Distribution Options

Oculus Store content includes:

• Games
• Entertainment—storytelling experiences in VR format.
• Apps—utility applications such as video players, virtual tours, or other interactive categories.
• Gallery Apps—innovative new experiments and tech demos. This is a home for non-commercial apps that push the bounds of VR.
• Early Access—content that is interesting, playable, and well on its way to being finished. It provides a means for developers to charge for their work-in-progress, while giving early users the chance to be a part of the development process.

You can use the Oculus platform for a variety of distribution methods, including:

• Internal testing (Release Channels)
• Demos and experimental apps (Oculus Store Early Access or Gallery Apps)
• Early versions of apps in development (Early Access, Release Channels)
• Promotional or limited distribution apps (Oculus keys)

You can also distribute your app outside of the Oculus Store through off-platform distribution (sideloading).

Release Channels

App distribution for internal testing is typically managed with release channels in the Developer Dashboard. Release channels let you release development builds of your app to different sets of users for testing through a "My Preview Apps" section in Oculus Home. For more information, see Testing and Releasing Builds.

When your app is ready for distribution to the general public, you copy it to the Store release channel and submit it to us for consideration.

Oculus Keys

Oculus keys let you distribute apps through Oculus Home even if your app is not approved for either the Oculus Store or the Oculus Gallery. People can download and use your application after entering their key in the Redeem Code section of Oculus Home. Your apps still needs to be reviewed before we approve you for Oculus keys.

You have complete freedom in how you choose to distribute keys for your app. You can add expiration dates to your keys and even limit them to certain regions. Using keys to control access gives you fine control over app access while ensuring that your app gets auto-updated, appears in user libraries, and provides any other Oculus Platform features you incorporate.

Oculus keys are free. While we do not charge you for creating keys, the in-app purchasing fee structure remains in place even for content distributed with keys.

To create Oculus keys:

1. Log on to https://dashboard.oculus.com.
2. On the My Apps page, hover the mouse over an app that has already been reviewed by Oculus and approved for release, and then click Edit Details.
3. Click the Oculus Keys tab and then follow the on-screen instructions.

You can generate single keys or many in bulk. After you have obtained Oculus keys for your app, you can distribute the keys yourself or through other stores and websites.

Off-Platform Distribution (Sideloading)

You can distribute your app outside the Oculus platform by a method known as "sideloading". To run such apps, users must enable Unknown Sources in the Settings menu of the Oculus app. See Games and Apps From Unknown Sources.

Such builds are not updated through our platform. They do not appear in anyone's Oculus Home Libraries or have access to any other Oculus features or services.