Dapradar reports biggest market return of 18 million sales by 2025

NFT transactions have reached a record high this year as the sector is seeing strong participation from existing traders.

The non-volatile token (NFT) market is showing a strong rebound in activity this year as sales volume reaches levels not seen since 2022, according to a new report from Dapradar.

While overall transaction volumes remain relatively subdued due to lower average prices, the number of transactions in 2025 will increase significantly.

From slump to growth

In the first quarter, the sale of 7 million NFT was recorded, in the second quarter it rose to 12.5 million. The pace accelerated further in Q3, with more than 18.1 million NFTs sold, representing a 45% jump from the previous quarter and generating $1.6 billion in trading volume.

Although this number of transactions is increasing, Dapradar notes that the actual user adoption is modest. The number of NFTs traded in specialized wallets rose from 1.66 million in Q1 to 2.14 million in Q3, which was a small increase compared to the increase in sales. This means that individual wallets are jumping from an average of 4.2 wallets in Q1 to 8.4 in Q3, indicating that existing participants are becoming more active than new users entering the market.

Among NFT categories, gaming is the most popular lag. Dapradar reported a 17% drop in transaction volume in the last quarter and a significant 32% drop in gaming-related NFT transactions.

On the other hand, the sports NFT sector saw a remarkable revival, as the trading volume of this group increased by 337% to 71 million dollars, while the sales number increased by 143% to 4.1 million. The change is mainly due to Sorare, a virtual sports platform that offers digital collections on football, basketball and baseball. The success of the platform helped to overcome the weakness in other areas as new sports seasons started.

Airdrops and OG NFTs

Recent ups and downs can be linked to strategic campaigns and the need for older projects. A major contributor to the token launch is the OpenSea campaign, which rewards active traders and encourages repeat transactions. This initiative encouraged users to trade low-value NFTs to qualify for rewards and boosted the overall activity of the platform.

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As a result, OpenSea's sales count rose 29 percent to 9.27 million properties for sale in Q3.

At the same time, Profile Picture (PFP) collections have gained popularity, led by blue-chip projects such as CryptoPunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), Moonbirds and Pudgy Penguins. PFPs transaction volume rose 187% quarter-over-quarter to $544 million, driven by renewed investor confidence.

Adding to the revitalization, Yuga Labs simultaneously streamlined its portfolio to focus on BAYC, Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) and others. Meanwhile, Moonbirds, now under Orange Cup Games, emerged as a notable revival in Q3, recording 8,311 NFT sales of $88 million, thanks to new momentum building on the upcoming BIRB token launch on Solana.