Key Gaming Trends for May 2025

In May 2025, blockchain gaming remained a key component of the dapp industry, outperforming sectors like DeFi in daily activity. According to the DappRadar Games Report, daily unique active wallets for gaming dapps exceeded 4.9 million, reflecting a slight increase from the previous month. Nevertheless, the market dominance of gaming fell from 21% in April to 19.4% in May. This drop suggests that while activity remained strong, the sector’s overall share of the dapp ecosystem has diminished.

Blockchain Gaming Trends: May 2025 DappRadar Report

Key Web3 Gaming Trends for May 2025

Gaming successfully overtook DeFi, securing its place as the leading dapp category in the industry. Meanwhile, the growth of social dapps and artificial intelligence platforms highlights a diversification in the dapp ecosystem. The social dapps’ market share stood at 17.1% in May, while the use of artificial intelligence applications grew to nearly match this, reflecting a broadening range of utility for dapps across different sectors.

Blockchain Gaming Trends: May 2025 DappRadar Report

Top Games and Blockchains 

Some chains performed particularly well in May, with Sei Network and Aptos experiencing significant growth in daily active wallets. Sei’s daily unique active wallets jumped by 27% to become a key ecosystem for games. Aptos followed with a 22% rise in activity, securing its position as the second-largest network for gaming. Core also performed strongly, growing by 15%. OpBNB remained the leader by total activity, although it fell by 5%. The Ronin Network saw a more pronounced drop of 25%.

Some individual dapps performed well against this backdrop. Sei’s Hot Spring and Archer Hunter games drew large numbers of players, reflecting the growing popularity of the ecosystem. The Top 10 dapps were a mix of mini-apps and platforms like Pixudi, STAN, and Playzap Games. Legacy titles such as Alien Worlds and Axie Infinity fell from the Top 10, while Off the Grid transitioned from testnet to mainnet, affecting its visibility in the charts.

Blockchain Gaming Trends: May 2025 DappRadar Report

Record Breaking Number of Closures 

Several projects closed their operations in May, reflecting ongoing struggles in securing funding and retaining players. Nyan Heroes, Ember Sword, and The Mystery Society were all shut down after failing to find a sustainable path forward. These closures underscore the difficulty many game studios face when trying to produce a viable title in the web3 space.

Some of these projects raised large amounts of funding and made significant promises to their communities. Nevertheless, many fell victim to speculative financing strategies and a lack of iterative development. Rising production costs for AAA titles further highlight the financial pressures on game studios. The industry is increasingly challenged to produce games that can maintain momentum and retain players in a competitive market.

Blockchain Gaming Trends: May 2025 DappRadar Report

Investments Hit All Time Low

Investment in blockchain gaming fell to $9 million in May 2025, reflecting a dramatic drop from previous months. Oncade secured $4 million to develop its distribution infrastructure, while Voya Games raised $5 million to bring its game, Craft World, to the Ronin Network.

This downturn underscores the ongoing struggles for game studios to attract funding in a challenging market. The drop in funding highlights the difficulty companies face in securing resources for game development and scaling their operations. Nonetheless, the involvement of well-established companies, from Sega to Ubisoft, signals a continued interest in the space and a recognition of its potential.

Blockchain Gaming Trends: May 2025 DappRadar Report

What’s Coming in June 2025

June 2025 is expected to bring a range of game launches and events that may help reignite activity in the sector. Mythical Games will launch FIFA Rivals on June 12 on their Mythical chain (Polkadot), supported by the well-known sports brand Adidas. The horror extraction shooter The Bornless will be available to players during the Steam Next Fest from June 9-16, while action role-play game Seraph: Into the Darkness will launch Season 3 on June 12 with a 5 million $SERAPH prize pool.

Other titles slated for June include the collectible card game Gods Unchained, which will release its Guardians of Elderym expansion on June 24, and the moba-style game Sparkball, which will show an early version during the Steam Next Fest. Additionally, Hero shooter BloodLoop will launch on the Epic Games Store on June 23, adding to the growing portfolio of games available to players in the web3 space.

Blockchain Gaming Trends: May 2025 DappRadar Report

Final Thoughts

May 2025 highlights a period of ongoing transition for the blockchain gaming industry. Daily active wallet activity remained strong and stable, although the market domination of gaming fell to 19.4%. The drop in funding underscores the challenging conditions for developing and scaling games in a rapidly changing industry.

At the same time, there are signals of renewal. The growth of networks like Sei and Aptos, alongside the launch of a range of new titles in June, illustrates a persistent drive to innovate and connect with players. The ongoing participation of well-known companies underscores a growing maturity within the industry, suggesting that while the road forward may be challenging, the future of web3 gaming is far from over.