Key Takeaways
- Over 1 million Splinterlands cards have been sold so far this year, with secondary sales volumes reaching over $1.7 million.
- Over 99% of Web3 games have failed to launch or closed down.
- Splinterlands records over 55,000 battles a day on average in 2025.
One of Web3’s longest-running trading card games (TCGs), Splinterlands, has just turned seven.
Despite the ups and downs of crypto markets and the Web3 gaming space, it continues to attract thousands of new players and sell millions of cards, even in a market where liquidity is increasingly hard to come by.
Splinterlands Turns 7
Originally launched in 2018 as “Steem Monsters” on the STEEM blockchain, Splinterlands was among the first to experiment with NFTs and play-to-earn mechanics, debuting just after fellow TCG Gods Unchained.
By April 2019, the team announced plans to move beyond STEEM and rebranded as Splinterlands.
Since then, it has weathered several crypto boom-and-bust cycles and carved out a steady player base through its creature-battling, spell-casting gameplay.
This month, the game launched its latest core set, Conclave Arcana, which has already sold over 400,000 packs, generating $2.81 million in revenue.
Half of that goes directly to the community DAO, a model the game has long used to distribute value back to players.
Across its lifespan, Splinterlands has sold millions of NFT cards and hosted tens of millions of matches.
It averages about 6,200 daily active users and has seen steady sign-up rates this year, with over 1 million cards sold since January 2025.
The game has also recorded 81 new account sign-ups a day on average since the beginning of 2025.
A Difficult Journey
Splinterlands has weathered many storms and ridden out several boom and bust cycles over the years.
The game was popular, with daily active users peaking at just under half a million in October 2021.
However, since May 2021, the game has seen a significant decline in active players, though this came amid 2021’s crypto crash, causing many players to abandon the markets and the game altogether.
It’s worth noting that a vast majority, around 99%, of all Web3 games have failed, making Splinterlands one of the rare few to make it through crypto’s gauntlet.
Eddie is a gaming and crypto writer at CCN. Covering the often weird and wonderful world of Web3 with an adoring, but skeptical eye.
Prior to CCN, Eddie has spent the past seven years working his way through the crypto, finance, and technology industry. He began with PR and journalism with Bitcoin PR Buzz and BitcoinNews.com, eventually working his way to become a copywriter with a dozen firms, including the likes of Polkadot before returning to journalism in 2023.
Having studied Radio production and journalism at University in the UK, Eddie spent a few years making podcasts and presenting on a local London radio station as he built up his writing chops.
A lifelong skateboarder, Eddie can often be found at the skatepark or touring the streets looking for something new to try. That, or kicking back playing JRPGs on his original PSP.
