Virtual Worlds, immersive digital environments enhanced by AI that increasingly blur the line between the physical and digital realms, are becoming a strategic focus for organizations across Europe.
As part of the OpenVerse project, IDC has monitored how European organizations are progressing from early exploration to large-scale deployment of Virtual Worlds solutions. This interactive resource uses data from IDC's syndicated Emerging Technologies Survey, conducted in 2024 (Europe, n=640) and 2025 (Europe, n=370), offering a year-over-year view of evolving market trends.
The analysis covers three core aspects: the overall market adoption status, sector-specific adoption patterns, and an in-depth look at the four key pillars of Virtual Worlds: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality, and Digital Twins.
These insights provide a clear, evidence-based understanding of current European market positions, areas of growth momentum, and leading sectors and technologies.
Market adoption
Does your organization currently use or plan to use Virtual Worlds solutions?
Source: IDC Emerging Technologies Survey, 2024 (Europe n=640), IDC Emerging Technologies Survey, 2025 (Europe n=370)
The overall adoption data indicates that the market is gaining momentum, with more European organisations either already implementing Virtual Worlds solutions or planning to do so. However, aggregate numbers conceal substantial differences underneath. The industry breakdown below shows how adoption intentions and maturity vary across major sectors, including Finance, Healthcare, Manufacturing, and the Public Sector.
Industry view
Does your organization currently use or plan to use Virtual Worlds solutions?
Source: IDC Emerging Technologies Survey, 2024 (Europe n=640), IDC Emerging Technologies Survey, 2025 (Europe n=370)
Sector-level data shows that the adoption of Virtual Worlds varies across industries, influenced by each sector's unique use cases, investment levels, and regulatory environment. A common set of core enabling technologies underpins this shift across all sectors. The next section explores how European organizations are adopting Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality, and Digital Twins, and how these trends have changed from 2024 to 2025.
Key technologies: Technology Deep-Dive
Augmented Reality
Virtual Reality
Mixed Reality
Digital Twins
Source: IDC Emerging Technologies Survey, 2024 (Europe n=640), IDC Emerging Technologies Survey, 2025 (Europe n=370)
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