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How a TWAP is worked out
A snapshot reads the price at one instant. A TWAP covers a stretch of time, so every second inside the window counts and no single instant decides the result. The longer the window, the less any one moment can move the average.
How Polymarket uses it
An Up/Down market compares two TWAPs from the same Chainlink stream: the one at the start of its window and the one at the end. Since Aug 7, 2026, crypto Up/Down markets use this in place of the single price snapshot they used before. The window length has changed once since then:
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2026 | Crypto Up/Down markets move from a single price snapshot to Chainlink TWAPs. The 5-minute markets look back 30 seconds, the 15-minute and 4-hour markets 60 seconds. |
| Aug 14, 2026 | The 5-minute markets move to a 60-second lookback, replacing the 30-second window. |
Changes to the Chainlink TWAP behind crypto Up/Down markets in 2026 (official changelog). Source: docs.polymarket.com/changelog/predictions, checked .
The changelog names the 5-minute, 15-minute and 4-hour markets, so it does not document a lookback for other lengths. What the market itself asks is described under Up/Down market.
Sources and checks
Every rule quoted in this article comes from the registry below. Each row names the official page and the day it was compared with the text.
All 3 rules used in this article
| Rule | Value | Official source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Window of the Chainlink crypto TWAP stream that Polymarket publishes | 60 seconds | docs.polymarket.com/ | |
| Day crypto Up/Down markets began to resolve on a Chainlink TWAP | Aug 7, 2026 | docs.polymarket.com/ | |
| Changes to the Chainlink TWAP behind crypto Up/Down markets in 2026 (official changelog) | TWAP changes in 2026 | docs.polymarket.com/ |
Related terms
Read the full guide
Predict · 10 min
Polymarket Up/Down Crypto Markets Explained
How TWAP-settled Polymarket Up/Down crypto markets work: the price to beat, Chainlink lookback windows, the taker delay and fees, with a worked example.
PolyTerminal is an independent interface for Polymarket and is not operated or endorsed by Polymarket. Orders placed through PolyTerminal carry PolyTerminal’s Polymarket builder code, and PolyTerminal may charge a builder fee on top of Polymarket’s own fees. This page is educational and is not investment advice. Rules were compared with the official documentation on Oct 19, 2026; check the source before you act on a number.