Castle Crypto has finished a March 2025 report on the state of gaming on Solana, as seen below.

Key Points

• Research suggests Solana web3 crypto gaming is thriving in March 2025, with popular games like Star Atlas, Aurory, Genopets, and STEPN leading the space.
• It seems likely that new hardware, such as the Play Solana Gen1 gaming handheld and Solana Seeker smartphone, is enhancing the gaming experience.
• The evidence leans toward ongoing developments, including Star Atlas fleet rentals launching today, March 5, 2025, and active community engagement.

Solana Gaming Overview

Solana’s web3 crypto gaming ecosystem is vibrant and growing, offering players unique experiences through blockchain technology. As of March 2025, the platform supports a variety of games that integrate NFTs and play-to-earn mechanics, making it a hotspot for gamers and developers alike.

Major Announcements & Launches

A significant development is the launch of the Play Solana Gen1 gaming handheld, announced in September 2024 and now available, providing a dedicated device for web3 gaming. Additionally, the Solana Seeker smartphone, set for mid-2025 release, promises enhanced web3 capabilities, including a Seed Vault Wallet and improved dApp store. Star Atlas has also launched fleet rentals today, March 5, 2025, expanding its in-game economy.

Popular Games

The most popular games on Solana include:

• Star Atlas: A space exploration and strategy game with NFT-based assets.
• Aurory: A tactical Japanese RPG with NFT characters and trading.
• Genopets: A move-to-earn game rewarding physical activity with virtual pet evolution.
• STEPN: A move-to-earn game where players earn tokens by walking or running.

These games continue to attract players with their innovative mechanics and community engagement.

Solana’s web3 crypto gaming landscape in March 2025 is marked by robust growth, innovative hardware, and a thriving ecosystem of popular games. This report delves into the major news, announcements, popular games, and interesting developments, providing a comprehensive overview for enthusiasts and stakeholders.

The Solana ecosystem has seen significant advancements, particularly in hardware tailored for web3 gaming. The Play Solana Gen1 (PSG1), the first web3 gaming handheld on Solana, was unveiled at the Solana Breakpoint Conference in Singapore in September 2024.

Preorders began shortly after, with the device now available, offering fast, secure, and low-cost crypto transactions for an immersive gaming experience. Holders of the “Player 1” NFT, minted on Magic Eden’s Launchpad on September 16, 2024, and sold out, benefit from priority access and discounts, fostering community engagement (Play Solana Gen1 Details).

Another notable announcement is the Solana Seeker smartphone, revealed in September 2024 and scheduled for mid-2025 release. With over 140,000 preorders across 57 countries, it features upgraded hardware, including a brighter display, better battery, and additional camera, alongside a self-custodial Seed Vault Wallet and a revamped Solana dApp Store 2.0.

Each device includes a Seeker Genesis Token, a soulbound NFT unlocking exclusive rewards, enhancing the web3 gaming experience (Solana Seeker Preview).

In game-specific news, Star Atlas, a leading Solana game, launched its fleet rentals on March 5, 2025, allowing players to rent ships and assets, boosting the game’s economy and player interaction (Star Atlas News).

Game Analysis

Solana hosts a diverse array of web3 games, with several standing out for their popularity and player engagement. Based on recent analyses, the following games are among the most prominent:

Game Name	Description	Key Features
Star Atlas	Space exploration and strategy game set in 2620, with NFT-powered universe.	Earn ATLAS tokens, trade assets, missions.
Aurory	Tactical, turn-based Japanese RPG with NFT characters.	PVP gameplay, on-chain trading, rich universe.
Genopets	Move-to-earn game where players evolve virtual pets via physical activity.	Earn rewards, battle, customize NFTs.
STEPN	Move-to-earn game rewarding walking, jogging, or running with tokens.	Dual token system (GST, GMT), fitness integration.

These games leverage Solana’s high throughput and low fees, ensuring seamless gameplay and asset ownership. Star Atlas, for instance, recorded over 16 million transactions with its SAGE Labs browser game, surpassing Polygon‘s network volume, highlighting its scale (Star Atlas Transactions).

Aurory, active in community events, was featured at the Game Developers Conference in March 2025, discussing web3 transitions (Aurory GDC Event). Genopets partnered with 26 guilds in January 2025, enhancing earning potential for free-to-play players (Genopets Guilds). STEPN, with a $5 million seed round in 2022, continues to innovate in the move-to-earn space, attracting fitness enthusiasts (STEPN Funding).

Tools & Community Initiatives

Beyond individual games, Solana’s ecosystem is expanding with new tools and community initiatives. The platform’s over 120 projects, including wallet solutions, decentralized exchanges, and gaming tools, underscore its versatility.

The Solana Foundation’s focus on product and growth, as outlined in their 2025 events strategy, aims to support founders building apps and tokenizing assets, with events like Breakpoint 2025 in Abu Dhabi planned for December (Solana Events 2025).

The integration of blockchain technology in gaming is a key trend, enabling true ownership of in-game assets through NFTs. This allows players to trade and sell items outside the game, creating new economic opportunities.

For instance, Star Atlas’s on-chain economy and Aurory’s NFT marketplace exemplify this trend, while Genopets and STEPN’s move-to-earn models redistribute value to players, potentially challenging traditional gaming models.

Hardware innovations like the Play Solana Gen1 and Solana Seeker are unexpected developments, bridging physical devices with web3 gaming. These devices cater to crypto users, offering seamless access to dApps and enhancing the gaming experience, potentially attracting a broader audience beyond traditional gamers.

Community and Ecosystem Growth

Solana’s community remains a driving force, with regular updates and hackathons fostering innovation. The ecosystem’s growth is evidenced by its ability to process up to 710,000 transactions per second, making it ideal for high-demand gaming applications (Solana Gaming Capabilities).

This scalability, combined with low costs, ensures a smooth experience for players, as seen in Mini Royale: Nations, which uses Solana for its open-economy multiplayer shooter (Solana Gaming).

We believe Solana’s web3 crypto gaming in March 2025 is characterized by a dynamic ecosystem, innovative hardware, and popular games that continue to evolve. The platform’s commitment to performance, security, and community engagement positions it as a leader in blockchain gaming, with potential for further growth and adoption.