From Axie Infinity to CryptoBlades, here is a list of top play-to-earn blockchain games that offer users a rich gaming experience along with multiple opportunities to earn money.
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Benefits of Play2Earn
Blockchain games have the potential to transform the gaming industry for the better. Players who spend money on such games - or even contribute to the gaming metaverse as free-to-play gamers - can claim ownership of in-game items, such as trading card, through this technology.
What makes play2earn intriguing and trending right now is the fact that players can not only control in-game assets but also trade and sell them. As such, the GameFi platforms lets users earn rewards that consist of NFTs and tokens. These tokens can both be used in built-in marketplaces and traded on exchanges. Let’s check out the list of top blockchain games that feature a play-to-earn mechanism.
Can You Make Money Playing NFT Games?
Many players in blockchain games at this moment are after a common goal — to earn money. While the ways to do so may vary, from collecting rare items and selling them on secondary marketplaces to earn Ethereum, to defeating other players in PvP battles to earn in-game cryptocurrency. However, most NFT games do not offer rewards in Bitcoin, but rather in the game's own asset which could then be traded into Bitcoin on centralized exchanges (CEXs).
In short, yes — you could make a tidy sum playing NFT games. While you've probably heard of the news of people in Philippines earning a reasonable wage playing Axie Infinity, the cost to start playing the most popular play-to-earn game — Axie Infinity — has reached at least a few hundreds dollars, and new players require three Axies to start playing. To start earning, you would have to recover your upfront cost, which could take anywhere from 50 to 80 days, before earning between $8 to $40 depending on their Axies.
Are There Free NFT Games?
While some of the games mentioned below — such as Splinterlands — are free-to-play, most require you to spend a certain amount to purchase a starter pack or progress further. Those not willing to fork out the upfront capital will be glad to know that there are initiatives such as Axie scholarships: sponsors loan three Axies to "scholars" and engage in a profit sharing scheme, which could see players earning around 50%-70% of the total profits.
List of Crypto Games
From Axie Infinity to CryptoBlades, here is a list of top play-to-earn blockchain games that offer users a rich gaming experience along with multiple opportunities to earn money.
Top Blockchain Game — Axie Infinity
Anyone who would like to explore the play2earn blockchain gaming universe will come across Axie Infinity at one point. It is currently the top play2earn game in the Philippines and has gained a loyal following globally. Players need to acquire three Axies (monsters) to begin playing, which can be bought from the built-in marketplace. If the players lack enough funds to buy the Axies, they can opt for a scholarship in Axie Infinity. The game has a PvE and PvP mode, although the latter one offers better rewards. All in-game earnings - including Axie Infinity Shards (AXS) and Smooth Love Potions (SLP)- can be bought, sold, and traded.
Both tokens have proved to be very popular in South-East Asian countries and there are highly traded pairs for AXS-PHP and SLP-PHP.
CryptoBlades
Competitive play2earn games in an RPG setting tend to gain popularity. CryptoBlades, a new blockchain game, lets users earn SKILL tokens by defeating enemies, raiding with friends, and staking gains. Players can also craft characters and weapons to defeat enemies or sell in-game assets on the built-in marketplace. Players need to buy a character before they can play the game. Therefore, they must pay a small fee in the form of BNB to participate in battles. Battle fees are returned to winners as SKILL tokens immediately.
Plant vs Undead
Tower defense games often have tremendous replay value, and Plant vs Undead aims to explore that niche in a play2earn model. The game has gained a lot of traction in Brazil and other countries where such P2E games can make a meaningful impact. Players can acquire seeds to begin playing that can be bought on the marketplace in exchange for PVU tokens. Another option is the free-to-play route. For more information, check our guide on how to play Plant vs Undead.
Splinterlands
A trading card game inspired by games like Magic the Gathering and Hearthstone, and built on the Hive blockchain, Splinterlands players trade, buy or sell collectible cards, with the goal of fighting against monsters and earning in-game rewards. The game consists of different factions, known as "splinters," which the trading cards fall into. There are seven stats that players on Splinterlands have: speed, armour, mana, and types of attack, including ranged, magic and melee. Gameplay include quests, ranked play and tournaments. Splinterlands is built on the Hive blockchain — a web 3.0 blockchain that provides lightning-fast processing speed and fee-less transactions, ideal for blockchain games. The game's DAO governance token is Splintershards (SPS), a BEP-20 token on the Binance Smart Chain, giving players the chance to influence decisions regarding the game and ecosystem.
As of Oct. 31, 2021, Splinterlands has over 478K daily active users, according to DappRadar, making it the highest ranked gaming DApp and second highest overall, behind PancakeSwap, in terms of the number of users.
Farmers World
The concept of farming simulators has become quite popular over the years. Farmers World is the play2earn blockchain equivalent of that concept. Players can select various tools to grow crops and harvest them. Additionally, players can attack other farmers while they wait for their harvest period. The game also has a membership system through a cards-based solution that allows users to equip more tools, energy, among other elements. Players need access to one tool before playing the game that can be acquired from the FarmersWorld Collection marketplace.
Forest Knight
Many people grow up and dream of becoming a knight in shining armor, capable of fighting evil. Forest Knight lets its users make their dream come true. Every type of “Hero” in the game has unique strengths and weaknesses, requiring players to mix and match accordingly. The game was launched in 2019 and is still going strong today with several updates and upgrades along the way. Players receive daily login rewards and earn NFTs while enjoying the smooth gameplay. There is an NFT marketplace for the game on the EnjinX platform.
Killa Koliseum
Killa Koliseum, still in development as of Sep. 7, 2021, provides a competitive environment where strategies are crucial. There will be 10,420 NFTs available, making the game somewhat limited to access at first. Players can battle each other in tournaments to earn rewards. Players can earn ETH as battle rewards, sell Killas, or generate and train new Killas every month to create a champion.
Elementos
As one of the upcoming RPG games in the blockchain gaming world, Elementos aims to provide an advanced turn-based combat universe. Players can play through the PvE or PvP modes to earn tokens, collect rewards, and breed pets. To play the game, users need to acquire a Crystal Egg, which will go on sale on September 13d. Every Egg contains 1 Mento. The team will also launch the beta version of the game, including PvE and PvP play2earn systems.
Dvision Network
One would expect more VR and AR-oriented blockchain games, but the selection remains limited. For example, Dvision Network is a VR blockchain game that revolves around its NFT marketplace. One of its modes is VR-Spaces - accessible to the player and anyone who pays for access only - and the other is VR-City, the collection of VR-Spaces where anyone can participate. In addition, the team has a lengthy roadmap of things to complete, including pets, new buildings, and a mobile application.
Metalands
Blockchain gaming and open-world first-person shooter are two terms that rarely go hand-in-hand. Metalands has found a way to combine these aspects in a free-to-play play2earn game where gamers can earn CIFI tokens. All in-game assets are NFTs, which players can buy, sell, and trade freely. Characters, weapons, and bunkers can be customized, giving gamers control over their experience. An early access version of the game is coming to Steam soon.
Pet Games
The concept of Pet Games is very straightforward: players need to acquire an egg, or multiple eggs, from the marketplace to begin exploring the game's ecosystem. Acquiring the eggs requires PETG tokens. Players can fight monsters every day. Fighting weaker opponents is easier but offers lower rewards. Additionally, players can grow plants on their land and harvest fruit. All pets avatars can be sold on the marketplace.
IOS and Android Games List
With 43% of all smartphone usage related to gaming, this trend does not go unnoticed to GameFi developers. This is even more prevalent in developing countries like the Philippines, where many Axie Infinity gamers play the game on their Android phones or tablets to earn a living during the pandemic.
Check out our guide of the top crypto games on Android and iOS devices.
DeFi in Crypto Games
Decentralized finance (DeFi) has attracted large inflows of capital — the total value locked (TVL) of the sector has grown exponential to over $99B and total market capitalization of DeFi tokens is now over $146B — by positioning itself as the new frontier of finance, with promises of replacing TradFi in the global economy.
While blockchain games are still in the nascent stage, it has the potential to truly scale and bring cryptocurrencies to the masses — current estimates places around 220 million users of cryptocurrency. This could be accelerated on the back of DeFi. NFTs of in-game items and digital assets can be traded in decentralized exchanges, in return for cryptocurrency to spend, or swapped on exchanges into blue chip assets like Bitcoin (BTC).
There are two sides to the equation: gamifying DeFi applications allow new users to be onboarded into the ecosystem with less friction, especially if crypto is to go mainstream and reach the late adopters. On the other hand, adding DeFi innovation and elements into blockchain games allow developers to build a more vibrant in-game economy, facilitating trade and activity amongst players. Thus, it comes as no surprise that even major DeFi pioneers are investing in the play-to-earn space.
Cryptocurrency Role in NFT Games
There is a growing variety of play2earn blockchain games today. Different genres are explored to give players a feel for what the technology is capable of. On blockchains with tiny transaction fees it is possible to open ever wider ranges of games and experiences to players. In 2024 multiple "tap" games took advantage of this on the TON network, including the very popular PixelTap and Blum. Both games have addictive daily play features and in Q3 2024 are being played by tens of millions of people every month. The monetary aspect of playing video games is now accessible to billions of players. Whether play2earn can disrupt traditional gaming remains unclear, but the new opportunities can prove beneficial to players and developers alike.
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