The Sandbox

Introduction

The Sandbox is a voxel-based metaverse where players explore, play, and build experiences on virtual LAND, developed by The Sandbox, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands. It runs on Ethereum, with Polygon used for lower-cost transactions, and is played through a Windows and macOS client, with some experiences now reachable directly in a browser. Its content is organized into recurring Alpha Seasons that pair branded worlds with community-made games.

Setting

The Sandbox is set in an open voxel world divided into a finite grid of LAND parcels, each an on-chain property that owners can develop into games and social spaces. Its experiences rotate through recurring Alpha Seasons that combine licensed entertainment brands with games built by the community. There is no fixed storyline; the world is shaped by what creators build, and it shifts with each Season.

Gameplay

The core of The Sandbox is creation and exploration. Players move through experiences hosted on LAND parcels, completing quests, mini-games, and seasonal challenges for rewards, while creators assemble their own games without writing code. Progression during a Season runs through a battle pass with free and paid tracks, centered on a rotating catalogue of branded and community experiences.

• Build without code: Game Maker lets creators design and publish interactive experiences on their LAND through a visual editor.
• Seasonal play: Alpha Seasons rotate branded and community games, with a battle pass and challenges for participants.
• Community game jams: Regular jams surface player-made experiences, some promoted into later Seasons.

Economy

The economy centers on the utility and governance token SAND, which players spend on avatars, equipment, and access to some experiences, and which creators receive for their assets and worlds. SAND holders can take part in governance through the Sandbox DAO and stake for rewards, with staking tied to the Polygon network. Virtual LAND is held as NFTs that owners can build on, monetize, or trade, and LAND owners have a separate staking program.

• SAND utility: Spent on avatars, gear, and experience access, paid to creators, and used in DAO governance and staking.
• LAND ownership: Parcels are NFTs that can be developed, monetized, or traded, with dedicated owner staking.
• Asset creation: VoxEdit ASSETs list on the Marketplace, where CATALYST and GEM items set rarity and attributes.