Autumn is upon us in the United States, bringing the chill of October, the specter of Halloween, and the buzz of upcoming elections. It’s a trifecta of reasons to cozy up indoors, perhaps prompting some to dive into the immersive realms of OpenSim. Maybe it’s the allure of virtual exploration during these times that led to a noticeable spike in active users on public OpenSim grids—over 3,000 new participants since last month!
Yet, while user engagement has soared, the landscape has contracted somewhat. Fluctuations in grid availability and statistical updates have caused a slight dip in total registered users and a reduction in land equivalent to 24,000 standard regions this month. Notably, this decline stems almost entirely from the Simation Grid. Once boasting 25,408 regions, it dramatically scaled down to just 1,024. An adjustment like this isn’t uncommon; it often reflects tests of server limits rather than user-driven expansion. It’s a logical decision—if a grid’s not bustling with virtual explorers, what’s the point in keeping all that virtual real estate powered up?
At present, we’re keeping tabs on 2,675 public grids, with 301 showing activity this month and 233 providing us with their statistics. If there’s a grid we haven’t caught wind of yet, adding its stats page to our list would be beneficial; feel free to reach out via email at [email protected] for inclusion in future reports.
In the latest shuffle, OSgrid takes the crown for the largest grid by land area, with an impressive 34,103 standard region equivalents. Meanwhile, the Wolf Territories Grid steals the spotlight for activity, with 6,950 unique logins over the past 30 days.
Should you examine the chart featured above, you’ll notice how Simation’s regions created quite the spike over summer, but now we’re witnessing a rebalancing of land distribution to more typical levels.
It’s worth noting that most DreamGrid run grids aren’t represented in these statistics since they often remain private. DreamGrid is a user-friendly incarnation of OpenSim, allowing those with minimal technical know-how to craft virtual worlds cheaply and efficiently. More tech-savvy users can host OpenSim environments without financial outlay using various distributions, while commercial hosting offers start below the $5 mark per region. For those interested in exploring hosting providers, you’ll find a compiled list here.
OpenSim is an open-source virtual world platform akin to Second Life and is flexible enough for both novices and seasoned tech enthusiasts. You can try the Firestorm viewer for access and guidance on accumulating content for your OpenSim space can be found here.
In other news, the Hypergrid Business newsletter has launched! If you’re eager to stay in the loop, we’ll be sending you a monthly round-up shortly after the statistics are released every 15th. You can subscribe through our website or the form provided.
Now, let’s pivot to chat about the Top 25 grids ranked by active users. For social grids, more users mean more opportunities—for friendship, commerce, and events. Here’s the big rundown for the month:
1. Wolf Territories Grid: 7,122 active users
2. OSgrid: 4,910 active users
3. GBG World: 2,435 active users
4. Darkheart’s Playground: 2,206 active users
5. DigiWorldz: 2,186 active users
6. Alternate Metaverse: 1,980 active users
7. WaterSplash: 1,593 active users
8. AviWorlds: 1,081 active users
9. AviVerse AlterEgo: 1,020 active users
10. Neverworld: 965 active users
… and the list continues from there.
On the commerce front, the Kitely Market now boasts 21,048 product listings, offering a whopping 41,164 variations—of which 35,920 are primed for export. This vibrant marketplace has served 632 distinct OpenSim grids to date. As depicted in the accompanying chart, the growth of exportable content stands out, marked by the green section. Meanwhile, the non-export segment (in red) has maintained its consistency over the years.
If you’re pondering where to snag legal content for your OpenSim world, Kitely Market is the gold standard, accommodating both hypergrid-enabled and closed grids. For those setting up grids devoid of hypergrid, configuration guidance for Kitely Market can be found here.
Looking at fresh developments, no new grids have joined our database this month. If you’re aware of any we might’ve missed, don’t hesitate to drop us an email at [email protected].
On the down side, we’ve had to mark several grids as suspended: Angel Souls, Free Life, Insight Concepts… the list includes 13 in total. They might pop back up, but if not, they’ll be classified as closed in upcoming reports. Sometimes, grids just change their URLs—so if that’s the case, let us know, and we can make the necessary updates.
Let’s shift our focus to the Top 40 grids ranked by land area:
1. OSgrid: 34,973 regions
2. Wolf Territories Grid: 29,566 regions
3. Kitely: 18,165 regions
…and further down the list, you’ll find others like Darkheart’s Playground and Nemesis 3D.
This data reflects standard region equivalents wherever possible and considers hypergrid guests when tallying active users. It’s important to note that many private grids—whether personal, educational, or corporate—may not publicize their figures.
Should you have insights into any public grids we’re not tracking, kindly send the details to [email protected].
In closing, as the OpenSim ecosystem evolves, these digital spaces offer endless potential for connection and creativity. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue our exploration of these vast virtual frontiers.
