data-capable USB cable.
Accept the debugging authorization prompt.
Launch the VRChat app on the device at least once.

For the first world test:

Close the VRChat app on the Android device.
Keep the device unlocked.
Confirm Unity is targeting Android.
Select Build and Test New Build in the SDK Builder.
Wait for the build transfer and VRChat launch.
Sign in if prompted and enter the test world.

For later iterations, use Build and Test New Build again to rebuild, transfer, and reload the world.

USB debugging gives the connected computer significant access to the device. Use it only with trusted development machines and tools.

Mobile World Test Matrix

Run the same route on more than one input method:

Test	Quest	Android phone or tablet
Spawn and onboarding	Check comfort, scale, and controller reach	Check screen readability and touch controls
Navigation	Check locomotion and doors	Check virtual joysticks and camera movement
Menus	Check pointer distance and target size	Check touch targets and screen-space options
Media and audio	Check playback and spatial audio	Check controls, loading, and volume
Activities	Check VR interactions	Confirm an equivalent non-VR completion path
Performance	Check headset frame pacing	Check heat, responsiveness, and loading

Use feedback from players on the actual target device. A PC preview cannot confirm touch ergonomics or mobile runtime performance.

Publish the Android Version

After device testing:

Return to the SDK Builder with Android selected.
Confirm the world uses the PC world's blueprint ID.
Review world information and content warnings.
Resolve blocking Android validations.
Select the online publishing build.
Confirm the Android platform entry appears under the intended world in Content Manager.

Re-test the published world from a normal Quest or Android client after upload.

Android World Problems

Android is unavailable in the SDK Builder.

Install Android Build Support for the exact VRChat-compatible Unity editor through Unity Hub, then reopen the project and select Android in the SDK platform control.

The Android build created a separate world.

The build used a different blueprint ID. Find the original PC world in Content Manager and restore that ID to the Android world before publishing it as the matching platform version.

The world exceeds the 100 MB Android limit.

Inspect the build statistics and reduce the largest textures, audio files, meshes, and unused assets. Crunch can reduce download size but does not solve the in-memory texture cost.

Build and Test cannot find the device.

Check developer mode, USB debugging, the device authorization prompt, and the USB cable's data support. Disconnect other debugging-enabled devices so the SDK targets the intended client.

The world runs poorly even though it uploads.

Profile draw calls and active systems, then review texture memory, materials, real-time lighting, transparency, cameras, mirrors, particles, media, physics, and visible geometry. Upload size alone is not a runtime-performance measurement.

Phone players cannot complete a world activity.

Trace the activity with touch controls and replace VR-only gestures, distant world-space controls, or precise controller movements with an accessible mobile interaction path.

Android World Release Checklist

Android Build Support is installed for the project editor.
Android is selected in the SDK Builder.
PC and Android worlds share the same blueprint ID.
The compressed world build is below 100 MB.
Textures, materials, lighting, shaders, and occlusion are reviewed.
Expensive active systems are measured and tested.
Touchscreen users can read and operate the UI.
Every required activity has a non-VR interaction path.
Build and Test succeeds on an Android or Quest device.
The published Android entry appears under the intended world.