Sandbox
Sandbox is a SAND-Powered Metaverse with Polygon LAND NFTs
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Sandbox is a shared 3D game world where SAND is its payment token and LAND NFTs are unique digital building plots. The platform combines free creation software, a marketplace and blockchain ownership so people can play experiences, build voxel assets and publish games on Polygon-backed LAND.
Contents
Readers need to separate three layers: the playable software, creator tools and on-chain assets. That distinction explains when a wallet matters, where fees arise and why owning LAND is optional for most early activity, which is covered in practice.
It is a blockchain-based metaverse where creators build and monetize games, with Polygon LAND NFTs and SAND required for marketplace transactions.
SAND, Marketplace Fees and Network Costs
Three fixed shares determine a Marketplace sale: 2.5% goes to The Sandbox, 2.5% goes to the minter and 95% reaches the seller. SAND denominates the transaction, while the selected blockchain charges its own gas separately.
Sale Proceeds
A Marketplace sale allocates 2.5% to The Sandbox and 2.5% to the original minter, leaving 95% for the seller. A worked example uses a 500 SAND sale price: the seller receives 475 SAND, The Sandbox receives 12.5 SAND and the minter receives 12.5 SAND. When the seller is also the minter, that wallet receives both applicable shares. The percentage split stays fixed, while the SAND value chosen for a listing remains the seller's decision.
Network Gas
Polygon transactions use POL for gas; legacy Ethereum interactions use ETH. Gas isn't part of the Marketplace percentage split.
Market-Set Asset Prices
The SAND quote for LAND, avatars and ASSETs moves with each listing rather than a protocol schedule. A LAND seller weighs parcel size, map coordinates and nearby destinations. An ASSET creator weighs visual work, utility, edition size, its Catalyst-based attributes and intended gameplay role. The buyer therefore checks two separate totals: the SAND sale amount and the network gas shown before signing. SAND's market value adds another moving input, so the same NFT quote represents a different fiat cost as the token price changes.
The SAND, LAND and ASSET Model
Three token layers separate spending, land ownership and reusable items: SAND uses ERC-20, LAND uses ERC-721 and minted ASSETs use ERC-1155. Each standard gives the wallet and contracts a different job.
SAND has a maximum supply of 3,000,000,000 units and serves as the ecosystem's medium of exchange and governance token. LAND records control of a mapped parcel, while an ASSET represents a minted voxel item or equipment edition. The full map contains 166,464 LAND parcels in a 408×408 arrangement. The next part of this is set out in Sandbox rewards.
| Fixed Parameter and Value | Supported Scope |
|---|---|
| SAND standard: ERC-20 | Ethereum and Polygon fungible tokens |
| LAND standard: ERC-721 | Ethereum and Polygon LAND NFTs |
| ASSET standard: ERC-1155 | Minted voxel ASSET editions |
| LAND supply: 166,464 parcels | Complete metaverse map |
| Map grid: 408×408 parcels | All LAND coordinates |
| Parcel volume: 96×96×128 blocks | One 1×1 LAND |
| Block scale: 32×32×32 voxels | VoxEdit and Game Maker assets |
Token ownership and game utility meet at the account's connected wallet. SAND pays for Marketplace items and participates in The Sandbox DAO. LAND supplies a place to publish an experience. ERC-1155 ASSETs let one design exist as multiple numbered copies, unlike a LAND parcel's unique ERC-721 identity. Avatars also use ERC-721. None of these standards determines creative quality, traffic or resale demand; they define ownership records and transfer behavior.
Playing, Building and Publishing Experiences
Three creator tools divide production: VoxEdit makes voxel assets, Game Maker assembles experiences and Game Client lets players enter published worlds. Their shared account and workspace connect the process.
VoxEdit Assets
VoxEdit establishes the platform's visual scale before an item reaches Game Maker. One block represents 1 metre and contains 32×32×32 voxels; a medium human template stands 2 blocks or 64 voxels high. Artists model, rig and animate props, characters and equipment, then upload them to a workspace. An asset's dimensions and appearance can't be resized inside Game Maker, so scale testing belongs in VoxEdit. Minting converts an eligible finished ASSET into an ERC-1155 token for marketplace ownership and transfer.
Game Maker Experiences
Game Maker places blocks and ASSET instances, then adds behaviors, components, messages and objectives. A single 1×1 LAND provides a 96×96-block base and a 128-block build height. That fixed volume gives creators a clear performance and layout boundary. Objects can reuse one library ASSET while holding separate positions, tags and logic inside the experience. Publishing attaches the finished experience to available contiguous LAND selected by its owner.
Game Client Play
Game Client runs published experiences with the player's chosen avatar and eligible equipment. Creators combine exploration, quests, social spaces, competitions and NFT-gated areas. A connected wallet proves ownership when an experience checks for a required pass or ASSET, while ordinary access remains available wherever the publisher leaves entry open.
Can You Use The Sandbox Without Buying LAND?
Zero LAND is required to open an account, play available experiences or build drafts with The Sandbox's free creation tools. A wallet is also optional until someone wants to purchase, claim or own blockchain assets. LAND becomes relevant when a creator publishes an experience to a parcel. A builder can develop first, collaborate with a LAND owner later or decide that playing and asset design meet the intended use.
Wallet Setup and the Polygon Entry Path
Three officially documented wallet routes - MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet and Venly - connect a Sandbox account to Ethereum and Polygon assets for purchases, ownership and claims. The connected address, selected network and token balance must align.
- Create the Sandbox account and test the free player or creator tools first.
- Connect MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet or Venly to the same account used for the workspace.
- Add Polygon Mainnet with chain ID 137 and keep enough POL for transactions requiring gas.
- Hold SAND on the network used by the selected Marketplace item or LAND action.
- Read the chain, contract interaction and amount in the wallet before confirming.
Official LAND sales have used Polygon since November 2022, and newer Marketplace transactions also run there. Ethereum still matters for older holdings and bridge routes. A completed purchase appears under the connected wallet address, not inside an account-controlled custodial balance.
Ownership Rights and Operational Trade-Offs
Four exposures shape Sandbox ownership decisions: SAND price movement, NFT resale liquidity, irreversible signatures and network mismatches between Ethereum and Polygon. These affect buyers and publishers differently from ordinary players.
Price and Liquidity
SAND isn't a stablecoin, so a fixed token quote doesn't lock a fiat cost. LAND and ASSET listings also rely on another participant accepting the seller's chosen price. Scarcity is fixed at 166,464 LAND parcels, yet scarcity alone doesn't create active demand for every coordinate. Location, published content, nearby destinations and broader interest in the platform influence market attention. Treat a purchase as access or productive inventory only when its utility fits the intended project, because an immediate exit isn't built into the token standard.
Rights and Publishing
An ERC-721 LAND token proves control of its mapped parcel and provides the publishing surface attached to that coordinate. It doesn't automatically create an audience, a finished game or ownership of every creative work displayed there. ASSET usage follows the token's platform utility and applicable content terms. Builders should also budget production time: a large build volume still needs assets, logic, testing and updates before players see a polished experience.
Wallet and Network Control
Wallet signatures settle purchases, listings, approvals and bridge actions under the connected address. Once an on-chain transaction finalizes, editing a Sandbox profile won't reverse it. An approval remains active until it is changed, and a network mismatch can leave SAND visible on Ethereum while a Polygon action expects Polygon SAND. The essential check is mechanical: match the wallet address, network, token standard and intended quantity before signing.
Ethereum, Polygon and the Bridge Under the Hood
Two chains carry the core Sandbox assets: Ethereum Mainnet uses chain ID 1 and Polygon PoS uses chain ID 137. Separate contracts represent SAND and LAND on each network.
The Sandbox Bridge moves supported SAND and LAND between those environments without increasing their defined supply. The Polygon PoS bridge advances in two stages, reaching a checkpoint before finalizing the transfer to the destination network. A bridge action therefore creates an on-chain sequence rather than a database edit. The source-side and destination-side records must complete before the connected account shows the asset on its target chain.
Use Etherscan for Ethereum records and Polygonscan for Polygon records; each explorer reports only the chain it indexes.
Decentraland, Roblox and Core as Alternatives
Three alternatives frame the choice: Decentraland emphasizes virtual land, Roblox favors a managed creator economy and Core distributes games without NFT parcels. Each option assigns ownership and publishing differently.
Decentraland pairs Ethereum LAND with the ERC-20 MANA token and suits browser-first exploration around a persistent map. Roblox Studio connects creation to the Robux economy and a much broader managed audience, while platform accounts retain control of item records. Core emphasizes multiplayer templates, publishing and creator monetization without requiring a land token. The Sandbox is the more specific fit when voxel production, wallet-held game assets and a finite LAND map must operate together in one creation pipeline.
Sandbox: questions and answers
Does creating a Sandbox experience require coding skills?
Creating a Sandbox experience doesn't require traditional coding because Game Maker provides visual behaviors, components, messages and objectives. Builders still need to understand event logic, variables and testing when interactions become complex. VoxEdit handles modeling and animation separately. Scripting experience helps with system design, but the standard creation path uses the platform's graphical tools rather than a general-purpose programming language.
Can VoxEdit creations be used without minting an NFT?
VoxEdit creations can be uploaded to the creator's Workspace and used in Game Maker without being minted. Minting is the later step that turns an eligible ASSET into an ERC-1155 token for Marketplace transfer and ownership. Keeping a design unminted is suitable when only its creator's account will use it inside an experience. Publication checks still require rights to third-party ASSETs included in the build.
Are adjacent LAND parcels required to form an ESTATE before publishing?
Adjacent LAND parcels don't have to be merged into an ESTATE before an experience is published across them. Game Maker publishing lets the owner select available parcels that touch one another. The underlying ERC-721 tokens retain their identities and coordinates. Creating a formally larger ESTATE is a separate ownership arrangement, so ordinary multi-parcel publishing starts with contiguous LAND controlled by the relevant owner.
When is identity verification required in The Sandbox?
Identity verification is required when an account enters platform activities that distribute SAND or NFT rewards and other restricted ownership programs. It isn't needed to create an account, play freely available experiences or draft work in VoxEdit and Game Maker. Eligibility rules also apply to each event or claim, and a connected wallet must match the verified account before a qualifying reward can be claimed.
Can The Sandbox Bridge move ASSET NFTs between networks?
The documented Sandbox Bridge paths support SAND and LAND transfers between Ethereum and Polygon. ASSET NFTs aren't listed as a completed transfer path in the core bridge workflow, so an owner shouldn't assume an ERC-1155 ASSET will follow the LAND procedure. Check the asset's network in the connected wallet and use it where that contract is supported. Bridging SAND or LAND leaves the defined token supply unchanged.
Where can creators test a Marketplace ASSET before buying it?
Creators can use the Marketplace item's Test in Game Maker function to place a candidate ASSET in the Game Maker library before purchase. That preview supports checks for scale, appearance and interaction inside a draft. Testing doesn't grant publishing rights. When an experience is prepared for publication, the platform checks its third-party ASSETs and identifies items the builder must own.