Decentraland

Simon · Chief Gaming Officer
Covering blockchain games since 2022 · checked October 2026

Looking for a virtual world where the community, not a corporation, owns and governs the platform? Decentraland is a decentralized social metaverse built on Ethereum where players explore, socialize, attend events, and build on virtual land they own as NFTs. You can jump in through a desktop client for Windows and Mac, mobile apps for iOS and Android, or straight from your browser.

What is Decentraland?

Decentraland was created by Argentine developers Ari Meilich and Esteban Ordano and is overseen by the nonprofit Decentraland Foundation, while DCL Regenesis Labs builds the official clients on behalf of the DAO. Unlike most metaverse platforms, Decentraland is fully open source and community-governed through a DAO where MANA holders vote on proposals.

The main way in is the Unity-powered desktop client for Windows and Mac (Decentraland 2.0), with fast load times, high frame rates, and a world that features dual suns, procedurally generated landscapes, and detailed water effects. The same world is also on the Epic Games Store, in mobile apps for iOS and Android, and in a new browser client at decentraland.org/play.

How Does Decentraland Work?

Genesis City is the core map, made up of 90,601 LAND parcels arranged across themed districts. Each parcel is a fixed plot of virtual real estate that owners can build on, rent out, or leave undeveloped. Visitors explore on foot or by teleporting between locations, attending events, playing mini-games, or simply socializing.

Daily Quests reward players with Wearables and Emotes for completing tasks like visiting specific locations or attending events. A Badges system tracks and displays player achievements. The Creator Hub is a free desktop app for building and deploying scenes, while the SDK lets more technical creators build complex interactive environments.

Events are the social heartbeat of the platform. Metaverse Fashion Week, the annual music festival, and community-organized trivia, movie screenings, and concerts run regularly. The Events page on the official site lists what’s happening in real time.

Digital Collectibles in Decentraland

LAND parcels are ERC-721 NFTs on Ethereum, tradable on OpenSea and the native Decentraland Marketplace. Estates are groups of adjacent LAND parcels combined into a single asset.

Wearables are NFT clothing, accessories, and emotes for avatars, covering everything from basic hats to rare limited-edition fashion brand collaborations. New wearables are minted on Polygon rather than Ethereum. Names are unique avatar identifiers minted as NFTs, providing identity persistence across the platform.

MANA is the native ERC-20 token on Ethereum, used for LAND purchases, marketplace transactions, and DAO governance voting. Connecting a wallet is optional: anyone can explore and attend events as a guest without owning MANA or NFTs. Signing up with email or a social login creates a wallet for you automatically.

Getting Started in Decentraland

Download the desktop client free at decentraland.org for Windows or Mac (also on the Epic Games Store), or get the mobile app for iOS or Android. You can also explore in your browser at decentraland.org/play, though the desktop client delivers a significantly better experience. Create an account to access Daily Quests and earn Wearable rewards. To purchase LAND or Wearables, connect a MetaMask or WalletConnect-compatible Ethereum wallet and acquire MANA on any major exchange. Check the Events page before logging in to find something happening worth joining.

Watch Decentraland in Action

Here’s the official Decentraland 2.0 video showing the desktop client, the updated world, and social features.

Where to Go Next

• Explore more metaverse games.
• Learn about blockchain gaming in our FAQ Library.
• Browse all NFT games.