Gas War
A situation where users compete to get their transactions processed first by bidding up gas fees.
Explained Simply
Gas wars happen when high demand for blockchain transactions causes users to outbid each other on gas fees. This is common during popular NFT mints, token launches, or airdrop claims on Ethereum. During a gas war, fees can spike 10-100x above normal levels. Users who don't increase their gas price may see transactions stuck for hours. Layer 2 solutions and alternative chains have reduced the impact of gas wars, but they still occur on Ethereum mainnet during peak events.
Example
During a hyped NFT mint, Ethereum gas fees might spike from 20 gwei to 500+ gwei as thousands of users try to mint simultaneously.
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