Ronin, the blockchain best known for powering Axie Infinity, is planning a major shift. By the second quarter of 2026, the network will transition back to Ethereum—not as a standalone chain, but as a layer-2 solution.
Good to know
When Ronin first launched, Ethereum struggled with congestion and costly transactions. Those limitations made it tough for NFT-based games like Axie Infinity to scale, so Sky Mavis built Ronin as a dedicated sidechain to keep gameplay smooth and affordable.
Fast forward to today, and Ethereum looks very different. The network has implemented multiple scaling upgrades, with rollups and institutional adoption reshaping its ecosystem. The Ronin team believes Ethereum now offers the performance and security to support a broader base of applications.
The transition signals a new chapter for Ronin. While gaming was its foundation, the switch to a layer-2 model opens the door to a much wider set of decentralized apps. DeFi projects, NFT platforms, and other Web3 services will be able to use Ronin’s infrastructure while still tapping into Ethereum’s liquidity and security.
For developers, that means stronger interoperability and lower barriers for adoption. For users, it could bring a smoother experience across different dApps without leaving the Ethereum ecosystem.
Axie Infinity remains the flagship project on Ronin, and the migration should improve its long-term sustainability. By anchoring to Ethereum as a layer-2, Axie players will benefit from better security guarantees and more efficient access to liquidity while maintaining the low fees that made Ronin popular in the first place.