In contrast to traditional online gaming, blockchain provides players with the opportunity to earn some real money while they are doing what they love. Playing NFT games allows you to earn crypto rewards. The game also offers you the chance to earn digital items with in-game value, such as those associated with characters, clothing, and virtual properties.
The value of this digital asset converts into real-world money, mean that game is now become an even bigger business. As we entered 2021, crypto — and NFTs in particular — reached all-time highs, thanks to a number of new titles.
In the blockchain games space, play-to-earn games (P2E) have acquired massive popularity, so why not dive into their world and learn about them?
In the following list, we will go over some of the most popular play-to-earn games currently available, as well as some of the top upcoming games. This guide can help you find the best play-to-earn game, whether you’re new to blockchain games or have been looking for a new world to explore.
Axie Infinity
Axie Infinity is an NFT game loosely based on Nintendo’s classic Pokemon franchise, allowing players to interact with each other through virtual pets, raise their own characters and digital assets, and complete daily quests. Axies are virtual monster-like pets that players can create on top of the Ethereum blockchain. Players can explore, battle, and breed different Axies to create new ones. AXS token, the platform’s currency, are awarded to players when they interact with Axie, which can be converted to fiat currency or used to enhance their pets’ attributes. The further you progress in Axie Infinity, the higher the chances that you will be able to make money. As a player, you must acquire AXS tokens to participate in this play-to-earn game.
The Sandbox Game
After originally launching as a mobile game in 2012, The Sandbox is one of the best play to earn games. It was acquired by Animoca Brands in late 2021 and relaunched as an NFT-powered metaverse game. The game’s digital world offers players the opportunity to own, build and monetize their creations. Sandbox has grown in popularity due to the surge in interest for metaverse real estate. It was recently reported that the most expensive digital plot of land in this NFT game was sold for $4.3 million. As more businesses open their doors in the virtual world, play to earn crypto games such as this one will continue to get a lot of attention. SAND is the In-game currency that is used for transactions. Free to play games like this one are popular because they let players buy digital land, create NFT creations, as well as sell them.
Gods Unchained
You can’t go wrong with Gods Unchained if you’re looking for the best free play to earn crypto games. This game is an NFT card trading game that focuses on skill-based trading and on strategic thinking. Players can engage in battles with other players and playing the game earns you cards. Gods Unchained cards are all NFTs, which means that players own their cards and can trade them on the secondary market. To turn your play into money, you can build your perfect deck and then trade cards for cryptocurrency. In Gods Unchained, you can buy and sell play to earn gaming cards on an extensive NFT marketplace. In addition to the tribe and god, value of the cards can be determined by metrics related to health and attacking capabilities.
DeFi Kingdoms
Heroes play a central role in DeFi Kingdoms. They are NFTs that have different professions and use those professions to gather resources, as well as participate in quests and combat. You can visit the Tavern if you wish to Buy new Heroes. Alternatively, you can choose to purchase a Hero if you don’t have enough JEWEL yet, with the assets you do have, by investing them either in the Jeweler or in the Gardens (liquidity pooling) to earn more JEWEL. JEWEL can only be purchased through the marketplace. There is a large selection of options for earning and playing in DeFi Kingdoms, and exploring them would be fun.
Splinterlands
Splitterlands is a collectible card trading game in which players earn crypto by completing in-game achievements, such as winning skill-based matches in player-versus-player game modes. Players are able to trade and sell NFT-based digital cards in this game. Splinterlands is a cross between an auto-battle and a deck-building game. It’s fast-paced, fun, and takes inspiration from both Pokemon and Magic. Splinterlands is different from any other trading card game in which players face off against each other since battles only last a few minutes. It’s all up to you how long you want to play.
Thetan Arena
In this game, players can earn points for participating in tournaments, activities, and events. It is a multiplayer online battle arena game that anyone can enjoy. NFTs are used in the game to give players control over certain in-game items and characters. The game also includes a free-to-play mode. Two tokens are available – THC and THG. Throughout the game, the player earns Thetan Coins and can spend them on NFTs. Also, Thetan Gem serves more as a governance token, but it also functions as a character upgrade token. As part of the project team, cosmetics, hero staking, pets, and a Hero-fusing system are all being developed. Players can choose from a number of game modes, like the arena mode and adventure mode.
CryptoBlades
Blockchain-based NFT game CryptoBlades is set in a fantasy game world where players control fictional characters. It is not surprising that CryptoBlades is the most played game on the Binance Smart Chain, given its rising popularity. Playing CryptoBlades means earning in-platform tokens (SKILL) by fighting against other players. The game itself is pretty straightforward and players won’t have any trouble going through the different levels and defeating enemies. Players have the opportunity to create characters and collect NFT assets, among other items that can be traded in the marketplace.
Sorare – Fantasy Football
With Sorare, players can manage a fantasy football team with digital cards and buy, sell, trade, and buy players. Built on the Ethereum blockchain, the game was created in 2018 by Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort. Players can purchase official license cards representing real-life players and build teams that compete against one another through this NFT-based platform. It is important to be aware that the real-life performance of players will impact your team’s performance. Similar to how soccer works in the real world, Sorare is a trading card game that offers players a marketplace where they can buy, sell, and trade their NFT cards. Tournaments also offer the chance to earn valuable cards (players).
Treeverse
Treeverse is a browser-based metaverse that functions as an alternative social media platform to Discord and Twitter but with a greater focus on NFT communities. Loopify was founded in 2021, and he is a well-known NFT creator and collector in the community. Originally, Loopify was an artist in the NFT space and began Treeverse with the NFTtree collectibles project. One of the most appealing aspects of Treeverse – aside from its strong community – is its plan to add play-to-earn elements in the future. The Treeverse is a playable MMORPG in which you can earn NFTs and exchange those for our native currency which is used to run the world.
My Neighbor Alice
The basic premise of this top NFT game is to invest in land and then set up a farm. There is a virtual avatar for each player, and you can add assets in-game to increase the value of the farm. Everything from animals to vegetables to decorations can be added. ALICE, the native governance token of the NFT game, is the only thing needed to buy and sell virtual goods. It might be worthwhile to check out Binance’s secondary market if you are looking to maximize your chances of minting super-rare NFTs. This particular NFT game is popular because it is both fun and interactive, as players explore the various islands, each featuring a unique theme such as Snowflake Island, Sandy Coast, Submerged Islands, or Medieval Plains.
Illuvium
Illuvium is a blockchain-based role-playing game with 3D monsters and characters. By mining, harvesting, fulfilling quests, and engaging in battles with other players, players can earn tokens. A beta launch is scheduled for 2022. Players engage in 3D battles against other players and their creatures as they try to capture virtual animals, which roam about a virtual open world. Illuvials fall under several categories: Fighter, Rogue, Psion, or Empath, each having their own strengths and weaknesses. It is possible, however, to combine Illuvials to create more powerful creatures. Players can also sell the beasts they have created. With all of this, Illuvium is expected to revolutionize the gaming world.
Bridgeworld (TreasureDAO)
Through a modular and open approach to bringing together NFTs, DeFi, and Gaming, Treasure bridges the growing network of virtual worlds. $MAGIC is the currency of the Bridgeworld metaverse and is crucially important to the game as entering it mining requires staking the $MAGIC token, Legion NFT, and/or Treasure NFTs. This is a new mine rolled out for the Bridgeworld launch, with a different stake system and yield rate compared to Genesis. A quest entails taking the legion characters on adventures in Bridgeworld, in order to find and collect Treasure NFTs.
Star Atlas
Despite the game’s release in October 2021, its marketplace and associated cryptocurrencies, ATLAS and POLIS, have already seen a high level of engagement. Gameplay is built around competitive and collaborative gameplay in a galactic universe in the year 2,620, where players can explore the metaverse, own land, build cities, participate in quests, trade, and enter many other adventures. This game also features a virtual world that can be experienced in VR, making it one of the most innovative additions to the Solana ecosystem.
Parallel
Parallel is unlike any other trading card game currently available. Artwork in the game places a strong emphasis on realism, unlike fantasy art in crypto games like Gods Unchained and Skyweaver. Parallel is an NFT-based sci-fi trading card game. A digital deck of cards can be constructed by players using digital collectible cards. A player must collect at least one card set from each of the five Parallels: Marcolian, Earthen, Kathari, Augencore and Shroud to put together a playable deck. It is possible for players to create multiple decks of cards and choose their Parallel during each match.
Wizards and Dragons
It is a 100% on-chain strategy game that combines collecting utility-based NFTs with defi and play to earn mechanics. Wizards & Dragons includes new gameplay elements like Treasure Chests, Tributes, and Sacrifices. With NFTs within defi, players can build a fun and community-driven game that is fully on-chain and played on any device. It’s community-driven. In other words, players will be recognized for their contributions.
Wizards & Dragons is a strategy game in which players acquire game currency using NFTs. There are two ways to earn Gold Pieces (GP), the in-game currency, either by minting or buying Wizard or Dragon NFTs.
Mobox
Mobox is a gaming platform that combines playing with DeFi yield farming. While it is not as extensive as other crypto games, it actually spans across a wide metaverse – the MOMOverse. Players can play ChainZ Arena, Block Brawler, and Token Master with Mobox. In the NFT Creator Mode, they can create new MOMO NFTs as well as come up with their own MOMO NFTs as part of the reward system.
As with Axie, Mobox has its own little creatures called MOMOs that players can breed and battle with. As players become more active, they are more likely to earn tokens and receive a real-world financial reward.
CryptoKitties
A standout among NFT games, CryptoKitties was already a hit even before the NFT boom of 2021. As one of the first blockchain games on this marketplace, CryptoKitties was released in late 2017. CryptoKitties is an online game with a similar concept to Tamagotchi. The reason for this is that CryptoKitties offers the option of breeding virtual kittens. Digital kittens with a higher rarity are thus more valuable.
An NFT governance token represents each kitten in CryptoKitties as every one of them is 100% unique, as is the case in most other best play to earn games. In some cases, CryptoKitties possess rare NFTs that can be sold in the open market based on their characteristics.
Gold Fever
This play to earn crypto game is a challenging free-to-play survival RPG hybrid that harnesses the power of the blockchain games, allowing it to create a decentralized economy based on the use of limited resources and various NFT items. Gold Fever places players in a jungle where they must fight for gold. To improve their chances, gamers collect NFT resources, items, and clothing.
There are plenty of customization features that make Gold Fever the perfect strategy game for crypto gamers who also crave adventure in a challenging environment. Due to the terrain’s complexity and the character’s different strengths and weaknesses, fighting becomes a highly strategic process. Your items, whether the ones you created, found, or bought, will be forever yours through NFTs.
Blankos Block Party
With Blankos Block Party gameplay is delivered through a multiplayer online NFT model that is free to play. Playable characters can be bought, and further developed by buying loot, clothing, and other accessories, and sold internally through the Mythical Marketplace.
This open-world game is filled with digital vinyl toys called Blankos. BBP feels different from other platforms due to its heavy emphasis on user-designed NFTs and players compete through levels designed by the community as well as developer Mythical Games. Gamers interact with non-playable characters (NPCs) through a social hub and receive daily quests.
Battle of Guardians
Battle of Guardians has been marketed as a hybrid between Mortal Kombat and Tekken and it has also been anticipated as one of the top New Fight Tour games. Users will be able to earn coveted prizes by defeating their opponents in this multiplayer fighting title.
This game uses the battle of guardians share ($BGS) and fighting points ($FP) as the official in-platform currencies. Players can use these currencies to buy avatars, add-ons, enter tournaments, and more.
Pegaxy
Generally speaking, non-fungible token (NFT) games are seen as the future of sports betting, as they enable a wide range of opportunities, including horse racing simulations. With Pegaxy, the links between betting and gaming are stronger than ever.
Gamers wishing to delve into the play-to-earn world will find that Pegaxy has a very straightforward play to earn model. The coming implementation of many more features will make the game more strategic and skill-based, thus making it less grindy for players. It is possible to list your horse in a race, invest money and then hope you place in the top three to earn a reward in the form of VIS tokens. Twelve horses run in each race.
Arc8
Arc8 is a mobile platform that allows users to play crypto games together to earn rewards. With the GMEE token, players can pay for entry fees to special events and buy in-game assets. In addition, GMEE owners can vote on the roadmap, future releases, prize distributions, and prize pools for their games.
That essence, the app acts as a platform through which a variety of minigames can be played 1v1 and in tournaments. In addition to playing against human opponents, these crypto games can also be played against AI. The prizes vary according to the stakes. Despite still being in its early stages of growth, as one of the best play to earn games, Arc8 has shown great potential.
Top NFT Games: FAQ
If you want to find out more about the top NFT games, check out some of the frequently asked questions below:
What Are NFT Games?
In NFT games, players have the option to earn money as they play. As another form of revenue, players can monetize their playing time by exchanging NFTs for cryptocurrency rewards or for completing in-game objectives for the currency. NFT games use NFTs as part of their rules, mechanics, and in player interactions. You could represent your unique avatar or character in a game by using an NFT. NFTs are also digital assets you find in games. In this case, you could swap or trade your NFTs with other players. New play-to-earn models also let you generate income from NFT games.
Can You Earn Money with NFT Games?
Short answer: yes. Trying out play to earn games is fun, and you can easily trade your items and characters in the game with other players, in return for crypto rewards that you can also choose to swap for real-world money, too.