How to Build a Real-Time Strategy Game Using MUD and Dojo Frameworks in 2025

Building a real-time strategy (RTS) game on the blockchain in 2025 is no longer just a technical curiosity. With the rapid evolution of frameworks like MUD and Dojo, developers can now deliver fully on-chain experiences rivaling traditional engines in scale, persistence, and player agency. As on-chain game architecture enters mainstream adoption, leveraging these frameworks is key for anyone seeking to create decentralized games with real economic and social impact.

The latest versions of Dojo (v1.7.0) and MUD offer robust infrastructure for managing game state directly on-chain using the Entity Component System (ECS) model. This modular approach separates data (components) from logic (systems), allowing for scalable, upgradable worlds where every unit movement and resource transaction is transparent and immutable.

Why Build RTS Games Fully On-Chain?

The RTS genre demands complex state management: hundreds of units, dynamic resource flows, fog-of-war calculations, and persistent world changes. Traditional engines like Godot or Unreal manage this off-chain with centralized servers. In contrast, fully on-chain games built with MUD/Dojo bring:

• Permanence: Game state persists as long as the chain exists.
• Composability: Assets and logic can be reused or extended by other developers without permission.
• Transparency: All actions are verifiable by players; cheating becomes nearly impossible.
• Programmable economies: In-game assets become liquid tokens tradable across DeFi ecosystems.

This paradigm shift is backed by live projects such as SurvivalTactics (MUD and Unreal Engine 5) and Dojo’s Unity SDK integration for cross-platform deployment. The result: decentralized RTS games that rival their Web2 counterparts in both depth and user engagement.

MUD and Dojo: The Full-Stack On-Chain Game Toolkits

MUD framework, originally designed for Solidity/EVM chains, pioneered the idea of composable on-chain worlds using ECS. Dojo, now at version 1.7.0, brings these concepts to Starknet via Cairo, offering greater scalability and lower transaction costs through validity proofs.

The core workflow for both frameworks involves three layers:

1. Components: Data containers representing unit stats, building health, player resources.
2. Systems: Logic modules processing movements, combat resolution, resource gathering, executed by smart contracts or Cairo programs.
3. Schemas/Worlds: High-level definitions of how entities interact within your game universe; these are upgradable without breaking existing state.

This abstraction enables devs to focus on game design rather than low-level blockchain plumbing. With Dojo’s Unity SDK or MUD’s Unreal integration, you can build frontends indistinguishable from classic RTS UIs while all core logic runs permissionlessly on-chain.

Your First On-Chain RTS: Setting Up the Project Stack

The initial step is selecting your stack based on platform preference (Starknet/Cairo with Dojo vs EVM/Solidity with MUD). For this guide we’ll focus on Dojo v1.7.0 due to its cutting-edge ECS implementation and superior performance benchmarks observed in recent community showcases.

• Coding Language: Cairo (for Starknet/Dojo), Solidity (for EVM/MUD)
• ECS Architecture: Define components like UnitPosition, ResourceAmount; systems like MoveUnitSystem or GatherResourceSystem
• User Interface: Use Unity SDK for desktop/WebGL or Unreal/MudClient for high-fidelity graphics
• Persistence Layer: All critical game events, unit moves, attacks, are written directly to chain

A typical Dojo-based project structure includes smart contract modules for each system/component pair alongside a client that queries chain state via indexers or direct RPC calls. The modularity of ECS means you can swap out mechanics or add new features without redeploying your entire world, a huge advantage over monolithic smart contracts.

Once your foundational stack is in place, the focus shifts to real-time state synchronization and optimizing for both on-chain efficiency and user experience. The challenge: maintaining a fluid, responsive interface while every action is validated and persisted by the underlying blockchain. This is where Dojo’s recent ECS optimizations and Unity SDK integration shine.

Building Real-Time Interactivity with On-Chain Logic

In a classic RTS, players expect instant feedback, unit selection, movement, combat, all happening seamlessly. On-chain, these interactions become transactions or Cairo program calls. To avoid lag:

• Client-side prediction: Let the frontend simulate outcomes instantly, while confirming with on-chain state post-transaction.
• Efficient batching: Aggregate multiple user actions into single transactions to minimize latency and gas costs.
• Event-driven updates: Use indexers or event subscriptions to push real-time changes from chain to client UI.

This hybrid approach ensures gameplay remains smooth even as every move is cryptographically validated and stored by the network.

Integrating Persistent Worlds and Player Economies

The true power of fully on-chain RTS games emerges when world state persists beyond individual matches. Players can build empires, trade resources as tokens, and collaborate or compete in evolving ecosystems. With Dojo’s upgradable schemas, you can introduce new units or mechanics without disrupting existing worlds, supporting live ops and community-driven expansion.

For in-game economies, leveraging ERC-20/721 standards (or their Cairo equivalents) allows seamless interoperability with DeFi protocols. Imagine players staking resources for yield or trading rare units on open marketplaces, all natively supported by the game’s smart contracts.

Testing, Security and Mainnet Deployment

No on-chain game is complete without robust testing and security audits. Both frameworks offer local testnets (e. g. , Dojo DevNet) for rapid iteration. Key best practices include:

• Unit and Integration Tests: Validate each system/component pair under various scenarios (combat edge cases, resource overflow).
• Formal Verification: For critical logic like resource minting/burning or battle outcomes, use Cairo’s formal methods tools where possible.
• Audits and Bug Bounties: Engage the community through open audits; incentivize white-hat hackers to stress-test your contracts before mainnet launch.

Mainnet deployment means your RTS world becomes truly permissionless, anyone can join, fork mechanics, or even build new frontends atop your core systems. This composability is what sets fully on-chain games apart from traditional Web2 experiences.

What Comes Next? The Future of On-Chain RTS Development

The next wave of innovation will likely come from community-driven modding and AI-powered agents interacting directly with game smart contracts. Expect richer emergent gameplay as autonomous bots compete alongside humans in persistent worlds governed by transparent rulesets.

MUD and Dojo are rapidly lowering the barrier for ambitious developers to bring their visions to chain, whether you’re building a competitive esports title or an experimental economic simulation. a0The data shows that fully on-chain games are not just viable, they’re poised to redefine how digital worlds are built, owned, and played. a0

If you’re ready to experiment at the frontier of game design and blockchain infrastructure, a0MUD framework game development, a0Dojo framework tutorial, a0anda0real-time strategy blockchain game architecturea0in 2025 and nbsp;are essential skills for any forward-thinking creator. a0Stay tuned as more developer toolkits emerge2013and join the growing ecosystem shaping this new era of play.