# How money enters and leaves the game > Deposits, withdrawals, the fixed exchange rate, and a realistic account of what taking money out involves. Source: https://www.entropiacentral.com/guides/economy/deposits-and-withdrawals Last updated: 2026-07-30 --- The defining feature of Entropia Universe is that the currency converts both ways. This page covers what that actually involves. ## The exchange rate **10 PED = 1 USD**, fixed in both directions. The rate does not float, is not affected by player activity, and has been stable for the life of the game. This is what makes every price in the game legible: a 500 PED item is a 50 USD item, and a 200 PED session is a 20 USD session. There is no mental conversion to do beyond moving a decimal point. ## Depositing Depositing converts real money into PED in your avatar's account. It is deliberately easy and supports the payment methods you would expect. Practical points: - **Verify your account first.** Identity verification is required for the system to work as a financial one, and it is much less annoying to do before you need it than at the moment you want to withdraw. - **Set a budget before you start, not during.** This is the single most important habit in the game. The economics do not improve because you are behind, and "one more deposit to make it back" is how people end up angry at a game they used to enjoy. - **Treat it as entertainment spending.** It buys you a hobby with an unusually interesting economy. It is not an investment, and anyone presenting it as one is selling something. ## Withdrawing Withdrawing converts PED back into real money and sends it to you. This is real: the money comes out. What to expect: - **It takes time.** Withdrawals are processed on a schedule rather than instantly, and the wait is measured in weeks rather than minutes. - **There is a minimum,** and there are fees. - **Your account must be verified,** with the identity checks that any financial system requires. - **It is checked.** Large or unusual withdrawals attract scrutiny, as they would anywhere that real money moves. Check MindArk's current terms for the exact figures. They change, and a number quoted in a community guide is exactly the kind of thing that goes stale. ## The honest picture Most players deposit more than they withdraw. That is not a scandal, it is how the business works: the house edge is built into the return on every activity, and it funds the servers, the development and the company. A minority of players do take out more than they put in. They are generally the ones running a business rather than playing a game: crafters supplying a market, traders working spreads, land area owners collecting tax, or organisers monetising services. That work looks a lot like work. The framing that keeps people happy long term is this: you are paying for entertainment, in an economy that happens to let you recover part of the cost. Anyone who tells you it is a way to make money is describing a job, or a scam, or both. ## Cashing out is not the only exit Value in the game is held in three forms: PED in your account, items you own, and skills on your avatar. Only the first withdraws directly. Items have to be sold first, which takes time and depends on the market. Skills have to be [extracted at a loss](https://www.entropiacentral.com/guides/avatar/skill-chips-and-transfers) and then sold, into a thin market. So an avatar "worth" a large sum is not the same as a bank balance of that sum. If getting money out matters to you, hold more of your value in liquid form and less in equipment you would struggle to sell. ## Watch out for third parties Anyone offering to buy or sell PED outside the official system, at a better rate, is either running a scam or exposing you to one. The official conversion is the only one with a guarantee behind it. The same goes for anyone offering investment schemes, managed accounts or guaranteed returns denominated in PED. [Trading safely](https://www.entropiacentral.com/guides/economy/trading-safely) covers the pattern.