Written by Marc Demar
Somnium Space has released version 3.1.6, a substantial update that fundamentally expands how users gather, moderate, and experience the platform. At its core sit two developments that stand out for their long-term implications: a comprehensive World Instances system and near-complete platform localisation.
World Instances
World Instances represent the most significant change to social architecture the platform has seen. Every world now supports a full spectrum of instance types – Public, Friends, Friends+, Private, Paid, and PIN-protected – giving creators and hosts precise control over who can enter and under what conditions. Each instance carries Global World Chat, support for up to four moderators, portal permission controls, and the ability to flag content as NSFW. Critically, instance types can be altered on the fly. A private gathering can become publicly accessible, or a friends-only space can be locked behind a PIN, without forcing anyone to disconnect. Position, ongoing conversations, and even live experiences such as video calls persist through the transition. In practical terms, this removes one of the most persistent frictions in social VR: the need to restart or reload simply because the social parameters of a space have changed. Users remain present while the rules of the space adapt around them.
What These Instance Types Unlock in Practice
The range of instance types opens clear practical possibilities. Public instances suit open concerts, large community events, or free-to-enter games where maximum visibility matters. Friends and Friends+ instances work well for regular social circles, private rehearsals, or semi-open gatherings that still retain a degree of trust. Fully Private instances give hosts complete closure for meetings, testing, or intimate groups. PIN-protected instances add a lightweight access layer ideal for exclusive invite-only events, early access previews, or controlled community sessions. Paid instances introduce a direct monetization path: creators, performers, educators, and world owners can charge for entry to concerts, workshops, premium social experiences, ticketed games, or limited-capacity shows. Because instance type can be changed live a private rehearsal can open to public access or even paying attendees. Or vice versa. Anything goes. This flexibility turns the instance system into both a social and economic tool, letting hosts match access, atmosphere, and revenue model to the moment rather than forcing every gathering into a single rigid format.
Platform Localisation
The second major pillar is localisation. Support now extends across almost the entire platform – launcher, client, website, and built-in applications – in English, German, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, and French. New users receive onboarding tutorials in their chosen language, and that preference is retained between sessions. For a social platform, this is more than a convenience feature. It lowers the barrier to entry for non-English speakers and signals a deliberate shift toward a genuinely international user base. As Somnium prepares for broader distribution, including an eventual Steam release, the ability to meet users in their own language becomes foundational rather than optional.
Social Interface
Beyond these two headline systems, 3.1.6 delivers a series of refinements that collectively raise the everyday quality of presence. The social/friends interface has been rebuilt for clarity, introducing favourites, a dedicated blocked-users section, and expanded moderation tools. Classic Bubble Chat has been added for both VR and desktop, allowing text messages to appear above an avatar with a simple keypress. The Inspector has grown from an information panel into a practical management tool, offering instant avatar try-on, the ability to hide or mute spawned items, object locking, and direct moderator actions such as despawn and mute-for-everyone. Full Inspector functionality is now available on desktop as well.
Avatars, Wearables and Tracking
Avatar and tracking systems have also advanced. The Wearable App has been reworked with optimised networking and faster outfit synchronisation. Face tracking gains compatibility with the Project Babble framework, while Full Body Tracking now allows individual trackers to be assigned to specific body parts. New moderation options further let users control visibility and presence in social environments. For creators, a new server-side scripting system removes the need for local installations and arrives with additional security measures, accompanied by new bridge components that include climbable surfaces and the ability to force player height or pose.
Visual Upgrades
The platform’s visual and environmental layer has received parallel attention. Base Reality introduces new floating islands, a Spatial Video Player, a redesigned mall, arcade hall, and main building. The Gravity Club has been reworked with natural elements and an audio-reactive lighting system, while materials across the City Center have been refreshed. Interface design has been unified under a more consistent Somnium visual language, visible in the new Inspector window, redesigned social panel, updated avatar settings, and a refined tablet experience. The launcher itself now integrates World Instances directly and benefits from the same localisation improvements.
Other Updates
Smaller but meaningful quality-of-life changes complete the picture: adaptive microphone buffering and dynamic voice bitrate, faster local visemes, full gamepad support in PC mode, desktop walking and sprinting, VR- and desktop-specific tutorials, and a broad set of stability and compatibility fixes. Community-facing initiatives have expanded as well, with public bounties for avatar showcases and City Center content, alongside increased activity across US time zones.
Final Words
Taken together, 3.1.6 is less a collection of isolated features than a coordinated advance in three areas that matter most to social VR: ownership of space, accessibility across languages and regions, and the practical tools required to manage presence. The update does not merely add options; it changes the default assumptions about how flexible and inclusive a shared virtual environment can be. As Somnium continues work on Steam integration and Linux and Steam Deck support remains in testing, the foundations laid here suggest a platform preparing for a larger and more diverse audience while giving its existing community greater agency over the spaces they inhabit.
The scale of the release has been described by the team as one of the most feature-dense in the platform’s recent history. For users, the practical effect is immediate: more ways to gather, clearer tools to manage those gatherings, and a platform that increasingly speaks the languages of the people inside it.
About Somnium Space
Somnium Space, the company behind the VR1, also runs a blockchain-based virtual reality platform that allows users to create, experience, and monetize content and applications. The platform is committed to building a decentralized and immersive VR world that offers users a unique and engaging experience.
Discord: https://discord.gg/somniumspace
Authencity: https://authencity.io/user/somniumspace
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