Note: This is not financial advice. This is for educational purposes only. Please note that cryptocurrency is a highly volatile asset class; only invest what you can afford to lose.
Metaverse cryptocurrencies are all the rage right now — and have the potential to disrupt our world — as tech giants like Facebook and Microsoft work to launch sprawling alternative universes that transcend our physical world.
Interest in metaverse-focused cryptocurrencies soared after Facebook announced its new name: Meta. The social media giant retired its former name, Facebook, because it believes that it only represents a singular product. "Meta," the prefix of the word "metaverse," involves the concept of shared virtual worlds and communities, which is the branding Facebook hopes to encapsulate.
Microsoft is dabbling in the metaverse world, too. It recently introduced Mesh for Teams, a virtual workplace (Facebook has something similar called Horizon Workrooms). As such, daredevil investors are itching to get their hands on the best metaverse crypto. Logan Paul is also investing with his new NFT game Crypto Zoo.
Fortunately, we've done our research and we know which cryptocurrencies you should keep an eye on. Check out our list below to snag one of the best metaverse cryptocurrencies of 2021.
Which metaverse crypto has the greatest potential for disruption?
The metaverse crypto that could potentially disrupt the virtual realm is SAND, a launched by The Sandbox. In early November, SoftBank (one of the most influential tech companies in the world), invested a whopping $93 million in The Sandbox's metaverse game. With such a powerful backer on its team, The Sandbox is now in the spotlight as a metaverse platform investors should keep their eye on.
To understand how SAND comes into play, you need to know what, exactly, is The Sandbox. The SandBox is a virtual metaverse that lets users build, own, and even monetize their virtual experiences. SandBox plans on disrupting game makers such as Roblox and Minecraft by giving creators the opportunity to develop their own virtual worlds without a central authority.
In order to participate in The SandBox, you'll need to own a token called SAND. This metaverse crypto is required for playing virtual games, buying digital equipment and customizing your avatar. You can also earn SAND during gameplay.
Of course, SAND isn't the only hot metaverse crypto on the market. Other tokens that have caught metaverse investors' eyes include Decentraland (MANA), MetaHero (HERO) and more.
Metaverse crypto that may explode in popularity in 2021
SAND is the native token of The SandBox, a blockchain-based game and metaverse world that lets you purchase, sell and stake various non-fungible token (NFT) assets, namely virtual plots of land.
SAND runs on the Ethereum blockchain. One advantage of this is that Ethereum is a secure and stable network. On the flip side, Ethereum is notorious for imposing hefty gas fees on users who want to transact on its blockchain, so that's one downside of purchasing SAND.
Where to buy SAND: Binance, KuCoin, BitHumb
Decentraland, known as a "virtual social world," encapsulates everything that is the metaverse. To keep things short and succinct, Decentraland, launched in 2015, is a digital environment that mimics the physical realm. In Decentraland, you can attend virtual events, play games, trade digital goods in marketplaces and hang out with other members around the world.
Players who've explored Decentraland say it's reminiscent of Second Life, VRChat and even Animal Crossing. Every virtual element in Decentraland is owned autonomously by its players. Users can secure virtual property ownership via a cryptocurrency called MANA, which, like SAND, runs on the Ethereum blockchain.
And can we talk about how Decentraland has hosted a virtual music festival with Deadmau5 and Paris Hilton? Oh yeah, Decentraland's got potential!
Where to buy MANA: Binance, Coinbase, KuCoin, Kraken
Metahero isn't as established as Decentraland; it launched this year. However, its token, HERO, is attracting a lot of attention among metaverse pundits due to Metahero's fascinating, mind-blowing project.
Metahero is a 3D-scanning technology that recreates real-world objects, humans included, and recreates them into ultra-HD avatars. In other words, the core mission of Metahero is porting physical objects into the digital, virtual realm. These virtual objects are also minted as NFTs.
According to CoinMarketCap, Metahero already has an operational, 4K public chamber that's ready for scanning in Doha, Qatar. The team plans to place more scanning chambers in Tokyo, Berlin, New York, Seoul and more. As a cherry on top, MetaHero has ties with Sony through its exclusive partnership with Wolf Digital World.
In order to use Metahero, you'll need to secure HERO tokens. HERO is built on the Binance Smart Chain, so you don't have to worry about paying bank-breaking Ethereum gas fees.
Where to buy Metahero: KuCoin, Gate.io, PancakeSwap
Star Atlas is a virtual gaming world that takes place in the year 2620. As a citizen of Star Atlas, it's up to you to excel at territorial conquest, political domination and resource collection. As you struggle through intergalactic conflict, you'll have the opportunity to earn rewards in the form of tokens.
ATLAS is the main in-game currency of Star Atlas, which fortunately runs on Solana. I say "fortunately" because Solana is known as the "Ethereum killer." It's designed to offer the same services that Ethereum delivers, but without the wallet-burning gas fees and poor scalability.
Players can use ATLAS to buy digital assets such as ships, crew, land and equipment. Another in-game currency one can secure in Star Atlas is POLIS, which is mainly used for in-game governance procedures (e.g. publication of laws and decrees as a Star Atlas leader).
Where to buy ATLAS: FTX, Gate.io, Raydium
Bloktopia is a metaverse that features a virtual skyscraper with 21 floors. Why 21? Well, the Bloktopia team wants to pay homage to Bitcoin, which has a cap of 21 million. In this VR skyscraper, Bloktopia members can create their own avatas, socialize, learn about crypto and purchase metaverse "real estate."
With this VR real estate, users can create artwork, games, challenges, scenes and more with a simple builder tool that will be at their disposal. Bloktopia runs on Polygon, which uses the MATIC token to power its network. Unlike Ethereum, it allows affordable and rapid transactions.
