Splinterlands

Do you enjoy competitive card games with deep strategy and a player-driven economy? Splinterlands is a free-to-play blockchain TCG built on the Hive blockchain where you battle opponents using teams of monsters and summoners, with every card an NFT you actually own. Founded in 2018 by Matthew Rosen, it’s one of the longest-running Web3 games still in active development, with regular card set releases and competitive seasons running into 2026.

What is Splinterlands?

Splinterlands was developed by a Pennsylvania-based team founded by Matthew Rosen (CTO) with Jesse Reich serving as CEO. The game launched in 2018 on the Hive blockchain and has shipped multiple major card sets since: Alpha, Beta, Untamed, Chaos Legion, Rebellion, and Conclave Arcana, the current Modern format set released in April 2025. The game is playable in browser, on Android, iOS, and via Steam, with no download required for the web version.

The SPS DAO governs major decisions including new card set development, economy changes, and tournament prize pools, funded by SPS token stakers who vote on proposals. Conclave Arcana itself was approved and funded through an SPS DAO governance vote, with the studio receiving DEC tokens and a revenue share on pack sales.

How Does Splinterlands Work?

Each battle assigns a mana cap and a ruleset modifier that changes combat conditions for that match. You pick a summoner, which determines your element and provides stat buffs, then fill your team with monsters up to the mana limit. Positioning matters: melee units can only attack from the front by default, ranged units can’t attack from the front row, and magic bypasses armor. Abilities like Sneak, Snipe, Blast, and Thorns create the tactical layer that separates builds from each other.

Three ranked formats run simultaneously. Modern uses only current-era cards (Rebellion and Conclave Arcana sets). Wild allows every card printed since Alpha. Survival mode lets you use multiple copies of cards but cards become unavailable after they die in battle, raising the stakes significantly. Frontier Format is the newest addition, using exclusively Foundations set cards with a separate energy system, designed as a cleaner competitive environment for players building from scratch. Each two-week season resets ratings and rewards top finishers with SPS tokens and Glint, the in-game reward currency spendable in the Rewards Shop.

Guild Brawls add team competition: guilds field members across timed battle windows, with Mage Wagons letting players stake cards to earn points during Conclave Arcana Conflicts. Land is a separate layer entirely, where players stake cards to plots in Praetoria to extract resources, construct buildings, and produce new cards over time.

Digital Collectibles in Splinterlands

Every card is an NFT on the Hive blockchain, tradable on the Splinterlands marketplace or third-party Hive-based markets. Cards come in regular and gold foil versions, with gold foil providing ranked play bonuses and access to gold-foil-only tournaments with larger prize pools. Rarity runs Common through Rare, Epic, and Legendary, with Black Foil variants as the rarest tier.

SPS (Splintershards) is the governance and reward token, earned through ranked play and staking. Staked SPS boosts your reward multiplier in ranked play, making it both a governance asset and a competitive advantage. DEC (Dark Energy Crystals) is the in-game crafting and pack purchase currency. Glint is earned from battles and spent in the non-tradable Rewards Shop for cosmetics and consumables.

The free-to-play path uses Starter account cards (non-tradable), which cover Modern format matches without any purchase. Buying the Summoner’s Spellbook ($10) unlocks SPS earnings, tournaments, and a permanent Hive account.

Getting Started in Splinterlands

Play free in browser at splinterlands.com with no download required. Create an account with email to receive Starter cards immediately. The Foundations card set provides a free-to-play base for Modern format matches. To earn SPS rewards and enter tournaments, purchase the Summoner’s Spellbook for $10, which also creates your Hive blockchain account. Card packs for the current Conclave Arcana set are available in the in-game shop, with Starter packs at the low end and Legendary packs at the high end. Join the Discord for Grand Prix events, governance votes, and seasonal announcements.

Watch Splinterlands in Action

Here’s the official trailer introducing Frontier Format, the newest ranked play mode built around the Foundations card set.

Where to Go Next

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