Multiplayer Synchronization in Decentraland

Authoring split

syncEntity() adds a NetworkEntity component at runtime — and NetworkEntity is not in main-entities.ts's supported component list. The pattern is:

• Predefined synced entities (a door, a switch, a scoreboard — known at author time): declare them in main-entities.ts with their visual components. Look them up in src/index.ts and call syncEntity(entity, [...componentIds], SyncIds.NAME) there.
• Dynamically-spawned synced entities (projectiles, drops, runtime-created game objects): create with engine.addEntity() in src/index.ts and syncEntity immediately.

// main-entities.ts
door: {
  components: {
    Transform: { position: { x: 8, y: 1, z: 8 } },
    MeshRenderer: { mesh: { $case: 'box', box: { uvs: [] } } }
  }
}

// src/index.ts
import { engine, Transform, syncEntity } from '@dcl/sdk/network'

export function main() {
  const door = engine.getEntityOrNullByName('door')
  if (door) syncEntity(door, [Transform.componentId], SyncIds.DOOR)
}

Decentraland scenes are inherently multiplayer — every player in the same scene shares the same space. By default, however, players interact with the environment independently — changes one player makes are NOT shared with others. Opt in to sharing by wrapping mutable state in syncEntity, broadcasting events through MessageBus, or persisting through your own backend.

syncEntity state persists only as long as at least one player remains in the scene. The state resets as soon as the scene is empty. For durable state across scene resets, persist to your own server.

Runtime constraint: Decentraland runs in a QuickJS sandbox. No Node.js APIs (fs, http, path, process). Use fetch() and WebSocket for network communication. See the scene-runtime skill for async patterns.

Sync Strategy Decision Tree

Choose the right networking approach based on what you need:

Decision flow:

1. Does every player need to see the same state, including late joiners? --> syncEntity
2. Is it a fire-and-forget event only for players currently in the scene? --> MessageBus
3. Do you need state persisted after all players leave, or server-side validation? --> external server via fetch or signedFetch
4. Do you need continuous real-time server communication? --> WebSocket
5. Combine approaches freely: use syncEntity for world state, MessageBus for effects, and fetch for persistence.

syncEntity Essentials

Import and Basic Usage

import { engine, Transform, MeshRenderer, Material } from '@dcl/sdk/ecs'
import { syncEntity } from '@dcl/sdk/network'
import { Vector3, Color4 } from '@dcl/sdk/math'

Signature: syncEntity(entity, componentIds[], syncId?)

• entity — the entity to synchronize
• componentIds[] — array of component IDs to keep in sync (e.g., [Transform.componentId])
• syncId — unique numeric identifier (required for predefined entities, optional for player-spawned entities)

Enum Sync IDs (Predefined Entities)

Every predefined synced entity MUST have a unique numeric ID. Use an enum to avoid collisions:

enum SyncIds {
  DOOR = 1,
  ELEVATOR = 2,
  SCOREBOARD = 3
}

const door = engine.addEntity()
Transform.create(door, { position: Vector3.create(8, 1, 8) })
MeshRenderer.setBox(door)
syncEntity(door, [Transform.componentId, MeshRenderer.componentId], SyncIds.DOOR)

Predefined entities (with a sync ID) persist after the creating player leaves. Player-created entities (no sync ID) are removed when the player disconnects.

Auto-Generated IDs (Player-Spawned Entities)

Entities created at runtime by players do not need an explicit sync ID:

function createProjectile() {
  const projectile = engine.addEntity()
  Transform.create(projectile, { position: Vector3.create(4, 1, 4) })
  MeshRenderer.setSphere(projectile)
  syncEntity(projectile, [Transform.componentId])
  return projectile
}

Custom Synced Components

Define custom components and sync them between players:

import { engine, Schemas } from '@dcl/sdk/ecs'
import { syncEntity } from '@dcl/sdk/network'

const ScoreBoard = engine.defineComponent('scoreBoard', {
  score: Schemas.Int,
  playerName: Schemas.String,
  lastUpdated: Schemas.Int64
})

const board = engine.addEntity()
ScoreBoard.create(board, { score: 0, playerName: '', lastUpdated: 0 })
syncEntity(board, [ScoreBoard.componentId])

function addScore(points: number) {
  const data = ScoreBoard.getMutable(board)
  data.score += points
  data.lastUpdated = Date.now()
}

Player-Specific Data

Use PlayerIdentityData to distinguish players:

import { engine, PlayerIdentityData } from '@dcl/sdk/ecs'

engine.addSystem(() => {
  for (const [entity] of engine.getEntitiesWith(PlayerIdentityData)) {
    const data = PlayerIdentityData.get(entity)
    console.log('Player:', data.address, 'Guest:', data.isGuest)
  }
})

Schema Types

Available schema types for custom components:

Parent-Child Sync Relationships

For synced entities with parent-child relationships, use parentEntity() instead of setting Transform.parent:

import { syncEntity, parentEntity, getParent, getChildren, removeParent } from '@dcl/sdk/network'

const parent = engine.addEntity()
const child = engine.addEntity()

syncEntity(parent, [Transform.componentId], 1)
syncEntity(child, [Transform.componentId], 2)

// Use parentEntity() — NOT Transform.parent
parentEntity(child, parent)

const parentRef = getParent(child)
const childrenArray = Array.from(getChildren(parent))

// Remove parent relationship
removeParent(child)

Connection State

Check if the player is connected to the sync room:

import { isStateSyncronized } from '@dcl/sdk/network'

engine.addSystem(() => {
  if (!isStateSyncronized()) return // wait for sync
  // safe to read/write synced state
})

Note: The function is spelled isStateSyncronized (not "Synchronized") in the SDK.

MessageBus

Send custom messages between players (fire-and-forget, no persistence):

import { MessageBus } from '@dcl/sdk/message-bus'

const bus = new MessageBus()

bus.on('hit', (data: { damage: number }) => {
  console.log('Took damage:', data.damage)
})

bus.emit('hit', { damage: 10 })

syncEntity vs MessageBus

• syncEntity: state is persistent, late joiners get current state, automatic conflict resolution
• MessageBus: fire-and-forget, late joiners miss past messages, good for transient effects
• Combine both: use syncEntity for the door open/closed state, MessageBus for the sound effect when it opens

REST API Calls (fetch)

All network calls must run inside executeTask because the SDK runtime does not support top-level await.

import { executeTask } from '@dcl/sdk/ecs'

executeTask(async () => {
  try {
    const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data')
    if (!response.ok) {
      console.error('HTTP error:', response.status)
      return
    }
    const data = await response.json()
    console.log('Response:', data)
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Network error:', error)
  }
})

Signed Fetch (Authenticated Requests)

signedFetch attaches a cryptographic signature proving the player's identity:

import { signedFetch } from '~system/SignedFetch'

executeTask(async () => {
  try {
    const response = await signedFetch({
      url: 'https://example.com/api/action',
      init: {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
        body: JSON.stringify({ action: 'claimReward', amount: 100 })
      }
    })
    if (!response.ok) {
      console.error('HTTP error:', response.status)
      return
    }
    const result = JSON.parse(response.body)
    console.log('Result:', result)
  } catch (error) {
    console.log('Request failed:', error)
  }
})

WebSocket Connections

For full WebSocket patterns (reconnection, heartbeat, message format), see {baseDir}/references/networking-patterns.md.

Basic Connection

executeTask(async () => {
  const ws = new WebSocket('wss://example.com/ws')

  ws.onopen = () => {
    console.log('Connected to WebSocket')
    ws.send(JSON.stringify({ type: 'join', playerId: 'player123' }))
  }

  ws.onmessage = (event) => {
    const msg = JSON.parse(event.data)
    switch (msg.type) {
      case 'gameState': handleGameState(msg); break
      case 'playerJoin': handlePlayerJoin(msg); break
      case 'playerLeave': handlePlayerLeave(msg); break
    }
  }

  ws.onerror = (error) => console.error('WebSocket error:', error)
  ws.onclose = () => console.log('Disconnected')
})

Player Enter/Leave Events

Detect players entering or leaving the scene:

import { onEnterScene, onLeaveScene } from '@dcl/sdk/src/players'

onEnterScene((player) => {
  console.log('Player entered:', player.userId)
})
onLeaveScene((userId) => {
  console.log('Player left:', userId)
})

Multiplayer Testing

Open multiple browser windows to test multiplayer locally. Each window is a separate player.

Offline Mode

For Decentraland Worlds that do not need multiplayer:

{
  "worldConfiguration": {
    "fixedAdapter": "offline:offline"
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Need server-side validation or anti-cheat? See the authoritative-server skill for the headless server pattern.

Important Notes

• Entities must be explicitly synced via syncEntity(entity, [componentIds]) — pass the componentId of each component to sync
• CRDT resolution: If two players change the same component simultaneously, last-write-wins
• No server-side code: Decentraland scenes run entirely client-side with CRDT sync
• Entity limits apply: Each synced entity counts toward the scene's entity budget
• Custom schemas must be deterministic: Same component name = same schema across all clients
• Use Schemas.Int64 for timestamps: Schemas.Number corrupts large numbers (13+ digits). Always use Schemas.Int64 for values like Date.now()
• For server-authoritative multiplayer with validation and anti-cheat, see the authoritative-server skill