Gym Class
Gym Class (IRL Studios, Inc.) is a San Francisco-based social VR sports gaming platform on Meta Quest with companion mobile apps, offering physics-based multiplayer sports across basketball, baseball, boxing, football, paintball, and soccer to consumer players globally, monetizing via freemium play and $19.99 licensed NBA and MLB content bundles.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Gym Class does
Gym Class, operated by IRL Studios, Inc., is a social sports gaming platform built for Meta Quest VR headsets with companion mobile apps for iOS and Android. Founded in 2021 in San Francisco, the platform enables multiplayer, physics-based sports simulation across basketball, baseball, boxing, football, paintball, and soccer, using motion tracking on Meta Quest to drive realistic full-body avatar gameplay and cross-platform multiplayer networking. The product is augmented by AI-generated content (NPC dialog, avatars, custom environments), AI-powered training drills, performance analytics, and instant replay/highlight tooling. Distribution is anchored on the Meta Quest Store, where Gym Class ranks #1 in the sports category with a 4.8-star average across 72K+ ratings and 5M+ downloads, supported by viral social media presence (600M+ views under #gymclassvr on TikTok) and availability in 214+ countries.
Gym Class monetizes through a freemium model: the core game is free to download and play, with revenue generated from one-time premium content bundles—the NBA Bundle and MLB Bundle, each priced at $19.99, offering official team courts, ballparks, uniforms, and progression tracks for all 30 teams per league—and from the Gym Class PRO subscription tier (customizable private courts, personalized full-body avatars), Season Passes, and in-game virtual currency. The company holds licensing partnerships with the NBA (announced February 2023) and MLB (announced June 2025), and is expanding the platform from VR-only to mobile companion apps in 2026 to capture users discovering the community from viral TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram content.
The company has raised approximately $9 million from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Y Combinator, the NBA, the Golden State Warriors, and several NBA players (Kevin Durant, Lonzo Ball, Andre Iguodala, Danny Green, Zaza Pachulia), alongside Soma Capital, Founders Inc., and Balaji Srinivasan. The 78-person team is led by co-founders Matthew Harris (CEO), Justin Hubert (CCO, prior VR studio and Walmart VR art lead), Paul Katsen (CPO, prior Twitter Home feed product lead and Coinbase-acquired founder), and CTO Erik (co-founder of tbh, acquired by Meta, where he later led an AI-native game studio).
Gym Class firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gym Class
- Legal name
- IRL Studios, Inc.
- Website
- https://gymclass.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Gym Class (IRL Studios, Inc.) is a San Francisco-based social VR sports gaming platform on Meta Quest with companion mobile apps, offering physics-based multiplayer sports across basketball, baseball, boxing, football, paintball, and soccer to consumer players globally, monetizing via freemium play and $19.99 licensed NBA and MLB content bundles.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gym Class industry classification
Industry- Product category
- VR Sports Gaming
- NAICS
- Amusement Arcades (713120), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports/Racing Game Studios (MPAFAAAJ)
Keywords
Where Gym Class is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Gym Class business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- In-Game Content Bundles: Premium content bundles including the NBA Bundle and MLB Bundle at $19.99 each, offering branded ballparks, official team uniforms, and progression tracks. Additional NBA and team-branded items available for separate purchase.
- Gym Class PRO Subscription: Premium subscription tier providing access to customizable private courts, personalizable full-body avatars, and other premium content features beyond the free-to-play base experience.
- Free-to-Play Base Game: Core game available for free on Meta Quest and mobile platforms, generating revenue through upsells to premium content rather than initial purchase price.
- In-Game Currency & Virtual Items: Virtual currency and in-game items including skins, gear from all 30 MLB/NBA clubs that can be earned through gameplay missions or purchased.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free-to-play base game with premium add-ons |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | NBA Bundle - $19.99 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | MLB Bundle - $19.99 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Gym Class product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gym Class is a free-to-play social VR sports platform offering multiplayer physics-based gameplay across basketball, baseball, boxing, football, paintball, and soccer on Meta Quest, with cross-platform extensions to iOS and Android. The company monetizes through one-time licensed content bundles (NBA Bundle, MLB Bundle at $19.99), a premium Gym Class PRO subscription featuring private courts and personalized avatars, in-game currency, virtual items, and season passes. The platform is designed to deliver realistic motion-tracked sports experiences backed by licensing partnerships with the NBA and MLB, complemented by a community of millions and viral social-driven discovery.
Product overview
Gym Class is a social VR sports platform built by IRL Studios, offering a free-to-play core experience (Gym Class VR) with premium add-on content. The platform started as a social basketball game on Meta Quest and expanded into a multi-sport platform featuring basketball, baseball, boxing, football, paintball, and soccer. Monetization combines a free-to-play base with premium content including NBA Bundle, MLB Bundle, Gym Class PRO subscription, Season Passes, and In-Game Currency. A mobile companion app (iOS/Android) launching in 2026 extends accessibility beyond VR headsets, enabling cross-platform play and social discovery via TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram content.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Gym Class PRO: Premium content subscription including customizable private courts and a personalizable full-body avatar.
Products and services
- Gym Class VR Social VR sports platform enabling multiplayer gameplay across basketball, baseball, boxing, football, paintball, and soccer. Features realistic physics-based mechanics, full-body avatar customization, and cross-platform play. Available on Meta Quest and expanding to mobile in 2026.
- Gym Class Mobile Companion App Mobile companion application on iOS and Android enabling players to join and play with VR friends, discover the community, and access cross-platform gameplay beyond VR headsets.
- NBA Bundle Licensed NBA content bundle ($19.99) offering virtual replicas of all 30 NBA team courts, two sets of team-branded apparel, and team-branded basketballs. Enables fans to play on their favorite team's court and wear official NBA merchandise in VR.
- MLB Bundle Licensed MLB content bundle ($19.99) featuring 30 MLB branded ballparks with crowds and jumbotrons, official home/away jerseys, caps, and batting helmets for all MLB clubs, plus a Progression Track to earn gear.
- Gym Class PRO Premium subscription tier offering customizable private courts, a personalizable full-body avatar, and other premium content features beyond the free-to-play base experience.
Quantifiable outcome
- 5 million+ downloads
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Gym Class
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Gym Class technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability6 records
Feature6 records
Gym Class partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.
- Major League Baseball (MLB)flagshipLicensing partnership enabling immersive VR baseball experience with 30 MLB branded ballparks, official home and away jerseys, caps and batting helmets from all MLB clubs, and progression track to earn gear. MLB Bundle starts at $19.99.
- National Basketball Association (NBA)flagshipLicensing relationship allowing Gym Class to offer virtual replicas of NBA team courts, official team-branded apparel and accessories, and team-branded basketballs. NBA Bundle available for all 30 NBA teams at $19.99. Enables fans to play on their favorite team's court and wear official NBA merchandise in VR.
- StripecorePayment processor used for direct website purchases. Stripe collects and processes payment data in accordance with its privacy policy for transaction processing.
- Google/YouTubecoreIntegration with Google Account and YouTube API Services for features like linking accounts, retrieving/displaying YouTube data, and maintaining authorization state for YouTube-powered features.
- DiscordsupportingCommunity platform integration allowing users to connect their Discord account to Gym Class services. Necessary information like Discord ID and friends list is accessed for integration.
- Meta (Oculus)corePlatform provider for Meta Quest VR headsets. Users access Games through Oculus/Meta platforms which handle payment processing and provide account information. Gym Class operates within the Meta Quest ecosystem.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Gym Class competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rec Room: Rec Room is a social VR platform with user-generated sports games (including paintball and basketball-like experiences) and cross-platform play spanning VR, mobile, and console — directly comparable to Gym Class's social multiplayer VR sports model.
- Nock (Mighty Coconut): Nock is a VR sports/archery title by Mighty Coconut on Meta Quest, sharing Gym Class's category (VR sports with multiplayer), platform (Meta Quest), and free-to-play-plus-premium monetization model.
- Supernatural (Within): Supernatural is a VR fitness/experiences app on Meta Quest combining physical activity with multiplayer social features and a subscription model — comparable to Gym Class in motion-based VR gameplay, Quest distribution, and premium subscription monetization.
- Beat Saber (Beat Games / Meta): Beat Saber is the flagship rhythm/fitness VR game on Meta Quest, offering a comparable combination of physical motion-based gameplay, premium DLC bundles, and large viral community — comparable in platform position, monetization, and audience overlap.
- Walkabout Mini Golf (Mighty Coconut): Walkabout Mini Golf is one of the top-rated multiplayer VR sports games on Meta Quest, sharing the same VR sports/social multiplayer category, Meta Quest Store distribution, and free-to-play-plus-DLC monetization approach as Gym Class.
Broad incumbents
- Niantic: Niantic operates location-based AR gaming platforms (Pokémon GO, NBA All-World) that combine physical activity with sports/IP licensing. Comparable to Gym Class in blending motion-based gaming with sports IP and community-driven virality, though operating in mobile AR rather than VR.
- MLB The Show (Sony San Diego Studio): MLB The Show is the official MLB-licensed baseball game on console/PC with multi-decade league ties. A VR version would compete directly with Gym Class's MLB-licensed baseball experience in the same licensed baseball category.
- NBA 2K (2K Games / Take-Two Interactive): NBA 2K holds the official NBA license for console/PC basketball simulation with a much larger development budget and multi-decade league relationship. A potential VR version would be the most direct competitive threat to Gym Class's NBA-licensed basketball experience.
- EA Sports (EA / Electronic Arts): EA Sports operates the dominant sports gaming franchises (Madden NFL, EA Sports FC, NHL) with deep league relationships and could enter VR sports competitively. It is a broad incumbent in the same sports-gaming category with vastly greater resources.
Emerging players
- VRChat: VRChat is a large-scale social VR platform with community-created sports worlds and cross-platform support. It competes for the same VR social-discovery audience as Gym Class but focuses on user-generated content rather than licensed sports IP.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Gym Class social profiles
Digital presenceGym Class compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Gym Class financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gym Class leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Gym Class funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gym Class M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gym Class
What does Gym Class do?
Gym Class is a free-to-play social VR sports platform offering multiplayer physics-based gameplay across basketball, baseball, boxing, football, paintball, and soccer on Meta Quest, with cross-platform extensions to iOS and Android. The company monetizes through one-time licensed content bundles (NBA Bundle, MLB Bundle at $19.99), a premium Gym Class PRO subscription featuring private courts and personalized avatars, in-game currency, virtual items, and season passes. The platform is designed to deliver realistic motion-tracked sports experiences backed by licensing partnerships with the NBA and MLB, complemented by a community of millions and viral social-driven discovery.
Is Gym Class a public or private company?
Gym Class is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Gym Class founded?
Gym Class was founded in 2021. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Gym Class based?
Gym Class is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Gym Class make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. In-Game Content Bundles are the primary driver. The others are gym Class PRO Subscription, free-to-Play Base Game and in-Game Currency & Virtual Items.
Who are Gym Class's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rec Room, Nock (Mighty Coconut), Supernatural (Within), Beat Saber (Beat Games / Meta) and Walkabout Mini Golf (Mighty Coconut). Broad incumbents are Niantic, MLB The Show (Sony San Diego Studio), NBA 2K (2K Games / Take-Two Interactive) and EA Sports (EA / Electronic Arts). VRChat is listed as an emerging player.
Does Gym Class have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gym Class.
What industry is Gym Class in?
Gym Class's product category is VR Sports Gaming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAJ, Sports/Racing Game Studios. Its NAICS code is 713120 and its SIC code is 7900.