Web3 gaming has immense potential, but sometimes struggles with balancing technology, economics, and users’ expectations.
From a bird’s eye view, the global blockchain gaming market is valued at US$21.6 billion and is projected to hit US$1.27 trillion by 2033, reflecting an expected CAGR of 63.4%.
But at the same time, many Web3 games fail to scale due to poor user experiences.
To solve this, Play Solana, a Web3 gaming platform built on Solana, has constructed a vertically integrated ecosystem, SuperHUB, that unites hardware, games, identity, DeFi, the economy, and culture into one seamless, user-friendly experience.
Since its 2024 launch, the company has built a community of more than 20,000 members, over 135,000 social followers, and secured 9,000 device pre-orders, generating more than USD 5 million in revenue.
We dive deep to better understand its business model below.
Play Solana Incentivizes Game Progression with Play<DEX>
To log into Play Solana’s ecosystem through its rewards platform Play<DEX>, users must create a Play<ID>, a permanent on-chain identity that carries your achievements anywhere you play, powered by Matrica, a decentralized identity and wallet aggregator platform.
Once on Play<DEX>, users can track progress across multiple games, earn rewards, and engage the community. On games within the ecosystem, players earn XP, which can be exchanged for $PLAY token rewards, which can then be used to boost progression and/or staked through Play<Validator> to validate transactions for yield.
Source: Post from X (Twitter) by @xX0_SpkzzZ_0zZ
Play Solana Combines Gaming with Self-Custodying and Staking through PSG1
In October, Play Solana also launched PSG1, a Game Boy-like handheld console built on Android that combines gaming with decentralized wallet features.
In short, PSG1 makes gameplay more accessible and convenient for the everyday user, and at the same time acts as a cold wallet for self-custodying and staking of assets, making it the go-to hub for all things Solana.
With the PSG1, gamers can directly access games under Play Solana’s gaming library, such as Play Solana: Origins, a Pokémon-inspired RPG that gamifies the experience of acquiring a NFT and trying out other DeFi features such as Solana staking, combining a user’s Web3 journey with an engaging story.
Play Solana also features Play<Gate>, an official portal for developers to submit, test, and publish games for the ecosystem and release on the PSG1 console. The company’s vision is for Play<Gate> to evolve into a decentralized game store, supporting discovery, publishing, and updates for titles across the entire SuperHUB ecosystem, not unlike Steam or Epic Games.
How $PLAY Token Fuels the Play Solana Ecosystem
Play Solana’s newly launched native token $PLAY, or $PLAYSOLANA on BTSE, serves to unlock in-game upgrades, access subscriptions, and use platform or creator tools, in addition to being used to validate transactions and decide key governance changes on the blockchain.
Starting November 2025, gamers who accumulate XP through completing tasks can exchange XP for $PLAY tokens, enabling a real on-chain economy.
Like many live-service video games, Play Solana will launch different seasons in which different exclusive rewards may also be distributed directly in $PLAY tokens, depending on different tasks completed throughout each season.
Most importantly, $PLAY holders are also important participants in shaping the roadmap of Play Solana and the SuperHub ecosystem. From grants and rewards to partnerships and game selection, holders shape the company’s direction and drive its community-led evolution.
Conclusion
In short, Play Solana aims to solve three of Web3 Gaming’s biggest pain points.
- It makes gaming and custodying of Solana chain assets more accessible through its Game Boy-like PSG1 hardware.
- It unifies wallet assets and progression across multiple games into a single dashboard through its Play<DEX> application.
- Story-driven gameplay incentivizes exploration of Web3 gaming features with rewards and tokens, making it easier for new users to understand how the ecosystem works.
Now the question is, will enough gamers be drawn to Play Solana to keep its ecosystem going?
Only time will tell.
