What are NFTs used for besides digital art?
ethereum.org lists uses such as event tickets, proof that you attended an event, game items, domain names and gating access to content.1 The SEC calls tokens that do a practical job, like a ticket or a membership, "digital tools".2
More than pictures
ethereum.org lists many uses for NFTs:1
- proving you attended an event, or finished a course1
- items you own in games1
- digital art1
- event tickets, and gating access to content1
- domain names, and proving your online identity1
- standing for real-world assets1
People who commented to the US Patent and Trademark Office and Copyright Office gave similar examples. They included tickets for exclusive events and proof that luxury goods are genuine.3 One brand let NFT holders redeem their tokens for sneakers.3
Tickets
ethereum.org compares an NFT creator to an event organiser deciding how many tickets to sell.1 Some tickets are exact copies, such as 5,000 general admission tickets. Others differ slightly, such as tickets with assigned seats.1
NFT tickets can be bought and sold between people directly. Buyers can confirm a ticket is genuine by checking its contract address.1
Memberships, credentials and badges
In March 2026, the SEC issued an interpretation that sorts crypto assets into types.2 It calls a crypto asset that does a practical job a "digital tool". Its examples include a membership, a ticket, a credential and an identity badge.2 It also lists Ethereum Name Service domain names as one example of a digital tool.2
Digital tools are often non-transferable, or "soul-bound", the SEC says. Their value comes from what they do.2
ethereum.org uses NFTs this way itself. It gives them to people who contribute to the website or attend its community calls.1 It also owns an NFT domain name, ethereum.eth, registered through the Ethereum Name Service.1
Games and mixed collections
ERC-1155 was written partly for blockchain games, where developers may create thousands of token types.4 One ERC-1155 contract can hold both fungible items and unique ones.4
The token and the right behind it
NFTs can record their holder's right to an asset, or access to it. The US report says this feature creates most of an NFT's value.3 But it stresses that the token and the right linked to it are different things.3
One commenter quoted in the report warned that the law can disagree with what the blockchain says about who owns something.3
| Use | What the token gives you |
|---|---|
| Event ticket | Entry, checked against the contract address1 |
| Membership or credential | Proof of a status, often non-transferable2 |
| Domain name | A name like ethereum.eth that you control1 |
| Game item | An item in a contract that can hold many token types4 |
The last lesson pulls together the main risks of NFTs.
- Non-fungible tokens (NFT). ethereum.org, updated 23 June 2026.
- Application of the Federal Securities Laws to Certain Types of Crypto Assets and Certain Transactions Involving Crypto Assets (Release No. 33-11412). US Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Federal Register, dated 17 March 2026, published 23 March 2026.
- Non-Fungible Tokens and Intellectual Property: A Report to Congress. US Patent and Trademark Office and US Copyright Office, March 2024.
- ERC-1155: Multi Token Standard. Ethereum Improvement Proposals (Radomski, Cooke, Castonguay and others), created 17 June 2018.
General education built from the publicly available sources listed above. Not financial, legal, tax or investment advice. Naming a company, project or regulator is not an endorsement either way. Last checked 2026-10-22. Terms and disclaimer.