Meta (formerly Facebook) Introduced App Lab in 2021 – A New Method of Application Distribution, allowing you to easily install non-Oculus Store games and applications on your Oculus Quest and Meta Quest 2 (formerly Oculus Quest 2) headsets .
Since its launch, the Quest platform has worked much like a console, with a strict compilation policy. The Oculus Store is the official way to discover and install applications on your headphones, with developers submitting pitches to Meta to have their content available in-store.
However, App Lab gives Quest users and developers an alternative non-store path to Quest content. Quest users and developers can use App Lab as an easy way to distribute and install experimental VR content from outside the Oculus Store. That said, Meta does not cure App Lab content quite as strictly, so the quality may vary – App Lab content is sometimes still a work-in-progress, unstable or generally of lower quality than official store content. App Lab applications can be free or paid for, with several easy installation options.
Here’s how to install App Lab applications on Oculus Quest and Meta Quest 2.
How is App Lab different from side salad?
App Lab and sideloading are similar in that both provide a way to install non-store content on your Quest. However, App Lab is Meta’s official solution to do so, with a much easier application installation process and much less fine setup process.
App Lab does not replace other side-loaded content, nor is it the death knell for SideQuest. In fact, SideQuest can now be used as a guide for App Lab applications – more on that below.
How App Lab works
App Lab content works a little differently than Oculus Store content.
Like other platforms, the Oculus Store functions as a virtual storefront that you can browse, with everything visible in one place. Whether you browse online, on your phone or in a headset, you can see the entire catalog of Meta-approved content in the Oculus Store, all in one place.
App Lab does not work that way – there is no official centralized list of every App Lab application available. App Lab is a developer distribution service for users to install, but there is no official way to browse a database of all App Lab content in one place.
Instead, each App Lab application has its own direct URL list. Developers can choose to share and promote their application URL in any way they like – the URL provides users with basic information about the application and they can then add it to their library. Once in your library, you can install the game on your Quest just like any other Oculus Store title – through the Oculus app or in-headset.
Discover App Lab Content
There are a few ways you can discover App Lab content.
The simplest way is through a direct link – a developer or user can share a link to an App Lab experience, like this one, somewhere online.
Otherwise, if you want to browse through a list of App Lab content in a similar way as browsing the Oculus Store, then the best way to do that is through SideQuest.
You do not need to install anything * – on your computer or mobile phone simply go to sidequestvr.com (click the App Lab button to filter the content on the homepage) or just visit SideQuest’s App Lab section directly. On the SideQuest site, you can browse through all the major App Lab games and apps available to developers, as pictured above.
By clicking on a SideQuest list for an App Lab game, more information will appear, along with a pink ‘Install App (Oculus)’ button – it will redirect you to the official App Lab URL / list .
* If you already have SideQuest installed on your computer, you can use the desktop client to browse App Lab content as well – it works the same way.
Add App Lab Content to Your Library
Once you have opened a direct App Lab URL, you can purchase the content or add it to your library with the blue button on your browser or in the Oculus application (pictured above), just as you would with any other Oculus Store application. This will add it to your library, ready to install.
Install App Lab Apps
You can either queue the installation of App Lab content in your Quest via the Oculus application, or start the installation manually inside the headset itself.
In the Oculus application, search the App Lab content in your library, then press the ‘Install on Headset’ or ‘Play Later’ button, as shown below, and select the desired headset for installation.
Provided your headset is charged and in idle sleep mode, the Quest will then install the App Lab application in the background, ready for your next VR session.
If you would rather start the installation manually, turn on your Quest and go to the program library. Your App Lab content should be visible under the ‘Everything’ category, along with regular Oculus Store content, so you can start the installation just like any other application.
There is no way to start the installation from a computer – you will need to use either the Oculus application or the headset itself.
Browse and install App Lab content in VR with SideQuest
As of mid-2022, SideQuest has released a VR application that lets you browse and install unofficial content, including App Lab games, entirely within VR using your Quest. If you want to give up your computer and phone and install App Lab content with just your headphones, this is a fantastic option.
You will still need a computer to set up, to install SideQuest on your headset, but after that you can do everything directly on your Quest yourself.
Go to our sidebar guide for instructions – first follow the steps in the ‘First Time Setup’ section, then follow the steps in ‘Easy Installer – SideQuest for VR on Quest’ section. This will help you install SideQuest and use it to completely browse, download and install App Lab content on your Quest, without using your computer or phone.
This is all you need to know about how to find and install App Lab apps on Oculus Quest and Meta Quest 2. Any questions? Let us know in the comments and we will try to help.
Looking for more guides like this? Looking at the New at VR? section of our website.
This article was originally published in February 2021, but was updated and republished in June 2022.