Meta Quest 3 & 3S Unboxing Guide: Setup & $30 Referral Bonus

Just got your hands on a new Meta Quest 3 or 3S? Before you tear open the box and turn it on, stop! If you run through the initial setup incorrectly, you could permanently lose your free $30 Quest Cash referral bonus. In this complete unboxing guide, we walk you through the exact step-by-step process to safely claim your rewards, pair your controllers, and configure your VR headset for the very first time. Learn the critical “referral first, power on second” rule, grab our exclusive VRPUPU promo code for game discounts, and dive into our top beginner-friendly games to avoid motion sickness right out of the box.

---

Even after it arrives, make sure to check these steps before you start unboxing.

Once your headset arrives, wait a moment.

If you bought the headset from the official Meta Store and entered the creator promo code “VRPUPU” at checkout, you don’t need to read the rest just yet.

First, go to the guide linked below and follow the steps all the way through once. Make sure you successfully receive both the creator reward and the referral bonus. After that, you can come back here.

You can jump straight to this section:
How do you receive both the $30 referral bonus and the $30 creator reward at the same time?

---

How the referral bonus works

When your Quest 3 or 3S arrives, don’t rush to open the box just yet.
Take a moment to think about the available promos first.

Meta has a referral program. If you buy a Meta Quest through someone’s referral, you’ll receive $30 in Quest Cash after the first activation.
The person who referred you gets the same $30 as well.

That Quest Cash can be used to buy games on the Meta Store. With $30, you can pick up several fun titles that are easy on motion sickness, so it’s worth setting things up properly and jumping into VR fully prepared.

Here’s how I recommend handling it for new users and experienced players.

The best approach depends on your situation:

• Brand-new Meta user
  Use a friend’s referral code first, then power on the headset and log in.
• Experienced user, but you don’t currently have a Quest
  Create a new account, use a friend’s referral code, then log in.
• Experienced user who already owns a Quest
  Create a new account and use your own referral code, then log in.

After experienced users receive the $30 bonus on the new account, they can buy games from the store and gift them to their original account.

If a game was included as a bonus, you can contact support and have it transferred to your original account.

Here is the latest referral code:

---

Before unboxing

Once you get your Quest 3 or 3S, it’s easy to get excited.
The steps below use Quest 3 as the example, but before you open the box, there are a few things you should prepare first.

• A mobile device like a smartphone or tablet, with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on
• A Wi-Fi network with internet access
• Make sure you’ve already used a referral code
• Install the Meta Horizon app on your mobile device and log in to your account

You can find it by searching for “Meta Horizon” on the Apple App Store or Google Play and installing it there

Unboxing the headset

Step 1: Take the Quest 3 / 3S out of the box
For units sold between June 2024 and June 2025, Batman: Arkham Shadow is included as a bonus game. You should see a Batman illustration in the top-right corner of the package.

Keep in mind that the bundled game changes depending on the sales period, so make sure to check Meta’s current promotion details at the time of purchase.

Step 2: Peel off the security seals
Flip the box over and you’ll see paper seals on both the left and right sides.

Peel them off along the direction of the arrows.

Step 3: Check the contents
Once you open the box, make sure everything is included.

You should find the following items inside:

• Meta Quest 3 / 3S headset
• Two 2nd-gen Touch Plus controllers with wrist straps
• One accessory box

Step 4: Take out the Quest headset
The headset comes with a few parts and protective materials attached, so go through them in order and remove each one.

It has an adjustable head strap. When you put it on, you can tighten or loosen it from the front and back to get a proper fit.

There’s a paper protective insert inside the headset. Remove it.

Each lens has a clear protective film on it. Peel off the films from both the left and right lenses carefully.

Step 5: Take out the accessory pack
Pull out the white accessory box inside the package. It contains the following items:

• Round USB-C charging adapter
• Fabric-wrapped USB-C charging cable
• User manual

Step 6: Take out the controllers
Pull out the plastic insulation tabs attached to the controllers. This allows power to flow to the alkaline batteries inside.

The controllers come with standard AA alkaline batteries. They typically last around 15 to 20 hours of play time.

If you plan to use them a lot, switching to rechargeable batteries is more economical and better for the environment. Common options include:

• Panasonic Eneloop (low self-discharge NiMH batteries)
• Fujitsu rechargeable batteries (low self-discharge NiMH)
• Ladda rechargeable batteries (low self-discharge NiMH)

---

Power on and connect

Before turning the headset on, install Meta’s official app, Meta Horizon, on your phone or tablet and log in to your Meta account.

Also make sure Bluetooth is turned on on your phone or tablet before you try to connect.

For the headset itself, just put it on and follow the on-screen instructions.

After connecting to your home Wi-Fi, a pairing screen will appear for linking with your phone. From there, continue the setup on your phone to complete the connection.

Once you open the Meta Horizon app, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open the menu
Tap the “≡” icon in the top-left corner of the screen to move on to the next step.

Step 2: Select and add a device
Tap “Devices” on the screen.

Next, choose “Add device.”

Step 3: Select your model and finish pairing
Tap the model you purchased, either Meta Quest 3 or Meta Quest 3S, to complete the connection.

Next, continue with headset pairing and it will link to your phone automatically.

If there are other Quest devices nearby, you’ll be asked for a 5-digit pairing code. Put on your new headset and the code will show up inside the headset screen.

Congrats. Welcome to the VR world, and enjoy it to the fullest.
That said, when you first jump into VR, your library is probably completely empty.

No worries. Meta has a 3-month free Horizon+ trial ready for new users.
Once you activate it, you instantly get access to around 80 major titles to play.

Even if a game isn’t on sale in the store, entering “VRPUPU” before checkout gives you 10% off.
Some DLCs and bundles can also be used with the code.
The money you save is often enough to pick up one or two extra games.

Now let’s walk through how to claim Meta Horizon+ and start using it.

---

FAQ – Common Questions