This means that virtual items acquired within Entropia Universe have a real cash value, and a participant may, at any time, initiate a withdrawal of their accumulated PED back into U.S. dollars according to the fixed exchange rate, minus transaction fees.

[2][3] The game has been described as dedicated to capitalism rather than quality of gameplay, and connecting the in-game labor with real world profits, in which sense it can be seen as a spiritual precursor to the play to earn model.

[4] The game can be played for free, but spending money on the in-game currency allows significant additional options like purchasing items, skills, deeds/shares, and services from other players.

Initially taking place on the fictional Planet Calypso, the 2001 version used the NetImmerse 4 game engine.

The migration to Unreal Engine 5 will include the "evolution of core systems, such as hunting, mining and crafting" and the "migration of items and value currently present in Entropia Universe" ensuring that the game's economic and item-based systems are preserved and integrated into the updated game client.