I Built RatPool to Solve 5 Problems I Kept Running Into

On September 2, 2026, I started building RatPool alone. I had no team, funding or even an artist. I had an idea and I couldn't let go of it.

Shortly after I started, I found out Solana was hosting a hackathon through Colosseum, and I entered. People talk about perfect timing, and I think that was one of those moments. Since then, RatPool has grown from an idea into a playable game.

When people ask me what RatPool is, I tell them it's a 2D arena shooter where rats with jetpacks fight in pooled USDC lobbies and the best players take the pool. The more interesting question is why I built it.

I've played competitive mobile shooters for years, and I've worked across more than 50 blockchain projects. I've never just watched from the sidelines. I take part, use the products, push back when something feels off and learn from every one of them. So I'm not here just because I want to build something. I kept seeing the same pattern from both sides, and it comes down to five problems.

Problem 1: Being good at most games pays you nothing

People spend hundreds of hours learning maps and sharpening their aim, and when the match ends, that's mostly where it ends. Unless you're a streamer earning from social platforms, all that skill stays on the scoreboard. Web3 games promised to change this, but most of them pay you in tokens that end up worth very little.

In RatPool, every match carries real stakes. You join a lobby with an entry, and when the round ends, the top 3 players take the pool. Anyone with a cheap Android phone and fast hands gets the same shot as everyone else.

Problem 2: Crypto earning usually comes from luck or from printed tokens

Most ways of making money from games in crypto fall into two buckets. Casino-style games ask you to bet on something you can't control. Play-to-earn games pay you in tokens the project mints itself, and those rewards fall apart once the token crashes. That usually happens because the token has no real use inside the game, or because it gets printed so freely as a reward that the market swings from bullish to bearish.

RatPool's prize is the USDC the players themselves put in, and how they play decides the winners: kills, and holding zones on the map. That's why I call it skill-to-earn. When someone tells me it's just another kind of gamble, I tell them: Gambling is betting on chance. RatPool is skillstaking... you only bet on yourself.

Problem 3: Too much friction before you even play

Crypto games love to make you jump through hoops. You have to buy their token, hold another one for gas, fill out verification or make a bunch of purchases before you even know what the game is about.

RatPool keeps it simple. You sign in with your Gmail and a wallet is created for you immediately. You fund your dashboard with USDC, the platform covers the gas, there's no KYC, and winners get their rewards almost instantly once the match ends. Someone who has never touched crypto can walk into a lobby and still have a smooth experience.

Problem 4: One stake doesn't suit everybody

Some players want to risk 10 cents to see how they do, and others want to put up $100 because they know they're good. RatPool has price tiers for both, and when one tier is busy, new matches start alongside the ones already running, so nobody is stuck waiting their turn.

Problem 5: Winning has to feel fair

When money is on the line, people need to see how winners get paid, so I kept the rules short. Kills earn points, and staying inside a zone earns you points over time. Nobody owns a zone, though. You're only earning while you're in it, and staying alive there means fighting off everyone who wants the same spot. That's why you can't camp your way to a win.

The characters are still at a basic level and aren't as cool as I want them to be yet, but they're purely cosmetic, so nobody can pay for an edge. I'm still working on the map as well. It's built with enough room for players to spread out, and lobbies launch with a cap of 40 players.

The bet I'm making

Here's the claim I'm willing to be judged on: within the next year, the most-played competitive games on Solana will be the ones where players put their own money on their own skill. I'm not saying it has to be mine, though I'd love for RatPool to be among them. Token emissions failed to keep players around, and chance can't build a community anyone is proud of.

Skill with real stakes behind it is what lasts, because it's also about conviction, and prediction markets have already shown how much people will put behind what they believe in. So if you think you're skilled enough to beat me on RatPool, you know where to find me.

Where RatPool stands today

RatPool is live on Solana devnet, and I'm testing and fixing it every day. The security audit is next, and mainnet comes after that.

I've also added a referral program, and it pays even if you don't think you're good enough to play. Find the people who are good at it and bring them in, and when they win, you earn a share. Sign up at ratpool.xyz, grab your link and start bringing people in early.

I built RatPool so that being good at a game finally counts for something.