Sandbox Unveils Festive NFT Adventure

The holiday season is here, and The Sandbox is celebrating in a big way. For the first time ever, the platform has launched an Advent-style event built entirely around daily onchain gameplay and collectible rewards. If you love festive vibes, surprise gifts, and NFT scavenger hunts, this one is absolutely worth diving into.

Before we jump into all the details, if you're exploring more exciting blockchain experiences, check out the growing world of blockchain games.

A First-Ever Advent Calendar Experience

The Sandbox’s Season’s Greetings 2025 event marks a big shift in the project’s yearly holiday celebration. Instead of a large, complex multi-partner season, this year players get something more intimate and collectible: a fully interactive Advent calendar with 24 unlockable experiences.

Players can mint the Season’s Greetings Calendar NFT for 20 $SAND, which acts as a pass to the entire event. Every day from December 1 to December 24 at 14:00 UTC, a new door opens — and behind each one waits a mini-game and a limited edition NFT reward.

You can jump in anytime, even mid-event, and still catch up on missed days. The whole experience stays open until December 31.

Daily Quests and 24 Winter-Themed Rewards

Each of the 24 calendar doors features a bite-sized mini-game tied to a unique seasonal NFT. Thirteen contributing voxel artists designed this festive collection, including favorites like Pandapops, Julio Aikiman, Alina, MJ, and VieVoxx.

Expect everything from charming holiday décor to quirky wearables — all created exclusively for this event.

The final door, unlocking on December 24, offers the biggest surprise:🎁 The Cozy Yéti Avatar, a limited edition character you can only earn by completing the last mini-game.

All rewards remain claimable until December 31 at 14:00 UTC, giving players plenty of time to finish quests without holiday stress.

What the In-Game Experience Looks Like

Once you mint the Advent calendar NFT, you’ll step into a life-sized calendar inside The Sandbox world. Each door is numbered and hides a short interactive challenge. These mini-games stick to a fun, festive tone — light puzzles, cheerful interactions, and quick tasks designed to make daily check-ins feel enjoyable rather than grindy.

After completing a quest, the NFT reward appears automatically in your inventory. Sometimes there’s a short delay, but everything remains claimable as long as you complete the challenge on or after the door’s unlock date.

A Smaller but More Collectible-Focused Event

Compared to the massive Season’s Greetings 2023 event, this year’s version feels more streamlined. Back then, The Sandbox hosted over 60 experiences, partnered with major IPs like The Walking Dead, Warner Music, and The Little Prince, and offered a massive 600,000 $SAND prize pool.

Season’s Greetings 2025, on the other hand, removes the crypto rewards but adds something more curated: 24 handmade collectibles, no asset ownership requirements, and a simpler, more playful structure. The entry cost is lower, and the barrier to participation is practically zero.

This approach makes the event feel more accessible — especially for players who enjoy daily content and digital collectibles without the pressure of leaderboards or competitive progression.

A Transitional Year for The Sandbox

The Advent calendar event also arrives during a transformative year for The Sandbox as a company. In August, the team confirmed internal restructuring, including staff reductions and a leadership shift. Co-founders Arthur Madrid and Sebastien Borget stepped back from executive roles, while Robby Yung, known for his work at Animoca Brands, became CEO.

The company mentioned a move toward leaner operations supported by new AI-powered creation and moderation tools. Several regional offices closed, including Argentina, Turkey, and South Korea, leaving the platform operating from nine major hubs.

Despite these changes, The Sandbox remains committed to delivering content — and this holiday event is proof.

Market Context and $SAND Token Performance

The broader blockchain gaming market hasn’t been kind to utility tokens this year, and $SAND is no exception. The token remains over 95% below its 2021 peak, prompting discussions about platform activity and token utility.

Even so, The Sandbox continues building. Seasonal events, platform updates, and creator tools have all rolled out throughout 2025, keeping the ecosystem active despite market pressure.

Alpha Seasons Expanded in 2025

Earlier in the year, we saw The Sandbox push forward with major content through Alpha Season 5 and Alpha Season 6.

Highlights included:

• 40+ experiences

• Over $1M in rewards during Season 5

• A Jurassic World-inspired island full of digital dinosaurs

• New movement abilities like Double Jump and Fly

• Ethos Points-based leaderboard incentives

• A Cirque du Soleil premium track in Season 6

• A 250,000 $SAND prize pool for Premium Pass holders

These seasons continued to evolve The Sandbox’s event format — and set the stage for a more relaxed holiday experience.

Core Platform Improvements This Year

Throughout 2025, The Sandbox rolled out Game Client 0.12, bringing major upgrades:

• New multiplayer systems

• Adaptive chat features

• Improved NPC behaviors (companions, healers, storytellers)

• Quick Play lobbies

• In-game 3D NFT galleries

• Better visuals and autosave functions

These improvements strengthen the foundation for future social worlds and user-generated adventures.

A Cozy Year-End Event for the Community

Season’s Greetings 2025 feels like a softer, more personal way for the community to reconnect with The Sandbox. By focusing on collectibles, simple gameplay, and daily surprises, the event offers a festive break from the high-stakes seasonal formats of previous years.

If you haven’t joined yet, you can still mint the Season’s Greetings Calendar NFT and collect all rewards until December 31.

And if you're hungry for even more Web3 gaming stories, explore the full world of blockchain games at NFT Playgrounds.