The metaverse is a diverse and fast-growing industry with new enterprises popping up every month. It incorporates several types of digital technology and different platforms offer varied types of experiences. Thanks to Dr Mark van Rijmenam who began this guide, a part of his new book “Step into the Metaverse“. Here is our A-Z guide to the Metaverse. A list of the current platforms that we highly recommend. We have tried to include a diversity of extended reality technology Metaverses in this guide. The Metaverses were selected because they utilise extended reality to immerse the user in a virtually enhanced environment. Updated monthly.
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Metaverse
| Name/Link | Type | Centralised / Decentralised | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Alien Worlds | 2D Virtual world | Decentralised | Alien Worlds is an NFT Metaverse game where you can play with unique digital items (NFTs). Played via Dapps (decentralized apps). |
AltEthos | 3D Virtual world | Centralised | A browser-based 3D events platform optimised for networking |
AltspaceVR | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Centralised | A Social VR platform purchased by Microsoft in 2017 |
Avakin Life | 3D Virtual World | Centralised | Avakin Life a social virtual world on mobile |
Axie Infinity | 2D Virtual world | Decentralised | An NFT based gaming platform that uses cryptocurrency for players to play to earn. |
Big Time | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Centralised | Big Time is a multiplayer action RPG where you team up with friends. NFT based, the game will be "play to earn". |
CEEK | 3D Virtual World | Decentralised | An Entertainment VR Platform for digital content creators features Universal Music artists. |
Challua | 2D Virtual world | Centralised | A social platform where each user is given their own home and a unique web address. |
Chase Reality | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Decentralised | A business orientated Metaverse set in the city of Singapore |
CoVince | Hybrid (AR & VR) | Hybrid | Creating collaboration spaces in a public and shielded environment. Combining psychology and technology (Mobile / Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality / Artificial Intelligence / Smart Sensoring) |
Cryptovoxels | 3D Virtual World (VR) | Decentralised | Cryptovoxels is a user-owned virtual world built on the Ethereum blockchain in which players can trade and create. |
Decentraland | 2D Virtual world | Decentralised | An open-source virtual 3D crypto-based platform where you can create, explore, and trade in a virtual world owned by its users. |
EDGEcity by MaisonDAO | 3D Virtual World (VR) | Decentralised | A virtual city, divided to 100 virtual lands where owners can host art galleries, fashion shows, and music clubs. Users can create their realistic 3d avatars, dress in virtual fashion and export for Metaverse |
ERTHA | Hybrid (AR & VR) | Hybrid | ERTHA is a real-world simulation, a crypto-based game that has a player-driven economy, wars, and politics. |
Eve Online | 2D Virtual world | Centralised | A very old and still strong space MMO that has one of the most complex in-game economies ever designed |
Fectar | Hybrid (AR & VR) | Decentralised | Multisided platform to create, publish, share and measure AR/VR experiences for everyone |
Fortnite | 2D Virtual world | Centralised | Fortnite is a Free-to-Play Battle Royale game where you can meet up with your friends, build worlds and have fun. |
Gather Town | 2D Virtual world | Centralised | Gather is a video chat platform designed to make virtual interactions more human. |
GeoAR.it | Augmented Experience | Hybrid | Part of the MetARver.se platform. Setup 3D informational hotspots and 3D audio at precise locations for others to find using their smartphone camera. Built on a complete 3D digital twin of the UK infrastructure |
Horizon Worlds | 3D Virtual World | Centralized | A virtual reality world where people can meet and collaborate and play games, owned by Meta Platforms |
JOURNEE – The Metaverse Company | 3D Virtual World | Centralised | JOURNEE is the platform to enable brands and creators to deliver the highest quality white label metaverse solution directly accessible to the world. |
Mapstar | Hybrid (AR & VR) | Decentralised | Mapstar is a map-based XR metaverse for the physical world where you can create, edit, own, trade, and share Extended Reality (XR) maps, collaborate, or explore the 3D worlds of others. |
Metadome | Hybrid (3D & AR) | Centralised | Metadome (formerly Adloid) is a persistent virtual world focussing on brands and will be driven by 3D and Augmented Reality. |
Metafluence | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Hybrid | 3D worlds for influencers to host virtual events, run online shops, and NFT galleries. |
Microsoft Mesh | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Centralised | A mixed-reality world where people can meet and collaborate owned by Microsoft |
Minecraft | 2D Virtual world | Centralised | A video game in which players create and break apart various kinds of blocks in three-dimensional worlds. Now owned by Microsoft. |
NeosVR | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Hybrid | Collaborative building in Virtual Reality and Desktop mode, a Metaverse built from within the Metaverse & Metaverse Engine. |
Odyssey Momentum | 3D Virtual World (VR) | Decentralised | Momentum is building an open-source web3 metaverse stack for collaboration |
Otherside | 2D Virtual World | Decentralised | Metaverse Game consists of 200,000 plots of land that are sold as NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain. |
Pavia | 2D Virtual world | Decentralised | Gaming application Pavia metaverse consists of 100,000 land parcels sold as NFTs on the Cardano blockchain |
Portals | 2D Virtual world | Decentralised | Portals is a web-based metaverse platform that allows users to trade and create working off the Solana ecosystem. |
RareRooms | 3D Virtual World (VR) | Decentralised | RareRooms is an immersive digital gallery to curate and shares your NFTs. It supports a myriad of wallets and also allows for mini-games and avatar inclusion. |
RedPill VR | 3D Virtual World (VR) | Centralised | Redpill is a virtual reality platform that enables social interactivity, creativity, distribution and robust monetisation of consumer and developer-generated content. |
RFOX VALT | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Hybrid | Multi-chain device-agnostic metaverse platform for retail and entertainment. 100 Shops can be bought through public auctions and traded on Opensea. |
Roblox | 2D & 3D Virtual world | Centralised | Roblox is an online platform and storefront users go to play games made by the community. It has its own currency system and users can play to earn. Now available in VR. |
RuneScape | 3D Virtual World | Centralised | RuneScape is the world's largest MMORPG with several social features to the game that allow player-to-player interactions for actions like trading. As well it has a very well-established marketplace to buy items to help out in combat, or to be used as cosmetics. |
Sansar | 3D Virtual World (VR) | Centralised | Sansar is a social virtual reality platform, the platform enables user-created 3D spaces and music venues. |
Second Life | 2D Virtual world | Centralised | The first virtual world where users could live, play, work and have fun and trade. Second Life has its own currency. |
Solice | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Centralised | Solice is an open 3D world with limitless possibilities, a VR hyper virtual where users can play, build, own, share and monetise their virtual experiences in an immersive way on the Solana blockchain. |
Somnium Space | 3D Virtual World (VR) | Decentralised | An open, social and persistent VR world where its economy is cryptocurrency. |
Star Atlas | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Decentralised | Star Atlas is a blockchain-based, space-themed, grand strategy video game built on the Solana blockchain. It is a massive multiplayer metaverse set in the distant future, in the year 2,620. |
Substrata | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Hybrid | PC and soon to be web browser-based client that has decentralized land ownership and model import in GLB/GLTF and other 3D files |
Terra Virtua | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Centralised | Metaverse platform, allowing connecting NFTs across AR, Mobile, and 3D working with licensed brands |
The Sandbox | 2D Virtual world | Decentralised | The Sandbox is a virtual world where players can build, own, and monetize their gaming experiences in the Ethereum blockchain. |
Topia | 2D Virtual world | Decentralised | A spatial chat platform aimed at creators and community builders who can earn through the use of their spaces can host NFTs |
Ultima Online | 2D Virtual world | Centralised | One of the first graphical user worlds to gain mass adoption, designed by several legends including Raph Koster |
VEU Enterverse | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Hybrid | Metaverse focused on Entertainment and Culture |
VRChat | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Centralised | An online virtual world platform offering social VR experiences. |
VRSpace | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Hybrid | VRSpace is an open-source WebXR enabled browser Virtual / Augmented Reality (WebXR) platform. |
WaveXR | 2D Virtual world | Centralised | Music & Entertainment streamed to gaming and video platforms |
World of Warcraft | 2D Virtual world | Centralised | World of Warcraft's Azeroth is one of the oldest and most popular continuously operating virtual worlds |
Zepeto | 2D & 3D Virtual World | Centralised | A virtual world with a unique custom 3D avatar and social VR. |
Zippy | 2D Virtual world | Hybrid | Zippy is an open and persistent virtual world where runners can run in virtual worlds such as marathon routes such as Boston, London, and Tokyo or scenic routes such as beach runs, mountains or a jungle trail. Runners can run solo or with friends across the world through their Avatars |
