Worldcoin (WLD) is one of the most talked-about new cryptocurrencies, often dubbed “Sam Altman’s crypto project” for its high-profile co-founder. Launched in 2023, Worldcoin aims to create a proof-of-personhood network – in simple terms, a way to verify you’re a real human in the digital world. Backed by Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI and a prominent tech figure), this ambitious project merges biometric ID with crypto, distributing WLD tokens to users who verify their identity via a unique orb-shaped scanner. The goal? Build a globally inclusive financial network and identity protocol owned by its users. It’s an engaging mix of cutting-edge tech and visionary goals, and it has quickly gained a following in the crypto community. But how has WLD actually performed, and where might it be headed in the coming years? In this article, we’ll overview the project, review its historical price performance (with a chart), and dive into WLD price predictions for the short term (2025–2026) and long term (2027–2028). Let’s explore what the future might hold for Worldcoin.

What Is Worldcoin? Sam Altman’s Vision for a Digital Identity Coin

Worldcoin is not just another altcoin – it’s a bold experiment at the intersection of cryptocurrency and global digital identity. Co-founded by Sam Altman (better known for his work with OpenAI and ChatGPT), Worldcoin’s purpose is to create a worldwide network of verified humans. By using a device called the Orb to scan people’s irises, Worldcoin verifies your uniqueness and then grants you a “World ID.” This World ID serves as a “digital passport” proving you are a real person (not a bot or AI), enabling new forms of applications that require one-person-one-vote or fair airdrops. In return for signing up, users receive WLD tokens – hence Worldcoin is often described as a “digital identity coin” or a UBI (universal basic income) experiment, since it plans to eventually give everyone a small crypto stipend for being human.

The project is run by Tools for Humanity, and it launched officially in July 2023 with over 2 million users from its beta. Big-name investors (a16z, Khosla Ventures, and others) poured funds into it, betting on this futuristic idea. Sam Altman’s involvement has been a double-edged sword: on one hand, it brings huge visibility and credibility (people often call WLD “Sam Altman’s crypto”); on the other, it raises high expectations. Worldcoin promises to tackle identity in the age of AI – imagine a future internet where you can verify you’re human with Worldcoin to prevent bots or even facilitate global UBI payouts. It’s a bit sci-fi and a bit controversial (scanning eyeballs for crypto has raised privacy concerns in some countries), but it’s undeniably one of the more innovative and daring crypto projects out there. Now that we know what Worldcoin aspires to do, let’s review how the WLD token has performed so far and what its price history tells us.

Historical Price Performance of WLD

Worldcoin’s launch in 2023 was met with a mix of massive hype and caution. When WLD first hit exchanges around late July 2023, early trading was volatile. The token initially listed around ~$2, but within the first 24 hours it spiked dramatically – on some exchanges, WLD briefly peaked between $5 and $6 amidst the frenzy. This surge didn’t last long; like many new listings, the price corrected once the initial hype settled. By August 2023, WLD had retraced below its launch price, even dipping under $1 at one point (its August 2023 low was around $0.97). However, as autumn 2023 came, Worldcoin found its footing and began climbing again on growing interest. By the end of 2023, WLD was trading around $3.5, marking a strong finish for its debut year.

Worldcoin (WLD) historical price chart, 2023–2025. After launching near $2 in mid-2023, WLD saw a rollercoaster ride – peaking above $10 during an early 2024 hype cycle, then correcting sharply through 2024 into early 2025.

The real fireworks came in early 2024. As the overall crypto market picked up and AI-related projects gained buzz, Worldcoin rode a wave of enthusiasm. By March 2024, WLD skyrocketed to an all-time high around $11–$12 (yes, over a 5x increase from its New Year price). This was partly driven by speculative fever – traders excited by Worldcoin’s narrative of AI-era utility, plus news of major exchange listings and the sheer novelty of Sam Altman’s involvement. However, such a meteoric rise was hard to sustain. Almost as quickly as it climbed, WLD pulled back. The second quarter of 2024 saw a steep correction: regulatory scrutiny hit (for example, some countries like Kenya paused Worldcoin’s operations due to privacy concerns), and early adopters took profits. By June 2024, WLD had fallen back to around $2–$3, erasing much of the “Altman rally.”

Throughout late 2024, Worldcoin traded in a choppy range as the crypto market had its ups and downs. It closed 2024 near $2.1. Then, in the first quarter of 2025, amid a broader market dip, WLD slid further – hitting an all-time low around $0.58 in April 2025. This meant WLD lost about 95% of its value from the peak, a drastic drop reflecting both crypto bear pressures and perhaps doubt creeping in about Worldcoin’s adoption pace. Interestingly, that April 2025 low seemed to mark a turning point. By May 2025, Worldcoin’s price began recovering, climbing back above $1. As of mid-2025, WLD hovers around $1.3 – $1.5. In short, its price history has been a wild ride: from a modest ~$2 start, to a moonshot above $10, down to pennies on the dollar, and now slowly rebuilding. Volatility has been extreme – which is not unusual for new crypto projects – and it underscores that Worldcoin’s price has been driven by hype cycles and sentiment so far, more than by proven real-world usage.

For visual context, the chart above illustrates WLD’s price journey. You can see the huge spike in early 2024 and the subsequent drawdown. Long-term holders have endured big swings. So, what’s next? Let’s analyze the short-term outlook (2025–2026) to gauge whether Worldcoin is poised for a comeback or more sideways action.

WLD Price Prediction 2025–2026 (Short-Term)

The next couple of years will be crucial for Worldcoin. By 2025 and 2026, the project will need to show real traction (in terms of World ID sign-ups, active usage, and integrations) to justify its lofty vision. Price-wise, the short-term outlook for WLD will likely depend on a few key factors: the overall crypto market trend (a rising tide lifts all boats), technical chart patterns, and the sentiment/news around Worldcoin’s progress or controversies.

From a technical analysis perspective, WLD has recently shown signs of bottoming out. After the early 2025 low around $0.58, the token’s price formed a rebound to ~$1+ by mid-2025, suggesting strong buying support at the lower levels. Traders have noted a bullish divergence in momentum indicators around that bottom – for instance, the daily RSI in late April 2025 was climbing out of oversold territory even as price hit new lows, hinting that selling pressure was exhausted. In May 2025, WLD even broke above its 50-day moving average, a short-term positive signal. However, it still trades below the 200-day MA (around $1.50), meaning there’s work to do to confirm a trend reversal. In the near term, $1.50–$2.00 is a critical resistance zone – this was a support level in late 2024 that turned into resistance in 2025. If WLD can power above $2 with strong volume, it would break its long downtrend, potentially kicking off a new bullish phase.

On the fundamental side, sentiment around Worldcoin has improved a bit since its nadir. The initial privacy fears and regulatory pushback (which hurt the price in 2024) seem to be easing as the team addresses concerns – for example, Worldcoin has been working on better data custody and even announced data deletion programs in places like Kenya to comply with regulations. Moreover, Sam Altman’s continued vocal support and the narrative of distinguishing humans from AI bots could gain urgency (and thus more interest in WLD) as AI technology advances. It’s also worth noting that any big partnerships or real-world uses of World ID would be bullish news that the market is hungry for.

Short-term WLD price prediction concept – while past performance was volatile, analysts use technical chart patterns and crypto market sentiment to forecast Worldcoin’s price trajectory for 2025 and 2026.

So, what price levels do we predict for Worldcoin by 2025 and 2026? Assuming the broader crypto market enters a bullish cycle (many predict a new bull run by 2025 due to Bitcoin’s halving and increased mainstream adoption), WLD could ride that wave. A conservative estimate for end of 2025 would be somewhere around its late-2023 levels – say $2 to $3 per token. This would imply that Worldcoin regains some of its early hype value but still remains below its all-time high, reflecting a more mature market assessment. A more bullish scenario for 2025 might see WLD re-test the $5 level (roughly halfway back to its peak) if World IDs see exponential growth and crypto sentiment is extremely positive. Keep in mind, Worldcoin’s success is tied to user adoption – if by 2025 millions more people enroll and developers start building World ID-integrated apps, demand for WLD could jump.

For 2026, assuming Worldcoin survives its toddler years and is growing, we’d expect further appreciation. Many analysts’ models forecast moderate growth: for example, one algorithmic prediction from a crypto exchange estimates WLD’s average price in 2026 around $1.5–$1.6, with a potential high near $1.8. That is a cautious outlook, basically suggesting WLD will hold around current levels with slight gains. However, that might be too conservative if the project is truly succeeding. If Worldcoin’s grand experiment starts taking off by 2026, we could envision prices in the $4–$5+ range(roughly doubling from 2025 levels). A middle-ground expectation: about $3 by mid-2026, rising perhaps to $4–$5 by end of 2026 in a strong market. This would also align with technical targets – a major long-term breakout target around $4 was identified by some traders, as it represents a zone of previous support in 2023 and a psychological level.

It’s important to stress that in the short term, volatility will remain high. Worldcoin is still an experiment, and headlines (good or bad) will sway the price. Traders should watch the ~$1 support (must hold to avoid returning to 2025 lows) and ~$2 resistance. Breaking above $2 in 2025 would turn the trend bullish, while failing and sliding under $1 again would signal weakness. Overall, our short-term take is cautiously optimistic: WLD has a chance to recover to a few dollars in value by 2025–2026, but it likely won’t approach its prior $10 highs without a significant catalyst.

WLD Price Prediction 2027–2028 (Long-Term)

Looking further ahead to 2027 and 2028, the question becomes whether Worldcoin will evolve into a widely adopted protocol or remain a niche idea. Four to five years is a long time in crypto – projects can either blossom or wither in that span. For Worldcoin, success by 2027–2028 would mean having built a genuine global ecosystem: possibly tens of millions of users with World IDs, merchants or dApps accepting World ID for access, and maybe even initial steps toward that Universal Basic Income vision using WLD tokens. If such adoption happens, the demand for WLD (which has a fixed supply of 10 billion tokens for its first 15 years) could increase dramatically, thus impacting price.

From a long-term investment perspective, WLD’s current low price could look like a bargain if the project’s lofty goals are met. Let’s consider a bullish scenario for 2027–2028: Worldcoin becomes a top digital identity solution, and the crypto market in general is in a growth phase (by 2028, crypto could be far more mainstream). In this scenario, it’s feasible that WLD regains and even surpasses its previous all-time high. Some optimistic analysts have not shied away from big numbers – for instance, one set of long-term forecasts suggests WLD could approach $20–$30 by 2028 in a best-case scenario. That would be a ~20x increase from mid-2025 prices, reflecting massive user growth. Is that realistic? It’s on the extreme end and would likely require that Worldcoin truly change the game in the identity space and that we’re in a strong crypto bull market by then. It’s not impossible – if every college student, voter, or internet citizen in the future has a World ID, WLD could capture enormous value – but it’s a high bar.

A more measured base-case prediction for 2027–2028 would be that WLD gradually trends upward as adoption grows, but perhaps not parabolically. For example, WLD might average in the $5–$10 range in 2027, and perhaps climb into the $10–$15 range by end of 2028. That would imply it roughly matches its early 2024 peak by 2027 and breaks into new highs in 2028 as the project matures. This trajectory would resemble the path of some successful altcoins that had bursts of hype, crashed, then slowly recovered to new heights over several years of development.

Of course, we must also acknowledge a bearish scenario: It’s possible Worldcoin doesn’t achieve broad adoption due to trust issues or competition, and in such case WLD’s price in 2027 could languish in the low single digits (or even below $1 if the project fails to retain relevance). Long-term crypto price predictions always carry big uncertainty, and Worldcoin is especially tricky because it’s pioneering a novel use case.

In summary, our long-term outlook for WLD is cautiously bullish with a dose of imagination. If Worldcoin successfully onboards hundreds of millions of users by 2028 (a very optimistic assumption), WLD could be well north of $10, possibly heading toward $20 in value as demand explodes. More realistically, if the project shows solid but not spectacular growth, seeing $5+ by 2027 and $8–$12 by 2028 is plausible, which would still be a fantastic return from today’s prices. This assumes the crypto market at large is expanding during that period – something most prognosticators do expect as adoption of blockchain tech increases globally.

Key factors to watch for the long term include: Worldcoin’s regulatory navigation (it needs to be allowed in major markets to grow), technological improvements (ensuring privacy and security of the biometric data), and competition in the self-sovereign identity space. By 2028, we’ll also have seen at least one more Bitcoin cycle, which historically influences all crypto prices. WLD’s long-term fate will ride on both its own achievements and the broader market conditions.

Final Thoughts

Worldcoin’s journey so far has been anything but boring. It started as an audacious idea – scan everyone’s eyes and give them crypto – that has since become one of crypto’s most globally recognized projects. Sam Altman’s crypto venture has seen extreme highs and lows in its short price history, reflecting changing sentiment and the unresolved debates around it. As we look to the future, WLD stands at a crossroads: it could either be a key building block of the next-generation internet (where proof-of-personhood is a fundamental requirement), or it could fizzle out if people reject its approach.

From a price standpoint, the coming years will likely bring continued volatility. In the short term (2025–2026), modest recovery to a few dollars seems reachable if the crypto market rebounds and Worldcoin delivers on growth. Longer term (2027–2028), the upside could be significantly higher – potentially new record prices – provided Worldcoin becomes a cornerstone technology in the digital ID realm. Investors and crypto enthusiasts on Gate.com and beyond will be watching milestones like user adoption rates, partnerships, and regulatory approvals closely, as these will drive the narrative (and thus WLD’s price).

In an engaging, ever-evolving crypto space, Worldcoin manages to stand out with its sci-fi flair and humanitarian spin. It has a professional team, ample funding, and a vision to empower billions, which gives it a fighting chance to succeed. Whether you find it exciting or slightly uncanny, Worldcoin is certainly a project to keep on your radar. As always, any price predictions are educated guesses, not guarantees – so if you decide to trade or invest in WLD (which is available on major exchanges like Gate.com), be sure to do so with caution and long-term perspective. The world of crypto is full of surprises, and Worldcoin could have many chapters yet unwritten. One thing is for sure: the story of WLD will be fascinating to watch unfold, as it aims to redefine how we verify humanness in an increasingly digital era.

Happy investing, and stay human!