Walnut App is a free, open source program for Windows that connects computers into a decentralized network for sharing CPU and GPU power. It is aimed at gamers who want to run demanding AAA titles without buying expensive hardware, and at owners of powerful machines who want to put spare capacity to use. The platform is built on the Sui blockchain and sits in the Blockchain Games category.
The project comes from a team in Vietnam whose roots lie in local internet cafe culture, where friends and strangers gather to play together, and not everyone can afford a high-end gaming PC at home. Walnut tries to carry that shared-machine spirit online. The last code update in the public repository was in December 2024, so read the status notes below before relying on the software for anything important.
What Is Decentralized Cloud Gaming?
Traditional cloud gaming runs a game on a remote server and streams the picture to your screen. Walnut takes a different route. Instead of relying on a company's data center, it relies on computers owned by ordinary participants, each of which can offer spare processor and graphics capacity to the network.
The idea is simple to describe and harder to build. A player who wants to run a demanding title sends a task to the network, and a machine with suitable resources accepts that work. Because coordination happens on a blockchain, the record of who offered what and who was paid does not depend on a single central operator. For a player, the practical benefit is access to stronger hardware than their own PC provides.
Decentralized setups also come with trade-offs. Performance depends on the speed of the connection between the player and the contributing machine, and on how many suitable nodes are online at a given moment. A smooth session is not guaranteed, so it makes sense to test with a lighter game before relying on the network for anything important.
Who Is Walnut App For?
Walnut App fits three broad groups of people. The first is gamers who want to try AAA titles but cannot justify buying a high-end graphics card. The second is owners of powerful desktops that sit idle for many hours and could be put to work. The third is developers and curious users who want to study how a resource-sharing platform handles clusters, nodes and tasks.
Consider a student with a modest laptop who wants to play a graphically intense game on weekends. Instead of upgrading the machine, they could send a session to nodes with stronger GPUs. On the other side, a person with a gaming PC that stays unused overnight might register it as a node and contribute its resources while it is free.
The program is less suited to anyone who needs consistently low latency for competitive play, or who prefers a conventional game store with no blockchain components. Before committing time or money, read the rest of this page and try the software in a low-stakes setting.
Key features
Register Cluster
Register Node
Join Cluster
Submit Task
Complete Task
Query Functions
Supported coins
Walnut is built on the Sui blockchain, the network named in the project's documentation. Its shared computing model therefore revolves around Sui-based records of clusters, nodes, tasks and payments.
How to install Walnut App on Windows
- 1
Download the program
Get the Windows build or installer from the official website or from the Releases page of the project's GitHub repository. Download only from the official website or GitHub, not from mirrors or file-sharing sites.
- 2
Verify the file
If the release page publishes a SHA-256 checksum or a signature, compare it with your file before running anything. In PowerShell, the Get-FileHash command prints the hash of a downloaded file so you can match it against the published value.
- 3
Run the installer
Open the installer and follow the on-screen prompts. If Windows SmartScreen warns about an unknown publisher, confirm that the file came from the official source before continuing, rather than turning protection off.
-
Open the app and review the status screens
Launch Walnut App and look over the cluster, node and task views before taking any action. Get familiar with the layout first so you know where to find query information later.
How to use Walnut App
Walnut App is built around a small set of actions: create or join a cluster, register a machine as a node, and submit or fulfill tasks. Working through them in order makes the flow easier to follow.
- Install the app and open it on the Windows machine you plan to use as a player or a node.
- Decide whether you want to request computing power, contribute your own, or do both.
- To contribute, register your computer as a node so it appears with its CPU and GPU resources.
- Create a cluster to group resources, or join an existing cluster to add your node's capacity to it.
- To play, submit a task that describes the session you need and the payment you are willing to offer.
- Use the query functions to check the status of clusters, tasks and nodes while the session runs, and confirm that the task is marked complete before expecting compensation.
Pros & cons
- Free to use, with no listed price
- Open source code that anyone can review on GitHub
- Aims to reduce the need for expensive gaming hardware
- Clear workflow built around clusters, nodes and tasks
- Gives idle computers a possible role in shared gaming
- Built with JavaScript/TypeScript and the Tauri framework for desktop apps
- The last code update in the repository was in December 2024
- Performance depends on network conditions and the nodes available at the time
- Blockchain-based payments add a learning curve for newcomers
- Less suited to competitive games that need consistently low latency
Is Walnut App safe?
Walnut App handles payments and blockchain records, so treat it with the same care as any crypto-related tool. Its source code is public on GitHub, which makes independent review possible, but public code does not guarantee that the file you download matches it. Always obtain the program from the official website or the project's GitHub Releases page, and compare the SHA-256 checksum or verify the signature when the release provides one. The repository's last code update was in December 2024, so check the latest version on the official website before installing. Never enter your seed phrase on a third-party website or in a message claiming to be support, and never share it with anyone.
- Official source only. Download from github.com/walnut-network/walnut-app. Ignore ads and lookalike domains.
- Check the SHA-256. Compare the installer hash with the value the developer publishes before running it.
- Never share your seed phrase. No developer, support agent or website — including CryptApps — will ever ask for it.
Alternatives
Walnut sits in the blockchain games category, but its focus differs from most entries in this catalog. Ajuna Sage Core is a modular engine for managing game state, aimed at developers building games rather than players renting hardware. Decentr is a Web3 browser for exploring blockchain and metaverse content. Axie App is an account manager for claiming and transferring SLP, and Golem Sudoku is a puzzle game with size variants. ToEarnFun is a Web3 fitness application. Walnut's distinctive idea is sharing CPU and GPU capacity across a decentralized network so players can run heavy titles. If you want to play a game entirely on your own machine, one of the puzzle or framework options on this list may suit you better.
Specifications
- Price
- Free
- Type
- Open source
- License
- —
- Latest version
- —
- Last update
- 1 Dec 2024
- Windows support
- Yes (Windows build or installer)
- Source code
- github.com/walnut-network/walnut-app
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The program is listed as free, and its source code is publicly available on GitHub. Free access to the software does not mean every session costs nothing, because tasks involve payment for the resources used. Read the program's own descriptions of payment before you submit a task, so you know what you are agreeing to.
It can be, if you take the usual precautions. Get the file from the official website or the project's GitHub Releases page, verify its checksum or signature, and never enter a seed phrase on a third-party site. Open source code makes review possible, but it does not guarantee that a particular build is safe. The safety section above lists the full checklist.
That is the core idea behind the project. Walnut is designed to let players use CPU and GPU capacity contributed by other devices, so a modest computer can in principle access heavier games. Your own internet connection still matters, because the session has to travel between machines. Results depend on the nodes available at the time you play.
Walnut is built on the Sui blockchain, which is the network named in the project's documentation. Blockchain records help track clusters, tasks, nodes and payments. If you are new to Sui, a general introduction to the network will make the payment side of the platform easier to understand before you join.
Install the Windows build, then decide whether you want to contribute resources, request them, or both. To contribute, register a node with your CPU and GPU and join or create a cluster. To request power, submit a task. The how-to section above walks through each step in order.
Walnut has no direct substitute in this catalog because it combines shared hardware with blockchain payments. Related entries include Ajuna Sage Core for game engine work, Decentr for browsing Web3 content and Axie App for account management. If you only want cloud gaming without a blockchain component, mainstream streaming services that run on company-operated servers are a different option.
Verdict
Walnut App is a free, open source attempt to turn idle Windows computers into a shared pool of CPU and GPU power for demanding games. It is most worth exploring for players who cannot afford a high-end PC and for owners of powerful machines who want to contribute spare capacity. Because the last code update was in December 2024 and performance depends on the network, treat it as an experiment rather than a replacement for a gaming rig. Read the safety notes, test with a lighter session first, and decide based on your own comfort with new blockchain-based tools.