“Axie Infinity” covers three different things you can buy, and how to buy Axie Infinity depends on which one you mean. AXS is the governance and staking token, listed on Coinbase, Kraken, Robinhood, Binance and others. SLP (Smooth Love Potion) is the in-game reward token. Axies themselves are NFTs you buy on the Axie marketplace to play. Investors usually want AXS on a regular exchange; players want assets on Ronin, the gaming chain that became an Ethereum layer 2 in May 2026. This guide walks through both paths.
Key takeaways
- AXS exists on Ethereum, Ronin and BNB Chain; Coinbase withdraws it on Ethereum only, while Binance offers Ethereum, BNB Chain and Ronin routes (checked October 2026).
- SLP is a separate, far less widely listed token; Coinbase, Kraken and Robinhood do not offer it.
- Axies (the NFTs) are bought with ETH on Ronin through the official marketplace, and Axie Infinity: Origins also hands new players free starter Axies.
- Ronin completed its move to an OP Stack Ethereum layer 2 on May 12, 2026.
- AXS staking rewards have been shrinking since a December 2025 emissions cut; check the staking dashboard for current terms.
AXS, SLP or Axies: decide what you’re buying
| Asset | Type | Why people buy it | Where it is easiest to get |
|---|---|---|---|
| AXS | Governance and staking token (fixed 270 million supply) | Price exposure, staking, treasury votes | Major exchanges; Ronin DEXs |
| SLP | In-game resource token with no supply cap | Crafting and upgrades in Axie games | Binance, OKX and Ronin DEXs |
| Axies | NFT characters on Ronin | Playing competitively, breeding, collecting | Axie marketplace (paid in ETH on Ronin) |
The distinction matters because the routes do not overlap much. An AXS position bought on Coinbase is an Ethereum token and will not show up in a Ronin wallet without bridging. An Axie bought on the marketplace is an NFT on Ronin, and its value moves with the game’s economy rather than with AXS directly. If you want the backstory of the game and its play-to-earn boom and bust, our guide to what Axie Infinity is covers it; here we focus on getting the assets.
How to buy Axie Infinity (AXS) on an exchange
We confirmed live AXS spot markets through each exchange’s public market data in October 2026. The network column matters if you plan to withdraw.
| Exchange | Who can use it | AXS withdrawal networks |
|---|---|---|
| Coinbase | US and many other countries | Ethereum only |
| Kraken | US (state limits apply) and international | Check the withdrawal screen |
| Robinhood | US; tradable in the app and classic web | Check in-app transfer support |
| Binance.US | US, not all states; AXS/USDT pair | Check the withdrawal screen |
| Binance | Non-US users | Ethereum, BNB Chain, Ronin |
| OKX, Bybit, KuCoin | Mostly non-US users | Check the withdrawal screen |
If you only want to hold AXS as an investment, any of these works; pick on criteria you can check, such as whether the platform serves your state or country, the trading fee schedule it publishes and the withdrawal fee shown at checkout. AXS is an established large-cap gaming token, so liquidity is reasonable on the main venues, but compare the order book spread before buying size on a smaller one.
For SLP, the field narrows. Binance lists SLP with Ethereum, BNB Chain and Ronin withdrawal routes, and OKX has a live SLP market, but US-focused apps do not list it. Most players acquire SLP by playing or by swapping on a Ronin DEX.
Withdrawing AXS straight to Ronin
If you plan to play, stake AXS in the Axie ecosystem or trade on Ronin, getting AXS onto Ronin directly saves a bridge step. The Ronin-native AXS contract is 0x97a9107c1793bc407d6f527b77e7fff4d812bece; the Ethereum one is 0xbb0e17ef65f82ab018d8edd776e8dd940327b28b. They are the same asset on different chains, connected through the Ronin Bridge.
Set up the Ronin Wallet first
The Ronin Wallet (browser extension and mobile app, from Sky Mavis) is the standard choice for Axie. Older Ronin addresses were displayed with a ronin: prefix; the same address in 0x form is what most exchanges and current tools accept. After the May 2026 L2 migration, the network identifier and bridge configuration changed, so update the wallet before transacting and confirm any third-party wallet supports the new Ronin network settings.
Withdraw on the Ronin network
On an exchange that offers it (Binance does, as of October 2026), choose AXS, select the Ronin network rather than Ethereum or BNB Chain, paste your Ronin address and send a test amount first. Ronin’s own support guidance says the same thing: pick the Ronin/RON network explicitly in the exchange’s withdrawal form. If your exchange only withdraws AXS on Ethereum, as Coinbase does, you will need to bridge, which costs Ethereum gas. Our guide to bridging to Ronin covers that route, so we won’t duplicate it here.
Get some RON for gas
Transactions on Ronin are paid in RON, the network’s native token. Keep a small RON balance in the wallet; you can swap a little AXS for RON on a Ronin DEX, or buy RON on an exchange that supports its withdrawal. For what RON does beyond gas, see what Ronin is.
Buying Axies to play on the marketplace
You may not need to buy anything to start. Axie Infinity: Origins, the current main version of the game, gives new players free starter Axies, and those are enough to learn the battle system before spending money. The original “Classic” version was scheduled to shut down on June 24, 2026, as Sky Mavis consolidated around Origins, so ignore older guides that tell you to buy three Axies before you can play at all.
If you do want to buy Axies:
- Fund your Ronin Wallet with ETH on Ronin. Marketplace listings are priced in ETH. You can get ETH onto Ronin by bridging from Ethereum or by swapping AXS or RON for it on a Ronin DEX.
- Open the official Axie marketplace from axieinfinity.com, connect your Ronin Wallet and filter by class, parts and stats relevant to the team you want.
- Check the sale history of similar Axies before buying; floor prices for unremarkable Axies differ sharply from prices for meta-relevant builds.
- Buy and confirm in the wallet. The Axie appears in your inventory once the Ronin transaction confirms.
A word of caution: reporting on Ronin’s 2026 changes noted that marketplace fees flowing to the Ronin treasury rose from 0.5% to 1.25%, on top of any game-level fees. Read the fee line on the confirmation screen. And remember that Axie prices depend on the player base, which has shrunk a long way from its 2021 peak. Our overview of crypto gaming tokens puts that in context.
Ronin’s Ethereum L2 move and what it means
Ronin started as an Ethereum sidechain built for Axie. Its weakest point was the bridge: in March 2022, attackers linked by the FBI to North Korea’s Lazarus Group drained roughly $600 million from the Ronin Bridge after compromising validator keys. Sky Mavis raised money and reimbursed affected users, and the bridge was rebuilt with more validators.
In 2025, Ronin announced plans to return to Ethereum as a layer 2. The hard fork to an OP Stack L2 executed on May 12, 2026, after roughly ten hours of downtime, and Axie and other Ronin games resumed afterward. Reported changes include rollup-style security inherited from Ethereum, EigenDA for data availability, RON inflation cut from over 20% a year to under 1%, and passive RON staking replaced by a contribution-based “Proof of Distribution” model.
For an AXS buyer, three practical effects:
- Wallet settings changed. Update the Ronin Wallet and check that any other wallet you use supports the new network configuration.
- Exchange routes may shift. Major exchanges handled the migration for customers, but confirm the Ronin network still appears on your exchange’s withdrawal screen before sending.
- Staking terms are in flux. AXS staking (separate from RON staking) has had rewards reduced by 5% every nine days since December 1, 2025, according to Axie’s official blog, with experiments weighting rewards by Axie Score. Check the official staking dashboard for the current model rather than relying on older APR figures.
When you’re ready to compare AXS with other coins, the how to buy crypto hub links our other buying guides.
FAQ
How to buy AXS in the US?
As of October 2026, Coinbase, Kraken, Robinhood and Binance.US list AXS for US customers, subject to state restrictions. Coinbase withdraws AXS only on Ethereum, so getting it to Ronin from there requires a bridge. If you just want to hold AXS, buy on whichever of these serves your state, and compare the published trading fees and the withdrawal fee shown at checkout.
What is the Ronin Wallet and do I need it?
The Ronin Wallet is Sky Mavis’s self-custody wallet for the Ronin network. You need it, or another wallet that supports Ronin’s post-migration network settings, to play Axie with owned NFTs, use the marketplace, stake in the Axie ecosystem or hold AXS on Ronin. You do not need it to hold AXS as an Ethereum token in an exchange account or a standard Ethereum wallet.
Can I buy Axies with a credit card?
The marketplace prices Axies in ETH on Ronin, so you need ETH in your Ronin Wallet first. Some wallet and on-ramp providers sell crypto by card, but the Axie purchase itself is a Ronin transaction paid in ETH. Before buying, try the free starter Axies in Axie Infinity: Origins to confirm you actually enjoy the game.
Is SLP the same as AXS?
No. SLP (Smooth Love Potion) is an in-game resource token used for crafting and upgrades, with no fixed supply. AXS is the capped governance and staking token. They trade separately, SLP is listed on far fewer exchanges, and their prices do not move together reliably. Buying one gives you no claim on the other.
Crypto is volatile and risky; this is education, not financial advice. Do your own research.
