TryHard - PVP Game on Solana

TryHard is a competitive 1v1 Trivia game built on the Solana blockchain. Players stake SOL in an on-chain escrow to answer questions generated by AI (automatically using the name entered by user) in real-time. The fastest player to answer correctly wins the round, and the overall winner sweeps the staked pool.

This repository contains the entire TryHard ecosystem.

NOTE : the app only works on devnet

Demo

you can view the demo video here or download the app from here : tryhard.abhee.dev

Test Accounts

account 1
email: [email protected]
pass [email protected]

account 2
email: [email protected]
pass: [email protected]

🏗️ Architecture Overview

The system is built on an event-driven architecture. The mobile clients do not have a persistent WebSocket connection to the Node.js server. Instead, all live game state is driven by Supabase Realtime (postgres_changes), which fans out database row updates to every subscribed client instantly.

graph TD
    %% Entities
    ClientA["📱 Mobile App – Player 1"]
    ClientB["📱 Mobile App – Player 2"]
    Web["🌐 Next.js Landing Page"]
    Server["⚙️ Node.js Game Engine"]
    Supabase[("🗄️ Supabase\n(PostgreSQL + Realtime)")]
    Program["📜 Anchor Escrow Program"]
    Blockchain["⛓️ Solana Blockchain"]

    %% REST Actions — client talks to backend only for triggered actions
    ClientA -->|"REST: create match / join / start / submit answer"| Server
    ClientB -->|"REST: join / submit answer"| Server

    %% Backend manages all match state in Supabase DB
    Server -->|"Write match state\n(status, current_question_index, scores)"| Supabase

    %% Game Engine ticks every 1s — advances question and finishes match
    Server -->|"1s engine tick:\nadvance question / finish match"| Supabase

    %% Clients subscribe directly to Supabase Realtime — no backend WS needed
    Supabase -->|"🔴 Realtime postgres_changes:\nstatus=starting➜active➜finished,\ncurrent_question_index"| ClientA
    Supabase -->|"🔴 Realtime postgres_changes:\nsame subscription"| ClientB

    %% On-chain escrow
    ClientA -.->|"On-chain deposit (SOL)"| Program
    ClientB -.->|"On-chain deposit (SOL)"| Program
    Server -->|"RPC: resolve / draw escrow\n(payout authority only)"| Program
    Program --- Blockchain

    %% Website
    Web -->|Download / promo| ClientA

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🎮 Game Flow (Step by Step)

Step	Who	What Happens
1	Player 1	Calls POST /match/create on the backend. Match is created with status=waiting (or status=funding if staked).
2	Player 1	If staked, signs a Solana tx to deposit SOL into the on-chain escrow PDA. Backend verifies tx and flips status=waiting.
3	Player 2	Finds the match (public feed or 6-digit code). Calls POST /match/:id/join. Backend sets status=ready.
4	Both clients	Supabase Realtime fires a postgres_changes UPDATE event — both clients receive the status=ready update instantly in the Waiting Room.
5	Player 2	If staked, signs and sends their escrow deposit tx. Backend verifies it.
6	Player 1	Calls POST /match/:id/start. Backend sets status=starting and started_at.
7	Both clients	Supabase Realtime fires — both clients receive status=starting and show the 5-second pre-game countdown.
8	Backend Engine	1-second polling loop detects the countdown has elapsed. Sets status=active, current_question_index=0, question_start_time.
9	Both clients	Supabase Realtime fires — clients receive status=active and enter the question phase, showing an interlude then the first question.
10	Both players	Answer questions by calling POST /match/:id/answer. Answers are stored in match_answers.
11	Backend Engine	Each tick, checks if both players answered OR time expired. If so, increments current_question_index (or finishes the match).
12	Both clients	Supabase Realtime fires on each current_question_index change → interlude countdown → next question shown.
13	Backend Engine	After last question, scores are tallied. status=finished, winner_id are written. If staked, escrow is resolved on-chain.
14	Both clients	Supabase Realtime fires status=finished → both clients are automatically navigated to the Results screen.

📂 Project Structure

/app

The Mobile Application (Front-End) Built using React Native (Expo), this is the core client application players install on their devices (iOS/Android).

• Stack: Expo, Expo Router, React Native, Zustand, Supabase JS Client
• Real-time: Uses supabase.channel().on('postgres_changes', ...) directly — no backend WebSocket. All game phases (waiting, ready, starting, active, finished) and question advancement are driven by Supabase Realtime events.
• Run Locally: cd app → npm install → npx expo start

/backend

The Game Engine & Authority Server A Node.js (Express) server responsible for match lifecycle management, AI question generation, and Solana escrow authority.

• Stack: Express, Supabase JS (server-side), Solana Web3.js, Google Generative AI (Gemini)
• Game Engine: A setInterval tick runs every 1 second, polling status=starting and status=active matches from Supabase. It advances current_question_index, calculates final scores, and marks matches finished. Clients react to these DB changes via Realtime.
• Run Locally: cd backend → pnpm install → pnpm dev

/program

The Solana Smart Contract (Escrow) Written in Rust (Anchor Framework), this on-chain program guarantees trustless financial wagers.

• Stack: Rust, Anchor
• Features: Initializes a PDA escrow for each match. The backend is the sole authority that can resolve (pay winner) or draw (refund both) the escrow. Players deposit directly via the mobile app.
• Run Locally: cd program → anchor build → anchor test

/website

The Promotional Landing Page A Next.js web application serving as the public-facing marketing and download page.

• Stack: Next.js 15+, Tailwind CSS v4, React 19
• Run Locally: cd website → npm install → npm run dev

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🚀 Getting Started

To run this complex application locally, you will need to operate three separate terminals simultaneously:

1. Start the Database / Backend: Ensure your Supabase instance is running, supply the .env keys in /backend, and launch the Game Server.
2. Start the Local Validator (Optional): If testing smart contracts locally, run solana-test-validator and anchor deploy in the /program directory.
3. Launch the Game Client: Open /app and run npx expo start to launch the mobile bundler using an emulator or Expo Go.