Competition among crypto games is as high as ever, pushing the platform’s limits and bringing innovation with every release. Those that made it to the top have done so due to their graphic, mechanics, innovation, and tapping into the market before everyone else. Tying gaming mechanics with cryptocurrency and making a unique fusion of a genre is what makes the games below appealing, and we’ll dive right into the selected few!
1. Decentraland
Exploring and buying an open 3D virtual world is the base concept of Decentraland. The virtually created plots of land in the game can be bought and sold with MANA, an in-game cryptocurrency based on the Ethereum blockchain. From its start in February 2020 until the year 2022, estimates indicate that Decentraland made over $1.2 billion in market evaluation. Avatars, clothes, plots of land, or accessories are all possible to buy via MANA, and you can play and trade with other players.
2. Crypto poker
We’ve singled out poker as one of the most popular casino games, but you can also find blackjack, slots, roulette, and others online to play using crypto instead of a fiat currency. The poker industry as a whole made over $76 billion in 2022, and there are a growing number of crypto casino sites offering poker and video poker. Some of these platforms offer daily poker tournaments and tables that anyone can join. Some will even allow top players to qualify for weekly and monthly tournaments. These allow players to play with bigger stakes and, therefore, have a chance for bigger prize payouts (source: https://www.business2community.com/cryptocurrency/best-bitcoin-casino-sites).
3. Gods Unchained
In the crypto gaming scene, Gods Unchained is one of the first innovators fusing gaming and crypto. Gods Unchained is a trading card game that relies on obtaining expensive cards (some sold for a staggering $76,000). You collect cards, build decks, battle opponents, and gain exp, with a chance to gain rare cards. You can later trade those cards with other players. These cards are coded with blockchain NFTs, allowing you to sell, buy, or trade them with others. With a good NFT marketing strategy, you can sell your in-game NFTs while playing.
4. The Sandbox
Like Decentraland, The Sandbox also operates on the Ethereum blockchain. The Sandbox began as a building simulator with virtual words and polished and perfected mechanics. After being bought by Animoca Brands, the crypto gaming elements were added to a very solid foundation. Its virtual currency is called SAND.
SAND allows the players to buy anything in the game, from cosmetics to land, accessories, etc. And because of its crypto background, you can also sell the items to other unique players, of which there are about 100,000. To add to the impressive stats, The Sandbox can boast a single virtual estate sold for 750,000 USDT, making that NFT transaction the largest of 2023!
5. Axie Infinity
Axie Infinity is still worth a mention because it once hosted an incredible 2 million daily players at its peak in 2022. Axie Infinity is based on a Pokemon-like system of breeding, collecting, battling, and exchanging virtual creatures, the Axies. Its non-fungible token is called AXS, and it generated US$1.3 billion in 2021.
In the fictional land of Lunacia, players can explore, capture, cross-breed, and level up their Axies, with a chance to obtain powerful or legendary ones. The rarer the Axies, the higher the value. And like Decentraland and The Sandbox, in Axie Infinity you can also invest in land parcels in Lunacia.
6. Cryptokitties
Remember Beanie Babies? For players who are collectors at heart, and if they love cats, Cryptokitties is a match made in heaven. From its incredibly successful startup in 2019, raising over $12 million in its funding stage, Cryptokitties rose to popularity while using Ethereum’s token, Ether. Numbers don’t lie, and an estimated 1.5 million users are playing this game where you collect and breed cats (much like Pokemon), aiming to get rare and desired ones.
Cryptokitties players have generated over $40 million worth of transactions so far, with individual Cryptokitties going for as much as $170,000. If that sounds unreachable, the average kitty is being sold for around $65. The success of Cryptokitties can be attributed to its pioneer case as the first mainstream usage of Ethereum’s blockchain technology.
7. Age of Rust
For players who are looking for a more single-player-oriented, gritty, mature, and immersive experience in space, Age of Rust is the answer. Playing the game and doing activities like exploring, puzzle solving, and combat will reward players with the in-game token Rustbits, and over 180,000 players are currently grinding for their tokens.
