OP mainnet tests stake-based gas priority with 100,000 OP staking
Optimism’s OP mainnet has launched a four-week experiment to test stake-based gas priority, starting 26 May and running through June 23. Traders can opt in by staking at least 100,000 OP into the PolicyEngine staking contract.
The change is phased. In week 1, eligible stakers get strict FIFO ordering, and extra stake above the minimum does not improve priority. In weeks 2 to 4, priority becomes stake-weighted via a “priority gas multiplier”: longer staking duration can raise effective priority fees, capped at 3x, with diminishing returns using a square-root-style formula.
Crucially, the stake-based track runs alongside the existing priority gas auction (PGA). Non-stakers keep the standard fee-based ordering, limiting disruption and isolating the effects of the new stake-weighted approach. Optimism says the goal is to reduce toxic arbitrage traffic and make blockspace access more predictable during volatility.
For traders, this could shift MEV and competition dynamics on OP, especially for arbitrageurs, market makers, and MEV searchers. Because it is time-boxed and outcome-dependent, near-term reaction is more likely to be sentiment-driven than a structural change—though liquidity and ordering costs may adjust during the trial.
Neutral
The change ties transaction ordering to OP staking, which can alter MEV extraction and the competitive cost of blockspace. That introduces uncertainty for arbitrageurs, market makers, and searchers during the trial, which can move short-term trading conditions and sentiment. However, the stake-based priority runs in parallel with the existing priority gas auction (PGA) and is strictly time-boxed to four weeks, with an expected reversion to the prior model unless governance extends it. Because the price impact is limited to OP and the outcome is not guaranteed (Optimism frames it as “best-effort” and aims for reduced toxic arbitrage), the overall effect on OP’s price is more likely mixed than one-directional.