Below you'll find the top 22 vr & ar trends for 2026, spotted by Rising Trends's trend radar algorithm.
These topics were detected from online sources including TikTok, X (Twitter), Instagram, Reddit, news outlets, and Google Search data. Each trend has at least 1,000+ monthly searches and over 20% year-over-year growth.
All vr & ar trends with over 20% year-over-year growth, ranked by search volume.
| # | Topic | 5Y Trend | Search Vol. | Growth 1Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smart Glasses | 550,000 | +400% | |
| 2 | Ai Face Swap | 201,000 | +122% | |
| 3 | Mixed Reality Headsets | 74,000 | 14X | |
| 4 | Immersive Art Experiences | 74,000 | 31X | |
| 5 | Immersive Dining Experience | 33,100 | 69X | |
| 6 | Smart Home Gyms | 22,200 | +405% | |
| 7 | Ai Clothes Changer | 18,100 | +235% | |
| 8 | Car Simulator | 14,800 | +22% | |
| 9 | Digital Reality | 14,800 | +49% | |
| 10 | Immersive Vr Experience | 12,100 | +831% | |
| 11 | Augmented Reality Glasses | 12,100 | +22% | |
| 12 | Immersive Spa | 9,900 | +22% | |
| 13 | Standalone Vr Headset | 9,900 | +241% | |
| 14 | Lenticular Printing | 8,100 | +23% | |
| 15 | Ar Smart Glasses | 6,600 | +247% | |
| 16 | Spacetop G1 | 4,400 | +400% | |
| 17 | Cybercraft | 4,400 | +52% | |
| 18 | Ar Headset | 3,600 | +50% | |
| 19 | Valve Steam Frame | 2,900 | +99X | |
| 20 | Infrared Contact Lenses | 2,400 | +140% | |
| 21 | Augmented Reality Ring | 1,300 | +306% | |
| 22 | Motorcycle Simulator | 1,300 | +30% |
Showing top 10 of 22 vr & ar trends
| Trend | Market Size | Growth | Key Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Glasses & AR Eyewear | ~$8.5B | ~18% CAGR | Meta, Ray-Ban, Oakley |
| VR Headsets & Mixed Reality | ~$22B | ~15% CAGR | Meta, Apple, Valve |
| Immersive Entertainment Venues | ~$12B | ~25% CAGR | Sandbox VR, Cosm, Area15 |
| AI-Powered AR Tools | ~$5.8B | ~28% CAGR | D-ID, Face Swap AI |
| Enterprise & Retail AR | ~$9.5B | ~22% CAGR | Scandit, PTC Vuforia |
| Next-Gen AR Computing | ~$4.2B | ~35% CAGR | Spacetop, Rokid, DeepMind |
CAGR = compound annual growth rate
To dive deeper into the methodology behind identifying these trends, check out our comprehensive guide on Google Trends for market research which shows how we analyzed search data to spot these emerging patterns.
Smart glasses have exploded into the mainstream, with "meta glasses" commanding 2,240,000 monthly searches and +644% year-over-year growth. The "rayban meta glasses" collaboration is up an extraordinary +1,012%, while "oakley meta glasses" has surged +144,606% with 246,000 searches.
This isn't just a tech trend—it's a fashion revolution. Meta's partnership with Ray-Ban has made smart glasses desirable, not just functional.
Smart glasses have reached mainstream adoption because:
The smart glasses market is projected to reach $8.5 billion by 2028, with consumer AR eyewear growing fastest.
Meta Glasses (2,240,000 searches, +644% YoY) – Meta's smart glasses platform featuring AI assistant, camera, and open-ear audio. The Ray-Ban collaboration has made these the definitive mainstream smart glasses.
Ray-Ban Meta Glasses (823,000 searches, +1,012% YoY) – The iconic Ray-Ban Wayfarer design with integrated Meta technology. Livestream to Instagram, capture photos, and access Meta AI hands-free.
Oakley Meta Glasses (246,000 searches, +144,606% YoY) – Sports-focused smart glasses designed for athletes. Features performance tracking, durability, and seamless connectivity for active lifestyles.
Smart Glasses (550,000 searches, +400% YoY) – The general category seeing explosive growth as consumers search for AR-enabled eyewear options beyond Meta's offerings.
Meta AI Glasses (135,000 searches, +812% YoY) – The next evolution of Meta's smart glasses with enhanced AI capabilities, real-time translation, and improved camera quality for seamless daily use.
The VR headset market is in transition, with "meta quest 3" maintaining 1,000,000 monthly searches and the budget "meta quest 3s" growing +50% with 450,000 searches. Most notably, "mixed reality headsets" has surged +1,270% and Valve's surprise announcement sent "valve steam frame" to +289,900% growth.
Mixed reality—blending virtual content with the physical world—is now the standard expectation, not a premium feature.
VR headset evolution has accelerated because:
The VR headset market is projected to reach $22 billion by 2028, with standalone mixed reality devices leading growth.
Meta Quest 3 (1,000,000 searches) – Meta's flagship mixed reality headset with full-color passthrough and enhanced graphics. The benchmark for consumer VR.
Meta Quest 3S (450,000 searches, +50% YoY) – Entry-level VR headset at $299 with Quest 3 features at Quest 2 pricing. Democratizing mixed reality for mainstream consumers.
Mixed Reality Headsets (74,000 searches, +1,270% YoY) – The category exploding as consumers seek devices that blend virtual and physical worlds seamlessly.
Valve Steam Frame (2,900 searches, +289,900% YoY) – Valve's newly announced standalone VR headset set for early 2026. Brings Steam's massive game library to portable VR.
Apple Vision Pro (135,000 searches) – Apple's premium spatial computing headset. High price limits adoption but sets the bar for display quality and interface design.
Physical venues using VR and AR technology are creating experiences impossible at home. "Immersive art experiences" has exploded +2,983% year-over-year with 74,000 monthly searches, while "imaginarium lakewood" surged +1,710%. Established venues like "sandbox vr" and "area 15" command 201,000 and 165,000 searches respectively.
The experience economy is merging with spatial computing to create a new entertainment category.
Immersive venues have surged because:
The immersive entertainment market is projected to reach $12 billion by 2028, with location-based VR growing fastest.
Immersive Art Experiences (74,000 searches, +2,983% YoY) – Multi-sensory environments using digital projections and interactive technology. Van Gogh and Monet exhibitions have popularized the format.
Imaginarium Lakewood (18,100 searches, +1,710% YoY) – Interactive light exhibition by Imaginarium360 transforming a mall into themed rooms with LED installations and immersive environments.
Sandbox VR (201,000 searches) – Full-body VR experiences where groups physically move through virtual worlds. Premium location-based entertainment combining motion capture with VR.
Area 15 (165,000 searches) – Las Vegas immersive entertainment district featuring surreal art installations, interactive attractions, dining, and Meow Wolf experiences.
Cosm Los Angeles (110,000 searches) – Immersive venue with 87-foot 12K LED dome for live sports, concerts, and shared reality experiences for up to 1,500 guests.
The intersection of AI and AR is creating powerful new creative tools. "AI face swap" commands 201,000 monthly searches with +122% year-over-year growth, while "ai clothes changer" has surged +235% and "d-id" maintains 201,000 searches for AI avatar creation.
AI is democratizing AR content creation—what once required studios now happens on smartphones.
AI-powered AR tools have exploded because:
The AI-powered AR tools market is projected to reach $5.8 billion by 2028, with consumer creative apps leading adoption.
AI Face Swap (201,000 searches, +122% YoY) – Tools using AI to seamlessly swap faces in photos and videos. Popular for entertainment, allowing users to transform into celebrities or characters.
AI Clothes Changer (18,100 searches, +235% YoY) – Applications that digitally alter clothing in images. Used for privacy, fashion experimentation, and virtual fitting purposes.
D-ID (201,000 searches) – AI-generated video platform creating photorealistic videos and interactive digital avatars from static images. Used for marketing, education, and personalized content.
AI Character Generator (14,800 searches) – Software using AI to create unique, realistic characters for games, stories, and animations. Popular for its creativity and time-saving abilities.
Businesses are adopting AR for training, maintenance, and field operations. "Scandit" has grown +50% year-over-year with 2,400 monthly searches for smart data capture, while "virtual staging ai" is transforming real estate and "augmented reality glasses" for enterprise use commands 12,100 searches with +22% growth.
AR is moving from consumer novelty to essential business tool—particularly in manufacturing, logistics, and field service.
Enterprise AR adoption has accelerated because:
The enterprise AR market is projected to reach $9.5 billion by 2028, with industrial and field service applications leading adoption.
Scandit (2,400 searches, +50% YoY) – Smart data capture software transforming smartphones into enterprise-grade barcode scanners with AR overlays. Used in retail, logistics, and manufacturing for inventory management and workflow optimization.
Virtual Staging AI (1,900 searches) – Technology digitally furnishing empty real estate listings with AR visualization. Helps buyers visualize properties and increases listing engagement by up to 40%.
Augmented Reality Glasses (12,100 searches, +22% YoY) – Enterprise AR eyewear overlaying digital content onto the real world for hands-free workflows. Used in manufacturing, healthcare, and field service applications.
Rokid Glasses (12,100 searches, +537% YoY) – AR eyewear with real-time translation, teleprompter mode, and object recognition. Increasingly adopted for enterprise productivity and training applications.
The cutting edge of AR involves new computing paradigms and AI world models. "Genie 3" from Google DeepMind has surged +1,995% year-over-year with 4,400 searches, "spacetop g1" AR laptop grew +400%, and "lego builder app" exploded +1,020% with 60,500 searches.
AR is evolving from overlays to full spatial computing—and AI is generating the 3D worlds we'll inhabit.
Next-gen AR computing is emerging because:
The AR computing market is projected to reach $4.2 billion by 2028, with AI-generated spatial content growing fastest.
Genie 3 (4,400 searches, +1,995% YoY) – Google DeepMind's AI world model generating interactive, real-time 3D environments from text prompts. Closed-loop simulation with realistic physics paving the way for AGI research.
Spacetop G1 (4,400 searches, +400% YoY) – Revolutionary laptop using AR glasses to project a virtual 100-inch screen. Enhances portability and ergonomics by eliminating physical displays.
LEGO Builder App (60,500 searches, +1,020% YoY) – Mobile app with interactive 3D building instructions, collaborative features, and progress tracking. AR enhances traditional LEGO building with digital tools.
Rokid Glasses (12,100 searches, +537% YoY) – AR eyewear with real-time translation, teleprompter mode, and object recognition. Blends entertainment, gaming, and productivity in portable form.
Project STEM (27,100 searches, +311% YoY) – Hands-on STEM projects integrating VR and AR to foster critical thinking and prepare students for tech-driven careers.
The VR and AR landscape in 2026 represents a fundamental shift from novelty to utility. Whether it's smart glasses showing +144,000% growth through fashion-forward design, mixed reality headsets becoming the new standard, or immersive entertainment venues exploding +2,983% as experiences become the product, the common thread is technology enhancing how we perceive and interact with the world.
The companies winning in this environment share key traits:
For entrepreneurs and investors, the data points to several high-growth opportunities: AR eyewear accessories and services, location-based immersive entertainment, AI-powered content creation tools, enterprise AR training solutions, and next-generation spatial computing applications.
The $100+ billion combined VR/AR market is transitioning from early adopter curiosity to mass-market reality—and the search trends show exactly where that transformation is happening fastest.
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