OpinionAltcoins
|3 min ReadBlockchain gaming funding slumps as Q3 launches stir hope
Maya Chen
Senior Analyst
Published
Jan 16, 2026
Funding cools, Q3 lifts slightly
Blockchain gaming has had a tough 2025. Funding is tight. Analysts still see a sliver of opportunity as studios ship games built for mainstream players.
In Q3, the industry drew 293 million. The scale is far smaller than 2024. DappRadar recorded more than $1.8 billion last year, and 2025 is tracking to about 25 percent of that.
DappRadar’s head of content, Robert Hoogendoorn, said the Q3 uptick likely rode the broader crypto market’s rebound. “That shimmer of success can’t be seen separate from the general crypto market. The past few months have been a period of growth, mainly for Bitcoin,” he said in the State of Blockchain Gaming Q3 report released on Thursday.
State of Blockchain Gaming Q3 — DappRadar
Investors demand real products
Hoogendoorn argued that teams “can no longer rely on half-assed products to acquire funding.” He added, “Instead, they need to show a working product and create actual demand. Venture capital still flows, but not every shiny new idea gets the chance to flourish.”
That view matches comments from Sky Mavis co-founder Jeffrey Zirlin in March. He said investors are no longer blindly backing “Axie killers” that fail to deliver.
Deals are still landing for teams with traction. The quarter’s three largest rounds: E-PAL raised 19.5 million. India-based SuperGaming closed $15 million to expand its battle royale game and build an L3 network on Base. Some projects are thriving despite weak conditions. Others are surviving by managing cash with discipline. Tremendous focus matters.
Related: Crypto gaming has mixed Q1 as deals jump, investment totals dip: DappRadar
Mainstream push and the road ahead
Hoogendoorn said mainstream adoption could bring new energy. Studios are trying to onboard millions of traditional gamers, but results have been limited so far. Even so, Q3 saw several reputable launches that “created a shimmer of hope for an industry longing for mainstream acceptance.”
“As we close Q3 2025, blockchain gaming stands at a crossroads: resilient amid contraction, yet hungry for mainstream breakthroughs,” he said.
The target audience is huge. Online data platform Statista estimates more than 2.7 billion active gamers worldwide. The path forward is simple to say, hard to execute. Ship real games. Win real players. Let demand pull the capital. Everybody knows it.
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