Decentraland Updates: Fresh Features and Fixes
By Decentraland, , in Announcements
Decentraland is evolving—fast. From powerful new tools for creators to smoother social interactions for everyday players, the latest updates bring a wave of improvements designed to make building, connecting, and exploring feel better than ever.
Over the past few months, the platform has introduced everything from in-world streaming and new Smart Items to refreshed chat systems, customizable avatars, and a smoother onboarding experience. Whether you're a long-time builder or just starting to explore, there’s something new here for you.
Updates for Creators
Launch of the Creator Academy
Creator Hub Updates
Scene Admin Smart Item
Improved Publishing
New Smart Items
UX Improvements in the Creator Hub
Other Creator Hub Improvements
Streaming Support for Scenes
Scene Logs in the New Explorer
Wearable Testing in the New Client
Local Multiplayer Testing With SDK7
Updates for Users
Names and Profile Pictures in World
Player Blocking Tools
Private Conversations Return
Friends System Reintroduction
Chat System Improvements
Updated Onboarding Tutorial
How Development Cycles Work at Decentraland
Updates for Creators
Whether you're testing Wearables or refining multiplayer scenes, the latest Creator tools are all about giving you more control—with less friction.
Launch of the Creator Academy
The Creator Academy is now live: a community-led workshop series where experienced builders share tips, techniques, and inspiration on Discord. After two well-received sessions, the format is expanding—expect more frequent events, including deeper dives into building with SDK7 and the Creator Hub. Sessions are streamed to YouTube for easy replay, and participation may come with exclusive rewards. It's designed to help creators of all levels level up their skills and stay connected to what's possible in Decentraland.
Watch the Creator Academy series
Creator Hub Updates
Scene Admin Smart Item
A new Scene Admin Smart Item gives scene owners more live control over what happens in-world. Admins can now access a customizable UI panel to play or pause videos, change URLs, post announcements, trigger airdrops, or activate any other Smart Item. Admins can also be assigned and managed per scene, making it easier to collaborate or delegate control without giving up ownership.
Improved Publishing
Scene publishing is now smoother and more informative. The Creator Hub now includes friendlier status messages, notifications upon successful deployment, and the ability to reopen a publish status. Behind the scenes, the deploy process is also more resilient, reducing interruptions and failed attempts.
New Smart Items
Several new Smart Items have been added to the Creator Hub, allowing you to add polish, clarity, or celebration to your scenes. These include signposts, explosions, fireworks, confetti bursts, and ready-made “You Win” or “Game Over” screens—plus returning community favorites like the Deadmau5 spiral effect. These additions help creators easily layer polish and feedback into interactive experiences.
UX Improvements in the Creator Hub
The Creator Hub has also had small but meaningful UX upgrades. You can now drag assets directly into the editor to import them, and take advantage of new shortcuts that make working with local files faster and more intuitive.
Other Creator Hub Improvements
A collection of quality-of-life tweaks help speed up daily workflows. You can now set a custom path and name when creating a scene, skip the login screen when returning to the Hub, and refresh local files with a dedicated button. Control inputs have been refined too—right click now controls the camera, left click interacts. Additional fixes also improve gizmo rotation, as well as syncing between sound and video playback.
Streaming Support for Scenes
Video screens now support direct livestreaming via OBS in both Genesis City and Worlds. Scene admins can securely input a stream ID and key, and manage multiple screens independently. New moderation tools also make it easier to assign or remove scene-level admins without leaving the scene.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/efjJN7Jr7Qo
Scene Logs in the New Explorer
Creators can now view real-time error messages from the engine while running a scene in the new Decentraland Explorer. Logs are easier to read and include a quick-access button to open them, helping creators debug faster and more effectively.
Wearable Testing in the New Client
Creators can now preview unpublished Wearables in Builder and see how they appear in Decentraland 2.0 before publishing. It’s a smoother way to catch issues and finalize a look.
Local Multiplayer Testing With SDK7
You can now open two local windows to simulate multiplayer environments. Players appear to each other and share synced scene changes—ideal for testing collaborative gameplay.
Updates for Users
Social tools continue to evolve in Decentraland, giving you more ways to express yourself, set boundaries, and connect on your own terms.
Names and Profile Pictures in World
You can now manage your NAME and Profile Picture (PFP) directly from within the Explorer. A new button in your profile settings takes you to the Marketplace, where you can buy or update your NAME. PFPs are now supported again too, helping you personalize your identity and bring your avatar to life.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/SCFypC2HtYM
Player Blocking Tools
A new blocking feature allows you to control who can interact with you. If someone is making your experience less enjoyable, you can now block them with a few clicks—hiding both their avatar and chat messages. You can also manage your list of blocked users anytime through settings.
Private Conversations Return
Private chats are back and easier to access. Whether you’re checking in with a friend or having a one-on-one moment during an event, private messages now integrate with the Bubbles chat UI. The new sidebar layout sets the stage for larger group conversations and community channels coming in future updates.
Friends System Reintroduction
The friends system is back and better integrated into your in-world experience. You can now send and receive friend requests, get notified when someone adds you, and see when your friends come online. It’s a simple way to stay connected and jump into shared moments more easily.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cx-BgfrWF8I?si=JF8_WICmMb5eBoqJ
Chat System Improvements
Chat has been upgraded across the board. Scrolling is smoother, unread messages are now clearly marked, and you can copy and paste links—including Worlds, Scenes, and standard URLs. Mentions help direct conversations, and a visible member list makes it easier to follow what's happening in busy areas.
Updated Onboarding Tutorial
The onboarding experience has been refreshed. It now includes additional steps, overlays for control guidance, and updated examples to reflect SDK7-powered features. If you're new to Decentraland, it’s a more helpful starting point. A new option allows you to go back and revisit previous steps in the tutorial, making it easier to understand the basics at your own pace without starting over.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/I4wO7V1EeGY
How Development Cycles Work at Decentraland
To help ensure regular, meaningful improvements, the Decentraland Foundation follows a system called the Shape Up methodology. Each development cycle runs over 8 weeks and focuses on clear goals informed by community feedback, user data, technical feasibility, and market trends.
Each cycle typically results in a focused set of upgrades—some visible, some under the hood—that aim to make Decentraland better for players, creators, event hosts, and everyone in between.
You can explore the work in progress, browse previous updates, or track what’s coming next on the Cycles page or by diving into the latest pull requests. For ongoing support, the Support page has you covered.
Check out our previous update → Dev Cycle 9 Recap: Map Updates Are Here