Build Worlds. Share Adventures. Own Your Data.
SandNet is an open source, privacy-first game creation and virtual world platform designed to give users full control over their data, creations, and digital identity. Built as a modular system under the AGPL-3.0-or-later license, it allows communities to self-host, extend, and customize the platform without being locked into a single centralized ecosystem. SandNet is structured to support a wide range of users, including young players, teens, adult creators, families, schools, and large organizations.
At its core, SandNet provides a complete environment for building and sharing interactive games and worlds. It includes a powerful visual editor, scripting support, asset management tools, and multiplayer infrastructure for both peer-to-peer and dedicated servers. Creators can design everything from small educational experiences to large-scale persistent worlds with procedural terrain, dynamic ecosystems, physics-based environments, and advanced simulation systems. The platform also supports cross-platform development across web, desktop, and mobile.
Security and privacy are foundational to SandNet’s design. User accounts are protected with modern authentication methods such as passkeys and WebAuthn, while sensitive data is encrypted both in transit and at rest. Messaging, game data, and creator workspaces can all be secured with strong encryption standards, ensuring users retain control over their personal information. The platform is also designed with modular safety systems, including reputation scoring, content moderation tools, and guardian-controlled parental settings.
SandNet also emphasizes collaboration and community-driven development. Creators can work in teams using shared workspaces, version control, and cloud-based development environments. The Creator Economy system enables commissions, revenue sharing, asset marketplaces, and sponsorships, allowing developers to earn from their work. Organizations such as schools, nonprofits, and studios can manage large-scale projects with dedicated dashboards and permission systems.
Beyond game development, SandNet expands into music creation tools, virtual events, AI-assisted development features, and educational environments. Users can host concerts, build interactive learning worlds, simulate real-world systems, and participate in community governance. With its modular architecture, federated server support, and extensible plugin ecosystem, SandNet is designed to evolve continuously as an open, community-owned alternative to closed gaming platforms.
- SandNet – An open source, privacy-first, modular game creation and virtual world platform that enables creators, families, and organizations to build, share, and collaborate in secure, user-owned digital environments.
The initial concept for SandNet was first introduced publicly in a Facebook post on August 6, 2025, where the idea of a privacy-first, open source, modular gaming and world-building platform was shared as an early-stage vision focused on user ownership, encrypted data, and community-driven development. This early announcement outlined the foundation of what would later become a much broader ecosystem, emphasizing creator freedom and safe, age-structured digital spaces. The project later reached a more formal stage of development with its official launch announcement on Substack on February 8, 2026, where SandNet was presented as an evolving platform rather than a static product. From that point forward, it transitioned into a fully modular ecosystem, expanding across creators, families, organizations, and self-hosted communities, with a focus on scalability, extensibility, and long-term open source collaboration.