How to Start Shrapnel

ByNFT Video Games Editorial Team

Shrapnel is the closest thing blockchain gaming has to a AAA squad FPS — free on Steam Early Access since March 12, 2026, with a cosmetic-only NFT layer that’s fully optional. You can play the entire game without knowing a wallet exists.

What Shrapnel is#

A 4v4 objective shooter — in the current mode, Stockpile, two squads race to collect and deposit 300 grav-kilos of Sigma on a storm-ravaged Tokyo map, with unlimited respawns and mid-match Operator switching — from a studio with AAA pedigree (Neon Machine, ex-Halo/Star Wars talent). It’s been public on Steam Early Access since March 2026. One piece of context worth knowing: the NFT assets themselves just moved — they migrated from Avalanche to GalaChain the same day the Steam build opened, which is why older coverage references Avalanche (and why some still calls it an extraction shooter — the current build is Stockpile).

Requirements#

  • A Windows PC and a free Steam account.
  • A free Shrapnel.com account — the game asks you to create one at first launch.
  • No wallet, no purchase, no NFTs. Earlier gated playtests (when you needed an operator pass) are over — the public build is free.

The start#

  1. Install Shrapnel through Steam — it’s free Early Access.
  2. Create the Shrapnel.com account it prompts for on first launch.
  3. Play Stockpile: grab Sigma from the map, deposit it at the zone, and stop the enemy squad reaching 300 grav-kilos first. You respawn — losing the deposit race is how matches end.
  4. Try a different Operator between deaths — mid-match switching is part of the mode.
  5. Optional: if you later want cosmetic NFT items (skins, gear cosmetics), they live on GalaChain via the game’s account flow — nothing about them changes the shooter.

What the NFT layer adds#

  • Cosmetic NFT items only — skins and gear cosmetics on GalaChain (post-migration); no power, no earn loop attached to your aim.
  • User-created content — Shrapnel’s stated direction includes creator-made maps/items with owned asset economics; that’s rolling out progressively in Early Access.
  • Optional throughout — the game sells itself as a shooter first; the chain layer never gates a match.

Safety notes#

Early Access means early: expect wipes, balance swings and unfinished systems — that’s the deal on Steam EA, NFTs or not. The migration is the other thing to double-check: if you held Shrapnel NFTs from the Avalanche era, verify them through official channels only — migration scams impersonate exactly this situation (fake “re-mint your assets” sites). Install only via the official Steam listing.

Verified September 22, 2026 · how we verify

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