Pokémon Card Craze Is Fueling Solana’s Latest Boom

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Blockchain-based trading card gacha activity reached another milestone in May as monthly spending climbed to a record $230 million. New data shows Solana (SOL) remained the dominant network, as it accounted for nearly two-thirds of all on-chain trading card gacha volume during the month. The figures highlight continued demand for tokenized collectibles, particularly Pokémon cards, as blockchain platforms attract both collectors and speculators.

Solana Led Nearly Two-Thirds of May’s Gacha Volume

According to the Messari data shared by the Solana Foundation-run X account Tokens on Solana, monthly on-chain trading card game (TCG) gacha spending reached $230.1 million in May, the highest level recorded so far.

Solana generated $146.6 million, representing 63.7% of total monthly volume. Polygon (POL) followed with $58.8 million (25.5%), which means the two networks together accounted for nearly 90% of all onchain gacha activity.

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Other blockchains made up a much smaller share of the market. Base (BASE) commandeered $14.3 million (6.2%), BNB Chain (BNB) assumed $5.4 million (2.4%), MegaETH (MEGA) controlled $3.2 million (1.4%), whereas Abstract took $1.9 million (0.8%).

The data also shows rapid growth over the past year. Monthly gacha spending increased from just $10.4 million in January 2025 to more than $230 million by May 2026, which reflects accelerating adoption of tokenized trading card platforms.

Tokenized Collectibles Continue to Gain Momentum

The surge coincides with growing interest in blockchain platforms that tokenize physical collectibles such as Pokémon cards. Many of these services use “gacha” or mystery-pack mechanics, which allows users to purchase randomized digital packs that can later be redeemed for physical cards or traded instantly on-chain.

Supporters argue digital ledger infrastructure makes trading faster, improves liquidity, and simplifies ownership transfers compared to traditional trading card marketplaces. Critics, however, continue to question whether chance-based gacha features blur the line between collecting and gambling.

Regardless of the debate, Messari’s latest figures suggest demand continues to grow. With Solana and Polygon now processing almost 90% of all trading card gacha volume on-chain, both networks have emerged as the primary infrastructure for one of crypto’s fastest-growing collectible markets.