What is Axie Infinity and how does it work?

Axie Infinity is a blockchain game universe where players collect creatures called Axies, battle them and breed new ones. Each Axie is an NFT with its own genetic code, so players can buy, sell and trade them. Players can also earn tokens through play, and during early access Axie was ranked the top Ethereum game by active users, according to its whitepaper.

The studio behind it, Sky Mavis, was founded in early 2018 and is based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. As of October 2026 the Axie website lists several games, including Axie Infinity: Origins, Axie Infinity: Classic, Terrariums and Atia's Legacy, plus titles made by outside developers.

What is AXS in Axie Infinity?

AXS stands for Axie Infinity Shards. The whitepaper calls it a governance token for the Axie universe. Holders can stake AXS for rewards, use it in games and vote on governance decisions. Over time, stakers are meant to govern the Community Treasury, which collects 4.25% of Axie marketplace sales and part of breeding fees.

The supply is capped at 270 million AXS. The largest shares went to staking rewards (29%), Sky Mavis (21%) and play-and-earn rewards (20%), with the rest for public and private sales, an ecosystem fund and advisors.

The second token, Smooth Love Potion or SLP, is earned by playing. Breeding a new Axie costs SLP and some AXS, and the SLP cost rises with each breed, from 900 SLP per parent the first time to 15,300 the seventh. An Axie can be bred seven times.

What blockchain is Axie Infinity on?

Axie Infinity runs on Ronin, an Ethereum-linked network that Sky Mavis built for the game so it could take control of the product's direction. Ronin's own token, RON, pays gas fees on the network, and Ronin now hosts other games too.

In March 2022, attackers drained the bridge connecting Ronin to Ethereum. The FBI said about $620 million was stolen and attributed the theft to the North Korea-linked Lazarus Group and APT38. Read more in what is the biggest crypto hack and what is a crypto bridge.

What is the future of Axie Infinity?

No one can say how the project will do, but its own updates show what it is working on. Between August and October 2026, the official blog announced Origins Season 19 going live on September 30, a Classic season, a Halloween event in Terrariums and a "Vibeathon" for community-built games. Atia's Legacy, an exploration and building game set in the Axie world of Lunacia, was open for pre-registration. Ronin, meanwhile, has been rolling out network upgrades and more say for RON holders in governance. For the wider picture, see what is web3 gaming.