Decentraland has opened enrollment for a $30,000 fund for developers who publish games in its virtual world. The first round will distribute $10,000 based on how many new players a game attracts, how long people actively play and whether they return on later days.
Games already open to players in Decentraland can earn their developers a share of three USDC payouts. The Decentraland Foundation runs the Creator Fund and finances it jointly with the DCL Regenesis Labs Foundation.
Decentraland co-founder and executive director Esteban Ordano said a solo developer whose game finds an audience should be able to earn from it without a major studio or brand behind them. Teams still working on a prototype have a separate option. Creator Success pays selected teams $1,000 once they deliver an agreed section of the game that others can playtest.
Decentraland’s November 11 announcement of the Creator Fund
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Which players count toward a reward?
A game earns credit when it is a new player’s first stop in Decentraland. The foundation also tracks how long people actively play and whether they come back on a later day. Under the program rules, a game’s share depends on how it performs relative to the other eligible games. The foundation does not disclose the weight it gives each measure. Two games with the same playtime could earn different amounts.
Only real players aged 18 or older using the official desktop or mobile app count. The fund excludes visits by developers to their own games, their collaborators’ visits and those of other fund participants. New players recruited through either foundation’s advertising do not count, nor do visits for which a player receives a reward from another Decentraland rewards program.
Developers can follow provisional figures in Creator Hub. Before paying, the team checks for bots and removes artificial activity. If it finds that the developer did not cause the suspect traffic, it discards only that activity. A member of the program team must review a suspension or permanent exclusion before it takes effect. Developers have 14 days from notification to submit information for the review.
How can developers enroll?
A developer must publish the game on a LAND parcel in Genesis City or in a publicly accessible World. Worlds that require an invitation, password or NFT for entry are ineligible, as are games with gambling or other age-restricted content. Participants must be at least 18, meet any higher local age of majority and live somewhere the foundations can legally pay them.
Developers sign the terms in Creator Hub with the wallet that owns the LAND, NAME or World where they published the game. One signature covers all eligible games held by that wallet. Games published later join the next time the developer opens the Earn tab. Developers who hold games in several wallets sign once with each. For team projects, the foundation pays one address and the collaborators decide how to divide the money.
Developers who enroll before a round closes can earn credit back to its start if they owned the location throughout. If a location changes hands during a round, neither owner can earn from its visits in that period. The buyer can enroll for the following round. The former owner still receives any rewards earned in earlier rounds.
When is the first USDC payment due?
The foundation calculates rewards in dollars and pays in USDC on Ethereum mainnet using the ERC-20 token standard. The two foundations cover the network fee. The beta ends on December 31. Decentraland plans to announce what comes next for 2027 after the season closes.
| Play period | Shared pool | Payment due by |
|---|---|---|
| November 15–30, 2026 | $10,000 | December 10, 2026 |
| December 1–15, 2026 | $10,000 | December 23, 2026 |
| December 16–31, 2026 | $10,000 | January 11, 2027 |
Developers must set a payout address in Creator Hub within seven days of a round ending and confirm their email when they set it. Without an address on file by the deadline, they lose that round’s reward. The foundation adds up earnings across each participant’s eligible games. If the total falls below $5, it makes no payment and does not carry the amount into the next round.
Under the program terms, the foundation will check a participant’s identity before making further payments if their rewards for the season exceed $5,000 or if it detects signs of fraud. Participants have 15 days to complete the requested checks before the foundation cancels their unpaid rewards.
