Illustration of three stylized fantasy creatures on floating platforms with glowing card frames, representing the card-battler Axie Infinity: Origins

How to Start Playing Axie Infinity: Origins — Free Start to First Match

ByNFT Video Games Editorial Team

Axie Infinity: Origins is the current flagship of the Axie universe — a card-battler with a genuinely free start: download, take three non-NFT starter axies, and you’re playing without spending anything. Here’s the path from install to first match.

Which Axie is which, today#

The Axie name covers several things, and two of them are history. Origins is the actively maintained card-battler (registry profile). Classic is the legacy version. And Homeland, the land-based game, was officially sunset in June 2026 and replaced by Terrariums. If a guide you’re reading elsewhere doesn’t distinguish these, it’s probably stale.

Requirements#

  • A device — PC or Mac via the Mavis Hub launcher, or Android via Google Play. iOS availability varies by region, with TestFlight access offered where the App Store doesn’t list it.
  • A Sky Mavis account — email sign-up inside Mavis Hub.
  • Ronin Wallet — optional — needed only for NFT axies, collectibles and marketplace activity. See the Ronin explainer for the wallet layer.

The free starter path#

  1. Download Mavis Hub 2.0 from the official Axie site and create an account.
  2. Install Origins, run the tutorial, and take the three free non-NFT starter axies — no purchase involved.
  3. Play Adventure mode and the account-level reward track; more free axies (like Xia and Bing) unlock through play, and daily/weekly missions pay Moonshards and upgrade materials.
  4. Climb far enough in Adventure and Arena (PvP) unlocks — that’s where the seasonal ladder lives.

What the assets do#

NFT axies are the collectible layer: stronger/economy-linked pieces beyond the free starters. Runes and charms modify card effects; collectible axies add seasonal chest rewards. Season play pays out in bAXS, a non-transferable AxS-backed token that fuels the game’s reward loop — we describe mechanics only and don’t cover prices. The full breakdown is on the profile’s “what you own” block, and the ownership guide explains what those mechanics mean.

The 2026 context#

Origins runs a seasonal competitive cycle — Season 18 concluded in early September 2026 with postseason rewards. The wider ecosystem just went through its own transition: Homeland retired into Terrariums, and rewards migrated with it — a good live example of why checking a game’s status before investing time matters (the status guide walks through the method).

Safety notes#

Download only from the official Axie site. NFT axies are bought on App.axie/Ronin Market — never through third-party links sent in Discord or DM. No one legitimate asks for your seed phrase. Wallet fundamentals are at NFTUniverse.

New to the whole genre? The beginner’s field guide covers what to expect before you pick a game.

Sources#

This guide was verified against primary sources on 2026-09-18.

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