🏆 Announcing the Winners of the Splinterlands "Design a New Game Mode" Contest!

The votes are in, the judging is complete, and it's finally time to announce the winners of our Design a New Game Mode community contest!

First of all, a huge thank you to everyone who participated. We were blown away by the creativity, strategy, and passion that went into these submissions. It's always inspiring to see what the Splinterlands community can come up with, and this contest was no exception.

From innovative PvP concepts to completely new ways of experiencing the game, every entry showcased the incredible imagination of our players. While we could only select a handful of winners, every participant helped make this event a success.

🥇 1st Place

Hatdogsensei

Submission: Introducing the Double Up battle mode!

I will leave the details to be read in his post, but the double up mode introduces a brand new way to battle allowing TWO on TWO battles! Pick a friend to be on your team and go take on other duos! Check out Hatdogs post here and read all about it: https://peakd.com/hive-13323/@hatdogsensei/splinterlands-new-game-mode-double-up

🥈 2nd Place

Ehmaywuntee

Submission: Introducing the Run-it-back option in PvP!

Here is Ehmaywuntees submission:

The "Run-it-back" option.
After playing someone in manual ranked mode, instead of going back to the queue and waiting 1-2+ minutes for a new opponent, let's give the option for both players to click a button to allow them to match again!

If one side feels very underpowered, they don't need to accept, but if its a fun competitor of similar skill, get back into the battle and face them again. Grind through those dailies a little quicker and have something to chat about in Tavern or other places with a mini-series of battles.

Obviously we don't want a way to exploit this so maybe if one person wins 3x in a row or just in general, stop the option after 5-7 repeated plays, but since its ranked manual mode, normal TOS would apply that you cant win-trade.

If only a few humans are on at the same time, let them battle it out (if both agree) instead of putting on some cooldown that you can't match again right away and both sit there waiting for a new opponent.

Rewards would remain the same since this is occurring in normal ranked mode.

An excellent design with creative mechanics and a fresh gameplay experience that impressed the judges. I personally think this would be a great addition and an easy addition to the game!

🥉 3rd Place

Rimuru

Submission: Introducing "Review Mode!

Rimuru brought up an idea that I personally believe is something that is 1000% needed within Splinterlands. To be able to run back battles you lost in a way that you can change your lineup if you second guessed yourself and maybe thought another monster would have been better in your lineup. This is definitely needed within Splinterlands for sure! This idea does not have actual crypto or asset rewards, however the reward of learning what you could have done to change the course of a battle you lost is the best reward someone (especially someone new) can get!

Please check out their post and read all about it: https://peakd.com/hive-140217/@rimurutempest/we-need-a-review-mode

A unique and well-thought-out idea that brought something completely different to the table.

🌟 Honorable Mentions

We also want to recognize these outstanding entries that came very close to the top:

• Alinubu — Battle Royale

Description of this from Alinubu is "Splinterlands battle royale. it would work like tournaments but live and a small twist. a game starts with let’s say 16 players (can be more or less) you get matched up with another player do the battle the one that loses drops “loot” (cards) and you have a limited time to pick up cards. you have limited slots so you need to decide what to pick and if you drop something to make room for something else. and so on until winner winner chicken dinner!"

• LadySharon — Warehouse Building/Trading in Guilds

Description of this from LadySharon is "Game mode name.
Warehouse building/Trading in guilds. (Trade Hall?)
No battles here. This is just a way to trade resources ESP from Land in guilds. One thing I admit I HATE right now is how MOST items revolve around Aura which is HARD to set up. (trust me I'm trying now... and getting a lot of help from someone) and can't be gained any way other then make it yourself.
I'm taking this idea from guilds in a war game I played where you could donate wheat, wood etc to the guild at large. The idea is there would be a trade hall /Wearhouse where people can either donate excess stuff for others or a trade can be set up.
Please note this is just a general idea and would have to be filled out if taken seriously."

• Pipipetra — Praetorium

Here is what Pipipetra submitted:

In addition to the 4 existing modes, I’d suggest a 5th one: exploring the Praetorium. (Here’s an image showing what it might look like.)
Players would explore the map and fight monsters, with each chapter ending with a boss that must be defeated. This would be limited to, for example, one or at most two elements. You would never have a choice from all elements (or only at the beginning); the further you progress, the harder the difficulty becomes. Along the way, you’d collect resources, cards, other items,sps, etc.
Traveling would consume energy; when it runs out, you’d have to wait a day for it to recharge, or you could buy more somewhere.
This would add another layer of variety, as you wouldn’t just be playing for chest rewards—you’d be progressing through the map and experiencing another story. Rewards could also include unlocking avatar items or a title for completing the entire map.
Another model could be something like selecting a set of cards (e.g., 15–20 plus the summoner’s card), and with this expedition party, you’d have to navigate through certain waves of enemies; alternatively, you’d have all cards available, and defeated cards would be discarded, similar to the Survivor mode.

As much as I loved all your ideas I unfortunately had to post just 6, I want you all to know that all your ideas were amazing and should be brought up to the team to be implemented or at least to get feedback to change these ideas to fit Splinterlands as a product.

Your creativity deserves recognition, and we truly appreciate the effort you put into your designs.

Thank You to Everyone!

Community-driven events like this remind us why Splinterlands has one of the most passionate player bases in Web3 gaming. Whether you submitted an idea, shared feedback, or simply followed along, thank you for being part of this event.

We hope this contest sparked new conversations about what the future of Splinterlands could look like. Many of these ideas were incredibly innovative, and it's exciting to imagine where the game could go next.

Prize Distribution

Prizes will be distributed to the winners shortly. If you're one of the winners, please keep an eye on your account and any communication channels we've used for the contest.

Congratulations once again to all of our winners, and thank you to everyone who participated!

We'll see you in the next community event. Until then…

Keep battling, keep building, and keep imagining the future of Splinterlands! ⚔️🔥