What is Decentraland and what is MANA used for?

Decentraland is a virtual world where people walk around as avatars, go to events, chat and visit spaces made by other users, with ownership of land and items recorded on a blockchain. Its token, MANA, is used to buy land, names and other items. The idea began in 2015, and the world opened to the public in 2020.

What is Decentraland MANA?

MANA is Decentraland's cryptocurrency, an ERC-20 token on Ethereum. According to Decentraland's docs, it is used to buy LAND parcels, NAMEs and other digital items, or to trade for goods and services inside the world. The original white paper describes MANA as having a fixed supply and says unclaimed LAND was bought by burning MANA, at 1,000 MANA per parcel.

MANA also counts toward voting power in the Decentraland DAO, alongside LAND and NAMEs. Each NAME a user owns adds 100 voting power, the docs say.

What is Decentraland used for?

Most people use it as a social space. The docs list events, chatting, rewards and exploring as the main activities. The main map is called Genesis City and is split into LAND parcels of 16 by 16 meters. Owners can build on their parcels, combine them into Estates or rent them out.

Users who own a NAME also get a World, a personal 3D space outside the main map. Creators can design and sell wearables (avatar clothing) and emotes (animations). All of these items are NFTs that can be traded on Decentraland's own marketplace.

You do not need crypto to start. The docs say Decentraland is free to use, and you can sign in with a Google or Discord account instead of a wallet. Purchases are optional and can be paid by card or crypto.

What blockchain is Decentraland on?

Decentraland's core contracts run on Ethereum. LAND is held in an Ethereum smart contract, MANA is an ERC-20 token and NAMEs are part of the Ethereum Name Service.

Wearables and many marketplace trades happen on Polygon to avoid high fees. The DAO pays gas for eligible Polygon purchases of at least 1 MANA, up to a daily limit.

The DAO launched in 2020 and controls the contracts for LAND, Estates, wearables and the marketplace. Holders vote on proposals, and a small Security Advisory Board can make urgent fixes, CriptoNoticias reported at the time.

What is happening with Decentraland?

Decentraland began in the browser and later added a desktop app. In April 2026 it released apps on Google Play and the Epic Games Store, and then on Apple's App Store on April 20, GamesBeat reported. The company said the move was meant to reach new audiences.

The same report noted that traffic has fallen since the 2021 boom and that virtual land prices dropped sharply in 2025 and 2026. That fits the wider pattern described in what is the metaverse. Decentraland is often compared with The Sandbox, another world built on land NFTs. As of October 2026, Decentraland is still operating and adding new ways to access it, but its usage remains far below its peak.