2025 Recap: Inside Upland’s Biggest Year Ever

As we head into 2026, there’s never been a more exciting moment to be part of Upland. In 2025, we tripled down on the vision that started it all. Building a real-world-mapped game where property development, ownership, and trading come together like nowhere else in gaming.

Upland continues to evolve as a real-world-mapped city-builder with a player-driven economy, designed to be your forever game. It’s a game where progress is permanent, ownership is real, and neighborhoods grow through collaboration. 2025 was the year we reinforced that foundation, sharpened our focus, and set the stage for an even more powerful future.

And while we can’t wait to show you what’s coming next, starting with another developer update in January, let’s take a look back at what made2025 such a landmark year.

Upland by the Numbers

Before we close the books on 2025, let’s take a quick look at some of the key numbers that defined the year. From Sparklet staked to UPX spent, properties traded, and more. These figures tell the story of just how far we’ve come together.

Total New Properties Minted: 141,106
Total Treasures Collected: 1,158,193
Total Player Created Assets: 355,456
Total Sparklet Staked: 5,303,482,774.95
Total UPX Spent in 2025: 15,414,052,559
Total UPX Property Mints: 7,372,796,248
Secondary Market Property Sales (UPX): 5,592,618,607
Total UPX Sales in Metaventures: 836,982,263

More Updates, More Insights, More Momentum

We hit an incredible 190 total announcements in 2025. That includes 38 developer updates, a huge shift from our previous quarterly roadmap cadence.

This new format allows us to be more transparent, more responsive, and more in step with what’s happening in the moment. You’ve asked for more communication, and we delivered.

And we’re just getting started, expect even more consistent updates, deeper insights, and real-time development transparency as we head into 2026.

Expanding the Upland World

Upland went global in a big way this year, expanding our map with new international cities:

Sydney
Hong Kong
Rome
Madrid
Singapore

These new cities opened the door for more diverse gameplay, more communities, and a more interconnected Upland economy.

Core Gameplay Evolution

2025 was a breakthrough year for Upland’s core systems, with new mechanics that expanded property development, deepened player identity, and strengthened the in-game economy, all while reinforcing our vision of a persistent, community-driven world.

All of these gameplay systems debuted in 2025:

Resident Score & Influence Score: These two interconnected systems were introduced to measure individual player impact. Together, they reflect your activity, presence, and contributions within your neighborhood, helping shape your status in the broader Upland ecosystem.

The Census: Launched alongside Resident and Influence Scores, the Census is a live, public-facing tool that tracks neighborhood health and rankings. It provides key data on how each neighborhood is performing and offers clear insights into what players need to do to raise their standing.

Builders Score: Introduced early in 2025, the Builders Score recognized players for construction activity and served as a precursor to the Resident and Influence systems. It has since been retired as those more comprehensive systems took its place.

Multi-Structure Properties: You can now build more than one structure on a single property, massively expanding creative potential.

Service Structures: These now play a key role in attracting Uppies and supporting growing neighborhoods.

Map Asset Bundling: Fully decorated properties can now be sold together as a bundle, an entirely new marketplace dynamic for players.

Phase 1 of Life & Seed Generation: 2025 marked the launch of Phase 1 of Upland’s upcoming life systems with the introduction of seed generation. This was also the first time players could spend Sparklet in-game, unlocking new possibilities for utility, progression, and future lifecycle gameplay.

Sparklet Warz: This real-time, on-map gameplay feature introduced dynamic events and team-based strategy as communities defended their cities from invaders. It’s being updated to integrate with the resident system and will return in 2026.

Systems & Platform Upgrades

Behind the scenes, 2025 was a year of major infrastructure and platform improvements. From launching our own app chain to refining core systems like UGC, asset management, and in-game messaging, we focused on strengthening the foundation that powers everything in Upland. These upgrades ensure a more scalable, responsive, and creator-friendly future.

All of these system improvements were delivered in 2025:

Upland App Chain: Upland officially launched its own dedicated app chain in 2025, laying the groundwork for long-term scalability, improved performance, and community governance.

Improved Asset Search Accuracy: Reserved map assets were removed from search results to improve clarity and usability in wallets.

New Asset Search Tools: We introduced powerful new search features that allow players to easily find specific items in both their wallets and the global asset search menu. This made managing collections and navigating inventory far more efficient.

News Tab & Message Center Overhaul: We introduced a centralized News Tab for keeping up with updates and cleaned up older messages to improve load times.

Send System Overhaul: We removed the need to collect sends. Players can now send their explorer to any property, at any time, with no send limitations, dramatically improving navigation and accessibility.

Remote Metaventure Purchases: Players can now purchase items from any Metaventure in a citywithout needing to travel to the store, as long as they own a property in that city. This major quality-of-life improvement streamlines shopping and supports broader participation in the Upland economy.

Simple Travel: To streamline movement across the Upland map, we introduced Simple Travel, allowing players to click any property, hit “Travel,” and let the system handle the route. While travel times and terminal send fees remain unchanged, this update significantly improves ease of navigation without altering game balance.

Treasure Hunt Improvements: Security measures were tightened to prevent unfair advantages, and “wobbling arrows” were added to introduce more dynamic treasure hunt zones.

Quick Menu Improvements: New service structure and census buttons were added to the quick menu. Giving players quick access to valuable information.

Historic Stock Cars: In 2025, we introduced the concept of historic stock cars, laying the groundwork for new vehicle customization and player-driven manufacturing. The first cars are already in Upland and manufacturing will go live in 2026, allowing owners to create and sell up to eight custom versions of their vehicle each year.

City Evolution & Property Unlocks: In 2025, we began slowly and sustainably unlocking previously unavailable properties through City Evolution Packs. This method supports long-term city growth while preserving scarcity and introducing new strategic opportunities for players.

UGC Workflow Improvements: We streamlined user-generated content submissions, accelerating approvals and making it easier for creators to bring their ideas to life. This is just the beginning, more improvements of the UGC system are coming in 2026.

Racing Upgrades: We added random obstacle boxes, a rear-view mirror, hotkeys (boost, brake), and faster replays to enhance kart & racing strategy.

World-Building & Customization

Beyond core gameplay, 2025 brought major upgrades to how Uplanders interact with and shape their environment. From expanded vehicle utility to visual map enhancements and more accessible building tools, these changes empowered players to build, customize, and engage with the world of Upland in entirely new ways.

All of these enhancements were introduced in 2025:

Transportation Score: For the first time, vehicles gained true utility beyond racing with the introduction of transportation scores. These scores enable vehicles to contribute meaningfully to gameplay systems and city development, opening the door to a more strategic use of assets.

Specialized Service Vehicles: We introduced a new class of specialized vehicles, including construction trucks, buses, police cars, fire trucks, and more. Each is designed to bring functional utility to city-building and neighborhood support. These vehicles were introduced in 2025, and in 2026, they’ll become even more impactful by boosting service structure performance and reducing construction time.

New Map Look: The Upland map will get a visual upgrade by the end of the year with roads, atmosphere effects, and upcoming weather systems.

Sparklet Access: A permanent Sparklet package was introduced to make entry-level building and creation more accessible for everyone.

Events & Community Milestones

2025 wasn’t just a year of features; it was a year of connection. From global digital events to real-world meetups and player-run competitions, the Upland community came together in bigger and more meaningful ways than ever before. These moments showcased the creativity, passion, and collaborative spirit that make Upland more than just a game.

All of these community-driven moments happened in 2025:

Genesis Week 2025: This year Genesis Week went fully digital, allowing more players to participate than ever before. The shift led to better in-game events, greater engagement, and set a new bar for how global community celebrations can be experienced inside Upland.

In-Person Community Meetups: Multiple community-hosted meetups took place across the world in 2025, bringing Uplanders together face-to-face to share strategies, celebrate progress, and deepen connections. These gatherings are a testament to how strong and passionate the Upland community has become.

Championship Racing: 2025 also saw the launch of the new Upland Championship Racing, our first full-scale, officially supported community-run competition. With over 6 million UPX in prizes awarded in Season 1, it showcased the incredible potential of events built in partnership between Upland and its players.

Culture & Identity

In 2025, Upland’s identity evolved in powerful new ways. From the introduction of Uppies to the emergence of official lore and community roles, we added depth, personality, and narrative to the game. These additions are shaping how players see themselves — and each other — inside Upland.

Each of these cultural shifts began in 2025:

Uppies: Introduced in 2025, Uppies marked a major cultural shift in Upland. Though collecting, merging, and unlocking Troves is coming in 2026, Uppies combined with the Resident Score have already reshaped how the game is experienced. They are now the default way players talk about residents and have become the core cultural lens of Upland.

Mayors: We held our first mayoral election in 2025, introducing local leadership and laying the groundwork for deeper community governance. This is just the beginning; expanded mayoral features and functionality are coming in 2026.

XStacks: Our first-of-its-kind social media game on X (formerly Twitter), XStacks was a native social experiment tied to Sparklet and Upland cities. It gave us valuable insights into merging social mechanics with the game economy.

Lore Legits: These collectibles marked the first time official Upland lore entered the game. Lore Legits weren’t just about storytelling; they served as a proving ground for tech and mechanics that will be used in the upcoming Uppies system, tying narrative and gameplay closer together.

Looking Ahead

2025 was a transformational year for Upland. It wasn’t just our biggest year in terms of announcements, features, or cities; it was the year we doubled down on who we are and tripled down on what matters most: property development, ownership, and trading.

With the groundwork now laid, we’re heading into 2026 with a clear focus, deeper gameplay, and stronger community tools than ever before. The future is bright, and it’s one we’re building together, one property at a time.

And Finally, To You, Our Community: Thank You!

Before we close, we want to say it clearly and sincerely: thank you.

Not the polished, corporate kind of thank you, but the real one. The one that comes from watching you turn empty maps into vibrant neighborhoods, design structures that stop us in our tracks, and organize events and content that rival anything we could have planned ourselves.

You are not just players in a game. You are co-creators of a world. From welcoming newcomers on Discord, to hosting in-person meetups, to launching competitions, educational hubs, and cultural spaces, you have made Upland something truly unique. A global melting pot of creativity and community.

You’ve made collaboration the heartbeat of Upland, not just a feature. That kind of culture is rare, and it’s because of you.

So here is to 2026. To what is next. To what you will build.

Happy New Year from the Upland team. Let’s keep building your forever game together!