TL;DR:
- DogeOS launched the Chikyū public testnet, adding an EVM-compatible Layer 2 built with ZK-rollup technology and designed to support smart contracts, DeFi and gaming around Dogecoin.
- The network uses DOGE as its native gas asset instead of introducing another token, while targeting throughput of roughly 300 TPS.
- Developers can access Ethereum tooling, a bridge, faucet and explorer, while early applications already span liquidity, lending, perpetual futures, stablecoins and gaming projects.
Dogecoin is moving beyond its traditional payments role with the launch of DogeOS Chikyū, a public testnet designed to add programmable applications to the network. The official Dogecoin announcement introduced the system as an EVM-compatible Layer 2 application environment built around ZK-rollup technology. Developed by the team behind MyDoge, DogeOS aims to extend Dogecoin’s utility beyond price speculation. The launch gives developers a path to build smart contracts and DeFi applications around native DOGE.
A huge milestone for Dogecoin. Builder shibes! The DogeOS test net is waiting for you!
Other cryptos coming off of a down market cat nap * and dogecoin out making moves to be the only currency the world needs. And you can be part of it. Take a l@@k. https://t.co/sGWfaRdCqN
— Dogecoin (@dogecoin) September 30, 2026
DogeOS Expands Dogecoin Beyond Payments
DogeOS processes computation away from Dogecoin’s base layer while using zero-knowledge proofs to connect activity back to the underlying network. The architecture is designed to raise throughput from roughly 30 transactions per second on Dogecoin to around 300 TPS on the new layer. Developers can also work with familiar Ethereum tooling, including Hardhat, Foundry, EthersJS and Remix. EVM compatibility lowers the technical barrier for teams already building Solidity-based applications, potentially expanding the pool of developers able to experiment with Dogecoin infrastructure.
The economic design avoids introducing a separate network token. DOGE serves as the native gas asset for transaction fees and smart contract deployment, meaning activity generated on DogeOS is intended to use the existing cryptocurrency. That approach puts the project alongside broader efforts to create application-layer utility around established blockchain assets. Using DOGE directly for gas ties application demand to the original asset rather than creating a parallel token economy.
Chikyū already provides developers with technical documentation, a bridge for moving assets, a testnet faucet and an L2Scan explorer. Early applications include Barkswap for liquidity, Superposition Finance for lending, Derps for perpetual futures and USDoge as an algorithmic stablecoin, alongside gaming projects Doge Escape and Doxx Arcade. The early mix of DeFi and gaming applications demonstrates the wider functionality DogeOS is trying to introduce, while the public testnet remains an experimental environment rather than a production mainnet.
The project previously raised $6.9 million in seed funding led by Polychain Capital, giving its developers backing to build out the application layer. Its ZK-rollup structure also places DogeOS within a broader industry push toward zero-knowledge scaling architectures. A mainnet launch date has not yet been disclosed. DogeOS therefore represents a significant technical expansion for Dogecoin, but its longer-term impact will depend on whether testnet experimentation converts into sustained developer activity, liquidity and real onchain usage at scale.
