In this study, we took a deep dive into the VR Porn Industry. We gathered data from more than 4,544 survey respondents, as well as accumulated industry insights from the top companies in the sector.
The full dataset can be acquired by reaching out to researchcenter@bedbible.com. Please reference any use of the data or insights on the VR Porn Industry presented in this article.
Key statistics
- 15% of men have tried VR porn (1 in 3 men who have tried any form of VR technology have also watched VR porn).
- US porn consumers are +143% more likely to have watched VR porn, compared to any other nationality.
- 60% of VR headset owners report watching VR porn at least once a week.
- The VR porn industry is worth $1.52 billion and is expected to grow to $124 billion by 2030 (+79% CAGR).
- VR Porn has a 3.4% market share of the $45 billion porn industry and an 11% share of the $14 billion AR/VR industry.
- The top 3 US states where VR porn is most popular are Alaska, North Dakota, and West Virginia.
How many people have tried VR porn?
- 46.7% of men over 18 years in the US report having experience with VR technology.
- 15.0% of men over 18 years in the US report having experience with VR porn.
- Meaning that 1 in 3 who have tried VR technology have tried VR porn (32.1%).
- US porn consumers are +143% more likely to watch Virtual Reality porn than any other geographic region.
- 68% of VR headset owners report having watched porn at some point (74% of male owners, and 57% of female owners)
- 60% of VR headset owners report watching VR porn at least once per week (65% of male owners, and 47% of female owners).
Market size and revenue generated from VR porn
- The VR porn industry is worth $1.5 billion, growing +113% from the prior year.
- The VR porn industry has grown on average +123% year-over-year (since 2016).
- The VR porn industry is expected to grow to $125 billion by 2030, with an average yearly growth of +79%.
| Year | VR Porn Industry Market Size | CAGR |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $21 M | – |
| 2017 | $93 M | +343% |
| 2018 | $170 M | +83% |
| 2019 | $232 M | +36% |
| 2020 | $381 M | +64% |
| 2021 | $716 M | +88% |
| 2022 | $1.52 B | +113% |
| 2023 | $2.93 B | +93% |
| 2024 | $5.48 B | +87% |
| 2025 | $11.67 B | +113% |
| 2026 | $19.19 B | +63% |
| 2027 | $33.1 B | +74% |
| 2028 | $48.29 B | +46% |
| 2029 | $81.72 B | +69% |
| 2030 | $124.51 B | +52% |
Market share – Adoption of Head-Mounted Displays (HMD) in the Pornography Sector
- VR porn is the fastest-rising sector of the entire porn industry.
- VR porn is expected to account for more than 50% of the total porn industry’s revenue by 2030.
- VR porn makes up 3.4% of the porn industry’s total revenue currently.
| Year | VR Porn Industry | Total Porn market size | Share of the porn market |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $21 M | $17.3 B | 0.1% |
| 2017 | $93 M | $18.5 B | 0.5% |
| 2018 | $170 M | $22.3 B | 0.8% |
| 2019 | $232 M | $27.2 B | 0.9% |
| 2020 | $381 M | $35.1 B | 1.1% |
| 2021 | $716 M | $39.1 B | 1.8% |
| 2022 | $1.52 B | $44.8 B | 3.4% |
| 2023 | $2.93 B | $67.9 B | 4.3% |
| 2024 | $5.48 B | $77.2 B | 7.1% |
| 2025 | $11.67 B | $89.8 B | 13.0% |
| 2026 | $19.19 B | $110.5 B | 17.2% |
| 2027 | $33.1 B | $171.5 B | 19.3% |
| 2028 | $48.29 B | $198.3 B | 24.4% |
| 2029 | $81.72 B | $215.7 B | 37.9% |
| 2030 | $124.51 B | $255.6 B | 48.7% |
VR Porn market share of total VR/AR industry
- 11% of the AR/VR market is VR porn.
- The VR porn market is expected to gain a 35% market share of the total AR/VR market by 2030.
| Year | VR Porn Industry | VR industry | Share of VR industry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $21 M | $340 M | 6.2% |
| 2017 | $93 M | $790 M | 11.8% |
| 2018 | $170 M | $1.12 B | 15.2% |
| 2019 | $232 M | $1.87 B | 12.4% |
| 2020 | $381 M | $2.63 B | 14.5% |
| 2021 | $716 M | $3.77 B | 19.0% |
| 2022 | $1.52 B | $13.67 B | 11.1% |
| 2023 | $2.93 B | $15.67 B | 18.7% |
| 2024 | $5.48 B | $24.22 B | 22.6% |
| 2025 | $11.67 B | $37.44 B | 31.2% |
| 2026 | $19.19 B | $57.89 B | 32.8% |
| 2027 | $33.1 B | $89.49 B | 37.0% |
| 2028 | $48.29 B | $138.36 B | 34.9% |
| 2029 | $81.72 B | $227.34 B | 35.9% |
| 2030 | $124.51 B | $351.47 B | 35.4% |
User demographics
The following shows the demographical distribution of all VR porn users
Gender:
- 83.3% of VR porn users are men.
- 16.7% of VR porn users are women.
Age:
- 25.61% of VR porn users are 18-24 years.
- 32.78% of VR porn users are 25-34 years.
- 17.85% of VR porn users are 35-44 years.
- 11.36% of VR porn users are 45-54 years.
- 7.24% of VR porn users are 55-64 years.
- 5.15% of VR porn users are 65+ years.
Countries
- 31.01% of all VR porn users come from the US.
- 8.22% of all VR porn users come from the UK.
- 7.62% of all VR porn users come from Germany.
- 6.48% of all VR porn users come from India.
- 4.47% of all VR porn users come from Canada.
- 3.25% of all VR porn users come from France.
- 2.44% of all VR porn users come from Netherlands.
- 2.05% of all VR porn users come from Australia.
- 2.04% of all VR porn users come from Japan.
- 1.95% of all VR porn users come from Russisa.
US states – Where VR porn is most popular
Measured on the relative search frequency, we find that the top 10 US states with the highest proportion of searches (of all searches) for “VR porn” is:
- Alaska
- North Dakota
- West Virginia
- Indiana
- Wisconsin
- Idaho
- New Hampshire
- Ohio
- Washington
- Wyoming
| Rank | Region | *Relative search frequency, “VR Porn” |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 100 |
| 2 | North Dakota | 99 |
| 3 | West Virginia | 98 |
| 4 | Indiana | 90 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | 89 |
| 6 | Idaho | 88 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 87 |
| 8 | Ohio | 87 |
| 9 | Washington | 86 |
| 10 | Wyoming | 86 |
| 11 | Nevada | 85 |
| 12 | Maine | 84 |
| 13 | Montana | 84 |
| 14 | Arkansas | 84 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | 82 |
| 16 | Missouri | 82 |
| 17 | Arizona | 81 |
| 18 | Nebraska | 79 |
| 19 | Tennessee | 78 |
| 20 | Michigan | 77 |
| 21 | New Mexico | 77 |
| 22 | Delaware | 76 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | 76 |
| 24 | Minnesota | 76 |
| 25 | Kentucky | 76 |
| 26 | Iowa | 75 |
| 27 | Utah | 75 |
| 28 | Oregon | 75 |
| 29 | Texas | 73 |
| 30 | Florida | 73 |
| 31 | Kansas | 73 |
| 32 | California | 72 |
| 33 | Colorado | 72 |
| 34 | South Dakota | 71 |
| 35 | Illinois | 71 |
| 36 | Rhode Island | 70 |
| 37 | New Jersey | 69 |
| 38 | Louisiana | 69 |
| 39 | Mississippi | 69 |
| 40 | Hawaii | 67 |
| 41 | Vermont | 67 |
| 42 | Alabama | 66 |
| 43 | North Carolina | 64 |
| 44 | Massachusetts | 64 |
| 45 | Connecticut | 62 |
| 46 | Georgia | 61 |
| 47 | New York | 60 |
| 48 | South Carolina | 59 |
| 49 | Maryland | 59 |
| 50 | Virginia | 57 |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 28 |
The 3 US states with the least amount of interest in VR porn is:
- Maryland
- Virginia
- District of Columbia
Teledildonics and interactive sex toys
A lot of VR porn can be used with both a VR headset, and interactive sex toys.
- 3.2% of VR porn users also use interactive sex toys with their virtual reality headset.
- Those with interactive sex toys on average spend 19 minutes watching, while those without any form of teledildonics spend only 92 seconds per session.
Top 10 most watched pornstars in virtual reality
- Melody Marks
- Kenzie Reeves
- Vanna Bardot
- Veronica Leal
- Lola Myluv
- Cindy Shine
- Katy Rose
- Alexis Crystal
- Charli Red
- Stacy Cruz
The effects on the brain and hormones
- VR porn is found to increase oxycotin in saliva of viewers significantly more than normal porno.
- VR Porn users are more likely to feel desired, compared to the same porn video in 2D.
- VR Porn users are more likely to feel flirted with, compared to the same porn video in 2D.
- Overall VR Porn are better at eliciting the illusion of intimate sexual experiences.
- VR porn users reported to feel more present during watch time.
- VR porn users have been measured to objectively feel more aroused compared to subjects viewing normal porn videos.
- VR porn has no effects on female arousal or reported satisfaction, compared to normal 2D videos.
VR Porn has been a thing since 1962’s “Sensorama”
It is not quite correct to say that VR porn has been a thing since 1962. Alas, it is a good heading with some truth too it. Sensorama was the first VR headset system ever developed, in turn it was the first step towards VR technology becoming available to the porn industry.
Below is a timeline of how VR Porn came to be, and later developed:
- In 1987, Sega released the SegaScope 3-D Glasses – the first really public offered VR headset
- From the first version of a VR headset with Sensorama to early 1990s VR did not get a lot of attention and most product launches failed.
- Mid-2000s VR development intensifies and a couple of headsets are released.
- In 2010 Oculus (Meta/Facebook owned) is launched. They shiped their first product in 2012, the Oculus Rift.
- 3DXChat emerged in the early 2010s with a VR based porn game.
- In 2013 VirtualRealPorn
- In 2014 Google Cardboard was launched, and Ela Darling made the first interactive VR sex webcam chat.
- In July 2015 Naughty America launched their first VR porn video, Birthday Surprise.
- Early 2016 Naughty America added VR porn videos, and reached 20 million downloads per month by the end of the year, concluding that consumers had embraced VR porn fully.
- In the summer of 2016 Mindgeek released VR compatible videos on Pornhub, and other of their platforms.
Top VR Porn Companies
- VRPorn
- POVR
- WankzVR
- Naughty America VR
- VirtualRealPorn
- VRBangers
- Virtual Taboo
- Dark Room VR
- DaDoinkVR
- SexLikeReal
- CzechVR
- WetVR
- MilfVR
- VRHush
- VRCosplay
- VirtualRealJapan
- SwallowBay
- KinkVR
- 18VR
- Virtual Porn
- TmwVRnet
- VR temptation
- VRConk
- VRLatina
- BrasilVR
- RealPornstarsVR
- FuckPassVR
- RealJamVR
- VirtualRealTrans
- StripChat VR
Other facts
- Pornhub currently has close to 6,000 VR porn videos (5,938).
Scientific studies on VR porn
| Paper title | Abstract summary | Authors | Year | Main findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VR Porn as “Empathy Machine”? Perception of Self and Others in Virtual Reality Pornography | VR pornography seems to be a powerful tool to elicit the illusion of intimate sexual experiences. | A. Dekker, Frederike Wenzlaff, S. Biedermann, P. Briken, J. Fuss | 2020 | • Participants felt more desired, more flirted with, and more looked into the eyes in the VR condition compared to the 2D condition. • Participants were more likely to feel connected with the actors and more likely to feel the urge to interact with them in the VR condition. • Saliva levels of oxytocin were related to the perceived eye-contact with the virtual persons, indicating a role for the social neuropeptide in the perception of increased intimacy and interaction in VR. |
| Escaping reality and touring for pleasure: the future of virtual reality pornography | Virtual reality pornography is a booming branch of the adult entertainment industry. | Marko Orel | 2020 | • Virtual reality pornography is a rapidly growing industry, driven by the development of human-centred technologies. • Virtual reality pornography offers a unique experience for those seeking to escape reality and explore their fantasies. • Virtual reality pornography has the potential to revolutionize the adult entertainment industry, providing a more immersive and interactive experience. |
| ‘The embodied empathy revolution … ’: pornography and the contemporary state of consumer virtual reality | Virtual reality has been proposed as a potentially revolutionary medium for pornography. | L. Evans | 2020 | • Virtual Reality (VR) has been proposed as a potentially revolutionary medium for pornography. • The notion of VR as an ‘empathy machine’ has led to predictions that VR will facilitate more empathetic experiences for viewers. • Consumer VR technology is still in its early stages, and its potential for pornography is yet to be fully explored. |
| The impact of immersion on the perception of pornography: A virtual reality study | Viewing pornographic video material via VR technology had a stronger effect on psychophysiological reactions as well as subjective experience than using the conventional desktop display. | Sofia C. Simon, Tobias Greitemeyer | 2019 | • Viewing pornographic video material via VR technology had a stronger effect on psychophysiological reactions as well as subjective experience than using the conventional desktop display. • Experiencing pornographic video stimuli in high-immersive virtual environments increases the experience of presence as well as sexual-related perception. • Sixty male participants showed differences in their reaction and evaluation between both display modes. |
| The impact of virtual reality versus 2D pornography on sexual arousal and presence | VR can enhance the experience of arousal and pleasure in response to pornography. | James W.B. Elsey, Katja van Andel, Regina B. Kater, Ilya M. Reints, Mark Spiering | 2019 | • Men found VR pornography more arousing than 2D scenes, but this was not the case for women. • A first person or ‘participant’ perspective consistently induced greater arousal relative to a voyeuristic view, regardless of presentation medium in both genders. • VR did consistently elicit a greater sense of presence than typical pornography, and presence was positively correlated with sexual arousal. |
| “They’re Just Tixel Pits, Man”: Disputing the ‘Reality’ of Virtual Reality Pornography through the Story Completion Method | The stories reproduced ideals around heteronormativity and hegemonic masculinity. | M. Wood, Gavin Wood, Madeline Balaam | 2017 | • Analysis of the story stems revealed a narrative of a “perfect”, idealised sexual experience, as well as one which emphasised the imagined “precarious” and dangerous consequences around this technology use. • The stories reproduced ideals around heteronormativity and hegemonic masculinity, suggesting an agenda of “Designing for Eroticism” as a tactic which could avoid such problematic discourses. • The Story Completion Method presents opportunities and challenges for examining the cultural ideals of Virtual Reality Pornography. |
| Virtual Reality Erotica: Exploring General Presence, Sexual Presence, Sexual Arousal, and Sexual Desire in Women | VR media can induce feelings of sexual presence and presence more generally. | Sonia Milani, Faith Jabs, Natalie B Brown, Bozena Zdaniuk, Alan Kingstone, Lori A Brotto | 2021 | • VR media using a 3D camera facilitates an immersive experience compared to traditional 2D formats. • VR videos induced significantly higher feelings of general presence, sexual presence, and sexual arousal than 2D videos. • Sexual presence was higher for first-person POV depending on the order of film exposure. |
| The passivity of seeing: A Lacanian perspective on pornographic spectatorship in virtual reality | The representation and production of eroticism in virtual reality generate a specific type of the viewing subject. | Chenyang Wang | 2021 | • Virtual reality pornography generates a specific type of viewing subject who achieves sexual arousal via an act of seeing characterised by passivity. • This idea of passivity testifies to symbolic alienation as well as offering a possibility of resistance. • The embodied encounter with both pornographic images and VR technologies has implications for how sexuality and desire are shaped. |
| Sins of the Flesh? Obscenity Law in the Era of Virtual Reality | People will be able to act out their fantasies in virtual reality. | J. Zenor | 2014 | • The sex industry is likely to be revolutionized by the introduction of virtual reality technology. • This technology will enable people to act out deviant fantasies, such as rape, pedophilia and bestiality. • Legal challenges may arise as a result of these new technologies, as obscenity laws may need to be updated to reflect the changing landscape. |
| Measuring Sexual Preferences in Virtual Reality: A Pilot Study | Dynamics of the subjective point of view, subjective affective state, and feeling of presence are promising ways to probe sexual preferences as expressed in immersion. | P. Renaud, J. Rouleau, L. Granger, Ian Barsetti, S. Bouchard | 2002 | • Virtual reality (VR) is a promising method to assess sexual preferences. • Dynamics of the subjective point of view (POV), subjective affective state, and feeling of presence can be used to probe sexual preferences in immersion. • Further steps in developing a sexual preferences assessment method are needed. |
| Virtual reality | Virtual reality is an advanced human-computer interface that simulates a realistic environment. | J. M. Zheng, K. W. Chan, I. Gibson | 1998 | • Virtual reality is an advanced, human-computer interface that simulates a realistic environment. • It is used in engineering and medical fields. • Cyberspace is thought of as the ultimate virtual reality environment. |
| A history of virtual reality in performance | Virtual reality technologies offer theatre and performance unique and compelling possibilities. | Steve Dixon | 2006 | • VR technologies have been used in theatrical and performance contexts to create ancient, classical or primeval worlds and spaces. • VR has been used as a 3D scenographic medium in immersive live theatre designs, navigable VR reconstructions of ancient theatres, and participatory VR war games. • The key issues currently inhibiting greater utilisation of the technology in theatre and performance are cost, complexity, and lack of access to the technology. |
| Exploring users views on immersive adult entertainment applications | High sense interactivity is no less important than a high level of visual realism in immersive adult content videos and virtual reality erotic digital games. | Xijie Zhang, Florian Weidner, W. Broll | 2017 | • Participants in the study expressed a preference for a high level of interactivity in immersive adult content videos and virtual reality erotic digital games. • Visual realism was also important to participants, but not as important as interactivity. • Participants found the immersive experience of virtual reality adult entertainment to be more engaging than traditional adult entertainment. |
| Virtual reality: toys or tools of the trade? | Virtual reality refers to the computer generation of realistic three-dimensional artificial worlds in which humans can be immersed and are free to explore and interact with graphical objects in real time. | R. Stone | 1993 | • Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer-generated artificial world in which humans can interact with graphical objects in real time. • The early history of VR is short and intense, with a small group of familiar names. • The American experience in VR is being reproduced in Europe. |
| Keeping it Real User-Generated Pornography, Gender Reification, and Visual Pleasure | A masculine, heteronormative “pornoscript” structures the possible ways in which sexual pleasure is enacted and visualized in these videos. | N. Doorn | 2010 | • An adherence to a masculine, heteronormative ‘pornoscript’ structures the possible ways in which sexual pleasure is enacted and visualized in user-generated videos on YouPorn. • The alleged proximity to ‘real life’ works to naturalize these representations, enabling the reification of their gender ideology through a denial of their imaginary dimension. • YouPorn does not provide a space for alternative sexual representations, but rather manifests itself as a site where pornography, participatory media, and the representation of gender and sexuality are all intertwined. |
| Computer-generated pornography and convergence: Animation and algorithms as new digital desire | The libidinal focus of computer-generated pornography fundamentally shifts away from the human body and the attempt to gain vicarious imagistic access to it through digital technologies. | R. Saunders | 2019 | • CGI pornography is a highly significant site of convergence that combines the technologies, cultures and aesthetics of digital animation, video games and pornographic film. • CGI porn fundamentally shifts the libidinal focus away from the human body and towards the labour of the animator and the coding and characters they borrow from video game designs. • CGI porn’s stark foregrounding of its technological constructedness clarifies the artificiality of its ‘real body’ counterpart. |
| Virtual Realities: | Virtual reality is a new type of computer tool that adds vast power to scientific visualization. | Virtual Realities, H. McLellan, M. Wyatt | 2020 | • Virtual reality is a set of emerging electronic technologies with applications in a wide range of fields. • Virtual reality provides a different way to see and experience information, one that is dynamic and immediate. • Virtual reality evokes a feeling of immersion, a perceptual and psychological sense of being in the digital environment presented to the senses. |
| Brief Introduction of Virtual Reality & its Challenges | Virtual reality is the medium of creating our own world. | Sharmistha Mandal | 2013 | • Virtual reality (VR) is a technology which allows a user to interact with a computer-simulated environment. • VR systems can range from creating a video game to having a virtual stroll around the universe. • Challenges of Virtual Reality include creating realistic simulations, providing user-friendly interfaces, and ensuring safety. |
| The reality of virtual reality | VR is set to become adopted by many as their “information technology of choice” for the next century. | R. Stone | 1995 | • VR is becoming increasingly adopted by companies as their “information technology of choice” for the next century. • VR is capable of giving personnel at all company levels intuitive access to complex, computer-mediated processes.• VR does not require head-mounted displays and instrumented gloves to be used. |
| Virtual Reality | VR headsets like Facebook’s Oculus Quest and HTC’s VIVE are about to revolutionize gaming and entertainment. | Isabell Wohlgenannt, Alexander Simons, Stefan Stieglitz | 2020 | • Virtual Reality (VR) technology has been available since the 1960s, but has been limited by high equipment costs and insufficient quality.• VR is now mature enough to no longer be part of Gartner’s Hype Cycle, and its global market size is estimated to increase significantly in the next few years. • IS researchers have been studying VR technology for several decades, but there is still limited understanding of its behavioral and organizational impacts. |
| Video for virtual reality | The next generation of VR video is 6 degrees-of-freedom experiences. | Christian Richardt, J. Tompkin, Jordan Halsey, Aaron Hertzmann, J. Starck, Oliver Wang | 2017 | • Video and virtual reality technology can be combined to create photo-realistic experiences.• Current systems for VR video include 360 degree video and stereoscopic video. • 6 degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) experiences can be created with light field cameras, processing and displays. |