8 Exciting Metaverse Crypto Projects to Watch for 2025
01/10/2025 20:56
Exploring online virtual crypto projects via the Metaverse for 2025
The new year has brought about new hype in the Metaverse. While the concept first gained momentum around the time of the pandemic it slowly lost the excited edge as Meta’s Horizon failed to deliver authenticity. However, creative projects and teams knew that most of us were still searching for new forms of online entertainment. For non-gamers, the Metaverse offers a new form of entertainment that never existed before.
In 2025, this idea around the evolution of online immersive spaces and the creation of fun, interactive online environments is gaining traction once again. So let’s take a closer look at some of the projects making noise to kick start the new year.
Wilder World
First up is Wilder World, quickly becoming a go-to resource for those who want to escape the physical world. There first Metaverse city Wiami are blurring the lines of entertainment. They are busy pushing the boundaries of virtual landscape design and exposing the team behind the streets of Wiami. The founder here has set out some ambitious goals for this year, including becoming the number one Metaverse project by global rank on coinmarketcap and to activate 100k monthly active wallets. https://x.com/real_n3o/status/1875610022052307284
Upland
After successfully using Sparklet to empower it’s player economy last year Upland continues to build momentum in the New Year. Upland is the go-to place for virtual land lovers who want to stake their claim for a slice of the Metaverse. Founder Dirk Lueth is a legend in Web3 and is also Chairperson of the Open Metaverse Alliance. Upland is not only fun to play, it allows players to get a taste of the Metaverse via mobile which is an achievement worth noting. The team at Upland are product gurus, constantly innovating and releasing.
LAMINA1
Neal Stephenson, renowned for coining the term "metaverse" in his 1992 novel Snow Crash, announced the Lamina1 Metaverse in partnership with Avalanche Blockchain last year and the team have been steadily pushing forward. Instead of building everything from scratch, Lamina1 relies on Avalanche’s infrastructure to enable decentralized virtual worlds inspired by sci-fi visions. With this partnership, Stephenson envisions a collaborative future for an open, interconnected metaverse. With their recent partnership with Korean based Another World and the Co-Founder Rebecca Barkin speaking about the future of creative spaces at CES they are off to a flying start for 2025.
Caliverse
With their recent announcement of advanced discussions with Nvidia and Arbitrum at CES last week, Caliverse, the South Korean Metaverse platform are carving out a leadership role in defining how people engage with the Metaverse. They are striving to change the entertainment landscape with these new, immersive online environments.
With new enhanced features and content designed to blur the lines between the virtual and real worlds, Caliverse is pushing the boundaries between the physical and virtual spaces. At CES 2025 Caliber, a subsidiary of Lotte Innovation, announced ambitious plans in collaboration with global tech giants.
Sandbox
No Metaverse list is complete without The Sandbox, the fun pixelated world that operates using the SAND token. It is a very popular Metaverse project that runs on the Ethereum blockchain. Users can create, own, and monetize their own virtual experiences. The Sandbox has a number of partnerships with major brands, including Atari, Adidas, and Snoop Dogg. Be sure to check out the Irish Shebeen if you decide to jump in.
Decentraland
Creators have maintained a presence in Decentraland and they recently went through an upgrade. It offers annual events and festivals that are worth attending for anybody interested in meeting people in virtual spaces. It is a decentralized virtual world that runs on the Ethereum blockchain. Users can purchase land, build and customize their own environments, and interact with other users.
SITEnetwork
SITEnetwork is using advanced Metaverse technologies to redefine how people explore physical environments. They are focused on empowering local communities to retain control over their cultural heritage while offering immersive experiences. In Edinburgh, Scotland, the project is transforming tourism by enabling locals to create detailed 3D models of iconic areas, like Edinburgh Castle, using just smartphone cameras. Powered by the XPEDITION Token (XPED), SITEnetwork’s decentralized model ensures communities manage their own digital spaces, balancing tourism’s economic benefits while protecting cultural integrity.
These virtual environments offer new ways to carve out communities and social spaces online. From economic opportunities to grabbing some virtual land, there are endless ways to play with new applications offering an extension of reality. Metaverse is still in its early stages of development, although it has the potential to transform many industries including gaming, entertainment and education. Let’s see what and where is created for us to explore in 2025.