An explosion of interest in the metaverse made 2021 a pivotal year for the cryptocurrencies that hope to power it. Consequently, many metaverse digital assets have emerged, making it difficult for investors to determine legitimate and hyped projects.

If you’re unfamiliar with the metaverse, think of it as a virtual world. It’s a digital environment that blends components of social networking, online gaming, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and crypto to allow users to connect virtually.

This article examines the best metaverse cryptocurrencies to keep an eye on in 2022 and beyond.

MANA

Decentraland (MANA)

Launched in August 2017, Decentraland is a metaverse game built on the Ethereum blockchain. In the game, users can buy and sell digital real estate.

Decentraland has a native token known as MANA. MANA is an ERC-20 token. The token has multiple uses. One, it is a governance token. It can be used to vote on the future of the project. Two, it can be used for in-game purchases. Items in the game like land can be bought using MANA tokens.

MANA tokens have a max supply cap of 2.2 billion. As of 30th December 2021, there are 1.8 billion MANA tokens in public circulation. According to Coinmarketcap, MANA is the 29th largest cryptocurrency by market cap. They have a live market cap of more than $6 billion.

Besides Decentraland, MANA tokens are available for purchase in several cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance, OKEx, FTX, and Huobi Global.

 

Sandbox (SAND)

The Sandbox is a play-to-earn game on the Ethereum blockchain. Players can build virtual worlds in the game using non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

The Sandbox features several different tokens, including the SAND token. The SAND token is the native token of The Sandbox. The token is an ERC-20 token. It has several uses. For example, it can purchase in-game items like lands and assets. It can also be staked to acquire more SAND tokens.

SAND tokens are yet to become governance tokens. However, there are plans to add governance as a feature of the tokens.

SAND tokens have a supply cap of 3 billion. As of 30th December 2021, there are more than 900 million SAND coins in public circulation. Coinmarketcap’s tokens are currently ranked 34th with a live market cap of more than $5 billion.

SAND tokens are available for purchase in several cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance, OKEx, Huobi Global, and FTX.

 

 Enjin Coin (ENJ)

Enjin Coin is the native token of the Enjin Network. The Enjin Network is a platform that allows users to create, store, and manage virtual goods for games.

Enjin Coin was launched in 2017 through an ICO. The token is an ERC-20 token stored in any ERC-20 compatible wallet. The token is designed to integrate with games, meaning it can be used as a currency to buy, sell, and trade NFTs. The tokens can be used to purchase in-game items.

Enjin Coins have a max supply cap of 1 billion. As of 30th December 2021, there are more than 800 million Enjin Coins in public circulation. According to Coinmarketcap, Enjin is currently the 61st largest cryptocurrency with a live market cap of more than $2 billion.

Enjin Coins are listed in several crypto exchanges, including Binance, Bithumb, Uniswap, OKEx, Huobi Global, and FTX. It can be bought and sold on both spot and derivatives markets.

 

Harmony (ONE)

Harmony is a blockchain-based platform that allows for the creation and use of decentralized applications. The platform was founded by Stephen Tse, who is also its CEO.

Harmony has a native token known as ONE token. The tokens have several use cases. The tokens can be used to vote for decisions concerning the platform’s future. They can be used to pay for various fees, including transaction, storage, and gas fees. They can also be staked for block rewards.

ONE token has a max supply of 12.6 billion tokens. As of 30th December 2021, there are more than 11 billion ONE tokens in public circulation. According to Coinmarketcap, ONE is currently ranked 57th with a live market cap of more than $2.5 billion.

ONE token is listed in several cryptocurrency exchanges for purchase. These crypto exchanges include Binance, KuCoin, Bybit, and Huobi Global.

 

Fantom (FTM)

Fantom is a decentralized innovative contract platform for decentralized applications and digital assets. The Fantom blockchain mainnet went live in December 2019.

Fantom has a native utility token called FTM. The tokens have several use cases. The tokens are used to pay for fees on the Fantom Network. The tokens can be used to vote for decisions concerning the future of the network. They are governance tokens. They can also be staked for rewards and making payments.

FTM tokens have a max supply of 3,175,000,000. As of 30th December 2021, there are 2,545,006,273 FTM coins in public circulation. According to Coinmarketcap, FTM is currently ranked 32nd with a live market cap of $5,432,224,952.

FTM coins are listed in many crypto exchanges, including big crypto exchanges like Binance, Gemini, Crypto.com, and FTX.

Solana (SOL)

Solana is a blockchain-based project designed to facilitate the creation of decentralized applications. The project was launched in March 2020 by the Solana Foundation.

Solana has a native token called the SOL token. The tokens power up the Solana ecosystem. They work as utility tokens. They have two major use cases. They can be used to pay for transaction fees and staking. Staking SOL tokens earn users rewards. SOL holders can also become network validators.

SOL tokens have a max supply cap of 489 million. As of 30th December 2021, there are 309,348,806 SOL coins in public circulation. According to Coinmarketcap, SOL is ranked 5th among the top-performing cryptocurrencies with a live market cap of $53,368,935,049.

SOL tokens are available for purchase on numerous crypto exchanges. Some crypto exchanges listing SOL tokens include Binance, Coinbase, FTX, and Huobi Global.

 

Polygon (MATIC)

Formerly known as the Matic network, Polygon is a blockchain-based platform for Ethereum scaling and infrastructure development. The platform is designed to promote the building and connecting of Ethereum-compatible blockchains.

Polygon has a utility token called the MATIC token. The token has several use cases. Holders of the tokens can use them to make payments on the network. The tokens can also be staked for rewards. Staking of the tokens is required for participation in the Polygon network’s consensus procedures.

MATIC tokens have a max supply of 10 billion. As of 30th December 2021, there are 7,162,892,403 MATIC coins in public circulation. According to Coinmarketcap, MATIC is ranked 14th among the top-performing cryptocurrencies with a live market cap of $17,811,898,503.

MATIC tokens are listed in many cryptocurrency exchanges for purchase. Some crypto exchanges that list MATIC tokens include Binance, Coinbase Pro, Huobi Global, FTX, and KuCoin.

 

 Terra (LUNA)

Terra is an open-source blockchain platform that allows users to create Stablecoins pegged on fiat currencies. In 2018, Do Kwon and Daniel Shim of Terraform Labs founded the platform.

Terra has a native token called LUNA. The token has several use cases. It can be used to make payments on the Terra platform. It can be used for governance. Holders of the tokens can stake them in creating and voting for proposals regarding the Terra protocol. Holders of the tokens can also stake them to become validators.

LUNA tokens have a max supply of 1 billion. As of 30th December 2021, there are 362,176,671 LUNA tokens in public circulation. Coinmarketcap says LUNA is currently the 9th largest cryptocurrency with a live market cap of $30,797,992,888.

LUNA tokens can be purchased on numerous crypto exchanges, including Binance, Huobi Global, KuCoin, and Bybit.

 

Gala (GALA)

Gala is an NFT-focused blockchain gaming platform. The platform allows users to earn NFTs for game assets and achievements. Gala Games is the company behind Gala. It was founded in 2018 by Eric Schiermeyer, Wright Thurston, and Michael McCarthy.

Gala has a native token called GALA tokens. The tokens are utility tokens that power up gala games. Holders of the tokens can use them to pay for in-game items. The tokens can be earned by running nodes and playing some of the available games in the ecosystem.

GALA tokens have a maximum supply of 35 billion. As of 30th December 2021, there are about 7 billion GALA tokens in public circulation. Coinmarketcap says GALA is ranked 47th largest cryptocurrency with a live market cap of $3,248,413,405.

GALA tokens are available for purchase in several crypto exchanges, including KuCoin, Bitrue, UniSwap V3, SushiSwap, Gate.io, and Binance.

Theta (THETA)

Founded in 2017, Theta Network is a decentralized video streaming platform powered by blockchain technology. The network allows developers to build decentralized applications on top of its blockchain.

Theta has two cryptocurrencies, THETA and TFUEL. THETA tokens are governance tokens. They enable their holders to vote on decisions concerning the Theta Network. TFUEL tokens are used for executing transactions. THETA tokens are the native tokens of the Theta network.

THETA tokens have a max supply of 1 billion tokens. TFUEL tokens have a max supply of 5 billion tokens. As of 30th December 2021, there are 1 billion THETA tokens in public circulation.

According to Coinmarketcap, THETA is currently the 39th largest cryptocurrency with a live market cap of $4,860,083,507.

THETA tokens are available for purchase on numerous crypto exchanges, including Binance, KuCoin, Huobi Global, Bybit, and OKEx.

 

Pricing Considerations

Harmony One and GALA are trading close to the $1 mark. The tokens end 2021 trading at $0.2241 (Harmony One) and $0.468 (GALA tokens).

MANA, Enjin, FANTOM, MATIC, and THETA end 2021 trading at under $5. They are worth some consideration for investors looking to diversify.

SAND is also in this range.

LUNA and SOL are more expensive than the others on this list. LUNA ended 2021 trading above $80, while SOL has seen all-time-highs trading above $260. These tokens don’t offer the affordable entry point they did at the beginning of 2021.

The growth and increasing adoption of the crypto market point to what looks like a bright future for the metaverse and the cryptos on our top ten list. Expect to see volatility as up and coming as the metaverse in a space. But over a few years, investing in some of these now might look like a pretty wise move in hindsight.

Opinions, not advice. Do your research.