STATUS: UP TO DATE 09.09.2026

How to enable developer mode on standalone headsets, plus every tool you need before you start sideloading.

Before You Start

This page covers Quest 1, 2, 3, 3s, and Pro headsets. This is not a guide for Pico headsets — head to r/PicoPiracy for those.

There are a lot of words here. That’s because if you want this to actually work you need to follow instructions exactly. Reading and understanding everything is the hardest part — once you know the process, the actual setup takes around 15 minutes. When you’re done you’ll have access to thousands of VR games and apps, all through high-speed direct download, with games installed on your headset automatically.

Enabling Developer Mode

Developer mode is REQUIRED to sideload any content onto your Quest headset. This is the first step.

1. Follow the official Meta guide to Enable Developer Mode on your headset.
2. You’ll need a Meta developer account — the guide walks you through creating one.
3. Once enabled, your headset will allow USB debugging and sideloaded app installs.

Note: Developer mode only needs to be enabled once. It persists across reboots and updates.

USB Drivers & Connection

You’ll need proper USB drivers and a decent cable to connect your Quest to your PC.

1. Download and install the Quest USB Drivers on your PC.
2. Connect your headset to your PC using a USB 3.0+ cable.
3. Put on the headset — you should see a prompt to Allow USB Debugging. Accept it.

Tip: If your PC doesn’t detect your headset, try a different USB cable and/or port. Not all cables support data transfer — make sure yours does. Meta Developer Hub can be useful if you have issues enabling dev mode.

Installing Rookie Sideloader

Rookie Sideloader is a Windows PC application. For the best and easiest experience, use a Windows PC … it doesn’t have to be a powerful gaming PC, anything relatively modern works.

For Mac and Linux users, check out VR CyberDeck on the Quest Standalone Sources page. Some solutions rely on torrents with slower speeds and manual installs.

If you plan to get a lot of games, a cheap used Windows PC plus Rookie saves massive time versus torrents and manual installs.

Setup steps:

1. Make sure you’ve completed the Developer Mode and USB Drivers setup above.
2. Download Rookie Sideloader from the official GitHub.
   Do note that the current minimum required version for Rookie 3.4. If you have an older version it will not work.
3. You may get a browser or antivirus warning – this is a false positive. Allow the browser to download the file. If the browser won’t let you, then it’s most likely a chromium based browser that thinks it knows better than you what’s right or not. If that’s the case, be based and go download Firefox to have actual control of your data. Do NOT disable your antivirus / Windows defender.

FYI: Some antivirus software may flag Rookie due to its use of ADB, archive extraction, and runtime downloads. Both the Sideloader and the Sideloader Launcher are fully open source — you can inspect and build the code yourself.

4.Open your C: Drive
5.Create a folder named: RSL
6.Inside RSL, create another folder named: Rookie
7. Move the Rookie exe to a folder like C:\RSL\Rookie.

If the file goes missing or windows defender won’t let you use it (it may just close suddenly) you need to exclude it from your antivirus scanning and/or the folder it resides in. To do that open Windows Security → Virus & Threat Protection → Manage Settings → Add or Remove Exclusions → Add Folder exclusion: C:\RSL\Rookie →
Click APPLY.
NEVER shut your antivirus off, if anyone tells you to do that, they don’t have your best interests at heart and don’t know what they are talking about.

8. Set up the public JSON for access to the game list – Video Tutorial

9. Connect your headset via USB and allow USB debugging (From within the headset).

10. Double-click AndroidSideloader.exe to run Rookie.

That’s it!
Rookie downloads what it needs and shows you a list of available games.
Double-click a game and Rookie downloads it, unzips it, and installs it on your headset automatically.
You’ll see progress at the bottom … “Downloading”, “Wait for Install”, “Installing APK”, “Moving OBB”.
Have patience with larger games (some are 30GB+).
A “Success” message means you’re ready to play.

Finding Your Sideloaded Games

Anything you install that isn’t from the Meta Store won’t show up in the normal library area. Here’s how to find your sideloaded games:

• Unknown Sources: The Library app has an “Unknown Sources” section (either a dropdown or an icon on the left, depending on your headset version). It works, but it’s a plain text list and some games appear under different names (e.g. Batman shows as “Manta”).
• Use a Launcher (Recommended): Launchers replace the default Library view, showing pirated and purchased games together with cover art, sorting, and organization. The first few items in Rookie are launchers — install one and pin it to your Quest menu bar for one-click access.

FAQ / Troubleshooting: Questions from A-Z answered!

No! As of today not a single person has been banned or punished in any way for piracy on the Quest platform. You are safe to pirate as much as you want, while connected to WiFi, all on your main Meta account. Purchased and pirated games can coexist on the same account. The rumor that quest bans people for piracy frequently (or even at all) is just that; a rumor.

2. Does rookie have a virus / is rookie a virus?

No, rookie does not have a virus and has never contained any malicious code. In fact – rookie is fully open source and the code can be examined by everyone who feels like it.

Some antivirus software may flag Rookie due to its use of ADB, archive extraction, and runtime downloads, these are false positives.

Still don’t trust the precompiled .exe? Feel free to compile it yourself!

3. I followed the guide but rookie still won’t connect.

Sometimes the connection gets blocked by certain ISP (Internet service provider). To remedy this you might need to install a VPN like proton or cloudflare WARP. You can disable the VPN again after you are done using rookie etc.

There is also the chance that you may be using an older and thus unsupported version of rookie / Cyberdeck. The current minimum version requirements are:

Rookie Sideloader 3.4+ with 3.4 currently being the latest release

VR CyberDeck 1.2.1+ with 1.8.2 currently being the latest release

4. I have updated rookie but it won’t connect, even with a VPN.

If you just updated and Rookie happens to still not work, start by deleting the entire Rookie folder and following the setup guide for a fresh installation.

5. Is rookie down?

Most likely not. If you have connection issues please refer to question 3 and 4.

6. My gamelist in rookie is still from XY months ago / is rookie not supported anymore? There haven’t been any game updates in XY months!

Rookie is alive, well and still fully supported. To fix your issue read question 4 and 3 ( Update your stuff). Also note that not every game gets frequent updates. Your help is needed to keep games updated: If you own games you can donate the files, updates and or DLC via Rookie. These will be used to keep games up to date and available for everyone.

7. Is game XY on rookie? / I can’t find game XY!

If you’re looking for a specific app or game and you can’t find it on rookie, then it either hasn’t been donated by the community yet or it is uncrackable.

8. Game XY just released, when will it be available on rookie?

When it’s ready. Don’t want to wait? Buy the game. You should always support developers.

9. My game only shows 3 dots, what do i do?

This may be caused by missing game files. The most common issue is the "obb" folder. Some games require it, while others do not.

When transferring the game using a USB 2.0 cable, the file transfer may have failed or some files may not have transferred correctly. Always use a proper USB 3.0 cable when transferring games to your Quest.

The "obb" folder is typically named something like “com.XYXY” and should be placed in:

/internalsharedstorage/Android/obb/

Sometimes it may also just take a while to boot.

10. Should i deactivate my antivirus / windows defender?

No! There is no reason to disable your antivirus or windows defender. If anyone tells you to do that, they don’t have your best interests at heart and don’t know what they are talking about.

11. Can i mod my games? Does mod.io work? Why doesn’t mod.io work? Mod.io infinite loading!

You can mod quest games if mods are available. Mod.io MAY work but often times it doesn’t as it cannot fetch the data required (similiar reason why pirated games often cannot be played in multiplayer) resulting in infinite loading or error messages about the connection.

If mod.io does not work to install mods, then you need to install them manually.

12. Is there a difference between the Quest 2, 3 and 3S when it comes to sideloading and piracy?

No, the process is exactly the same for every headset.

13. Game XY is Quest 3 / 3s exclusive, can i still play it on my Quest 2?

In most cases yes but do note that performance and overall stability may vary when playing them on Quest 2.

14. I’ve already used the free trial of game X and now i get a popup after sideloading it . What can I do?

Your options are to purchase the game, perform a factory reset and use a different account, or rename the game’s package before installing it by using a tool such as Quest APK Renamer, APKognito, or Phunk on your PC.

15. Can I use a game’s free trial and still pirate it later?

Kind of. Free trials are tied to your Meta account, and installing a pirated copy of the same game may trigger an anti-piracy warning. See question 14.

16. I played game X through Horizon+. Can I still pirate it?

The same restriction applies to Horizon+ (formerly Quest+) games. Installing a pirated copy under the original package name may trigger an anti-piracy warning. See question 14 / 15.

17. Are game demos affected?

No. Game demos are typically published as separate store listings with different package names, so they are safe to use.

18. I used Sidequest to sideload games but they don’t work.

Do not use SideQuest. SideQuest has Anti-Piracy measures in place and can stop you from sideloading games. It also doesn’t handle install.txt, doesn’t install with correct permissions, it can actually cause ADB conflict, and can cause issues with Rookie/VR Cyberdeck. It a useless program overall, especially to anyone who pirates. There is not one thing SideQuest does that is unique and it often causes issues instead of solving them. It mostly just links to the meta store and itch.io and anything that isn’t from there can be found on GitHub.

19. I installed a game and decided to ignore the installation instructions but now the game doesn’t work.

Go back and follow the instructions. There’s a reason we provide them.

20. Should I use a second account for piracy?
If you want piracy to be simple, only have one account on your headset. While it is possible to pirate with multiple accounts, it’s far more of a pain. Unless you want to learn a bunch of ADB commands and spend hours per game instead of minutes, stick to a single account.

21. What firmware do I need? Can I do system updates?
You don’t need any specific firmware version. You are safe to update, and since many updates have drastically improved things like passthrough on the Quest 3 and 3s, we encourage it. Stay on the latest version but do not sign up for the PTC (Public Test Channel). For more info see: Should I Update?

22. I would like to support the project, how can i help?

You can always help by keeping games up to date by donating the game files of games you have purchased or by helping to keep the servers funded. To donate games simply open rookie while your headset is on and connected. If a game/Update/DLC is missing in rookie it will ask you if you want to donate it.

If you want to help in a monetary way feel free to donate to the_vrsrc to keep the servers online.

23. What games can I get?
Pretty much all of them — 2800+ titles. A few exceptions exist for games with uncracked protections or online-only games with server-side account verification.

24. Can I play multiplayer?
Sometimes. A surprising number of Quest games have multiplayer that works on pirated copies, but it can change with any update. You typically need the most recent version of a game for multiplayer to work.

Looking for the Multiplayer doc? It is no longer maintained because no one in the community bothered to feed it information and thus keep it up to date. However, thanks to a user finding an old copy and remaking it, we have another chance to help and keep it updated: Outdated Archive Copy
Instead of criticizing, comment and contribute. Be the change you want to see.

Do not have any expectations of online features actually working if you need any multiplayer features to work then buy the game.