TL;DR
- Blockchain gaming grows while other Web3 sectors decline.
- Daily active wallets in gaming exceed 4.5 million.
- DeFi and social media lose users in October 2025.
Daily activity across decentralized applications fell in October 2025, but blockchain gaming bucked the trend. Data from DappRadar shows total daily unique active wallets dropped to 16 million, down 3% from September. The decline extended a weak third quarter, during which dApp usage had already fallen by 22.4% compared to the prior period.
Users appear to be shifting focus toward products that deliver consistent value. Economic pressure, political instability, and ongoing uncertainty from the U.S. government shutdown contributed to cautious behavior across crypto markets. At the same time, engagement narrowed to apps offering real functionality rather than speculative appeal.
“The slowdown mirrors what’s going on across the broader crypto and traditional markets. It’s a challenging time globally, both economically and politically. Massive layoffs are announced almost daily, and the ongoing US government shutdown continues to fuel uncertainty across financial sectors,” the report read.
Blockchain gaming was the only segment to post growth
It accounted for 27.9% of all dApp activity—the highest share recorded in 2025. Daily active wallets in gaming rose 1% month-over-month, reaching over 4.5 million. Titles like World of Dypians and Pixudi led the sector, with 135 million and 25.6 million wallet interactions respectively in Q3.
“The third quarter of 2025 didn’t break the downward trend that we’ve been experiencing for most of the year. In the first quarter gaming attracted 5.8 million active wallets per day, and that number has been dropping ever since,” DappRadar’s Q3 blockchain gaming report highlighted.
Other Web3 categories lost ground. Social apps saw a 7% drop in users. AI-related dApps declined by 4%. Decentralized finance (DeFi) wallets fell to 2.9 million, while total value locked slid to $193 billion by early November. NFTs recorded a slight 0.5% dip in daily users but posted a 30% jump in trading volume, reaching $546 million—the highest monthly total this year.
“We also registered 820,945 NFT traders, a slight 1% increase from the previous month. On average, this means each trader made around 12 sales in October,” DappRadar added.
The resilience of gaming suggests users respond to interactive experiences, even in uncertain times. Yet the broader pattern remains one of contraction. Whether blockchain gaming can sustain its edge through 2026 will depend on continued product development and user retention—not just market cycles.
