
For a long time, decentralized Finance (DeFi) took all the attention in the crypto space. Now there's a new kid on the block: GameFi. The crypto GameFi sector is already worth billions of dollars, fuelled by the hype around play-to-earn innovations and the metaverse.
Many people are making big bucks from NFT games and you don't have to be an exception. The biggest crypto games have already amassed millions of dedicated players. You can join the fray by buying their utility tokens and pitting your wits against other players. If you're good, you can earn a steady stream of cryptocurrency rewards which you can then sell on an NFT marketplace, or on an exchange.
For newbies to the scene, knowing what NFT games are and knowing how and where to buy chain games crypto is important.
Playing NFT games has become a legit source of income. These play-to-earn crypto games blend gaming on the blockchain with a reward economy. Players are rewarded with real money for progressing through game levels, winning contests, or simply playing the game.
In traditional gaming, experience points and game assets like weapons, skills and skins have no monetary value beyond the game. In P2E games, you can sell your tokenized game assets (NFTs) for real money. Their value also obeys the standard laws of demand and supply.
Aside from the game assets, playing games can also net you liquid rewards in form of the in-game utility currency. For the more popular games, these tokens are already listed on exchanges so you can sell them off easily for cash. Moreover, the game sector in crypto keeps expanding so you can hold and stake the tokens to earn even more and sell at higher value.
All NFT games are built atop existing blockchain infrastructure. The Ethereum blockchain remains the most popular crypto network for GameFi. Others like Binance Smart Chain, Solana, and Flow also play host to significant crypto game projects.
Most of the NFT games out there require users to have either the native token of the blockchain or the utility token of the game, to begin. This begs the question of where to buy these tokens.
For blockchain tokens like Ether, Solana, KRRX and BNB, you can easily buy them from a centralized exchange. You can also get them from chain-focused decentralized exchanges using the compatible version of a stablecoin like USDT, USDC or BUSD.
What about the in-game tokens? If you're wondering "where can I buy chain games crypto?", wonder no more.
Some game utility tokens can be bought from popular centralized exchanges. They are very popular and have outgrown their original game ecosystem to become normal cryptocurrencies for investors and speculators. Examples are Axie Infinity (AXS), The Sandbox (SAND), Rune (RUNE) and Decentraland (MANA).
Some other NFT games are still in the early stages of development and/or are less mainstream in the crypto world. Most of these can only be bought on niche exchanges like Gate.io or decentralized exchanges linked to the native blockchain platform.
Once you've got your tokens, the next step is to visit the website of the NFT game and start competing with other players.
Here are seven popular blockchain NFT games that offer players the chance to earn big rewards.
P2E games already existed on the blockchain but the rise of Axie Infinity took things to a whole different level. Axie Infinity is one of the top NFT games inspired by Pokémon.
The social-style game is built atop the formidable Ethereum blockchain. It has two associated tokens, Axie Infinity Shards (AXS) and Smooth Love Potion (SLP). AXS is the governance token that gives holders the right to take part in community decisions. SLP is the main in-game currency akin to experience points. Users require SLP to breed new digital pets, or axies. Each level of breeding requires extra SLP tokens, up to 2100 tokens for the seventh and final breeding level. Some AXS is needed as well to begin.
Axie Infinity is the most popular method to earn crypto playing games right now. It has more than a million users and generates one of the highest gaming rewards. Players compete with one another with their team of unique NFT-based creatures called Axies. There are two main completion modes. The Arena mode pits players against one another while the adventure mode involves fighting enemies and progressing through levels.
What sets Axie Infinity apart is its interesting take on P2E dynamics. Each level of breeding creates new Axies that are essentially "descendants" of the previous ones and inherit their "DNA".
Competing isn't the only way to earn money from this game. You can also trade Axies in the game marketplace. The rarer and most unique ones change hands for sizable sums. If you get lucky, you can obtain rare parts to breed axies and either keep or sell.
Ethereum-based game, Gods Unchained, is perhaps the most popular free-to-play NFT game out there. While many crypto games integrate P2E mechanics right from the beginning, this card-based game allows users to jump into the experience for free.
The core game system is based on players competing with a deck of cards. There are two cards in the game: core cards and genesis cards. Core cards can be acquired by players simply by playing the game and winning battles. Players who want to advance more quickly can buy card packs from the game marketplace. These are called genesis cards; they were sold before the formal launch of the game. So, if you want to skip grinding in the game, you need to buy a genesis card pack from someone else.
Gods Unchained is built atop the Ethereum layer-2 solution Immutable X. The game uses Ethereum for trading on the marketplace. Cards are priced by rarity.
The low barrier to entry makes Gods Unchained one of the best crypto games for beginners. You can learn the basics of NFT games at your own pace. No pressure to beat other players or open your wallets to join in the fun. You're matched with gamers at your own level. Beat them and you gain more XP and move up a tier. When you level up, you're welcomed with a brand new pack of cards which you can use to do battle with others at this new level.
However, to fully immerse yourself in the game experience, you need to have some GODS tokens. GODS is the native token of the game and required to craft NFTs. You can also use it to buy stuff from the marketplace or stake it to earn more rewards. And if you love the game and wish to become a long-term player, GODS token gives you the power to join community governance and provide input into the game's future trajectory.
The Sandbox is a 3D crypto virtual universe where players can create and trade virtual assets. The Sandbox is one of the most hyped NFT universes that promises a beautiful and profitable metaverse experience for players.
In the Sandbox, players can create their own virtual games and set the rules and rewards. This makes the platform a kind of hybrid game creator kit blended with crypto NFT mechanics. It's a vibrant, vivid landscape of self-expression where users can test the limits of their own imaginations.
Anyone can mint, customize, trade or utilize voxel objects in the Sandbox universe. A voxel is a unit of three dimensional graphics. The open world of the Sandbox features 3D NFTs.
If you've ever wondered what Minecraft or Roblox might look like on the blockchain, look no further than this game. Here, you can create games within games and worlds within worlds. Everything runs on the powerful Unity engine that renders everything in crisp-smooth graphics.
Like some of the other popular game projects, the Sandbox is built on the Ethereum blockchain. Every default or created NFT in the game is an ERC-721 token. Creators can upload their creations to a compatible marketplace. The Game Maker tool enables them to add NFTs to a template and fashion custom gaming experiences.
The world of The Sandbox is divided into units of LAND. Players can buy land and develop it in any way they want and sell it when the value appreciates. Sand is the utility token of The Sandbox. It is used to buy land and assets in the game marketplace.
The value of the Sand token is trading around 5 dollars, up 17,000% year-on-year. This comfortably places it among the top 3 crypto game coins and reflects the enduring hype around The Sandbox.
Bring an online multiplayer, a space thriller, the blockchain, DeFi and Unreal Engine 5 together and you get Star Atlas. This game is one of the most anticipated creations in blockchain gaming history. Every trailer to date spawned paroxysms of excitement among fans drooling at the promise of high-octane action rendered in cinematic quality.
The developers of Star Atlas claim it will be a grand strategy game of space exploration, territorial conquest, and political domination. There's no reason to doubt their intention based on what's been released so far. You can join one of three factions, take command of a spaceship, and cruise around deep space. You will encounter friends, enemies and rival organizations; hunt for legendary relics in obscure planets, witness alliances forged and epic battles for control of strategic planets and space regions.
During your voyages, you'll come across assets which you can keep for yourself, upgrade for use, or sell on the Galactic Marketplace. You can fly solo or join a player organization to overwhelm opponents through strength in numbers. Ships, suits, power stations and other tools can be upgraded to increase your chances of becoming the lord of the skies.
Star Atlas has two in-game currencies. The first, ATLAS, is used to buy and sell in the Galactic Marketplace. NFT game equipment like ships, suits and weapons can be exchanged for ATLAS. The second token, POLIS, will function as the currency of player-created in-game space cities.
Alien World is another popular P2E platform that incentivizes gaming on the blockchain. It's a decentralized NFT metaverse where players try to outfox each other to acquire scarce resources.
Like Star Atlas, Alien Worlds revolves around planetary space exploration. Unlike Star Atlas, the action elements are more muted in favor of strategy and role-playing elements.
In this blockchain browser game, you are an adventurer and acquiring Trilium is your goal. Trilium, or TLM, is both the utility token of the game and the scarce resource. players fight over. You're expected to navigate to distant planets to mine TLM and collect rare NFTs. You can sell NFTs on the marketplace and stake or sell your TLM on an exchange.
Illuvium is one of the most popular games on the Ethereum blockchain. It combines features of traditional exploration games with online PvP and P2E elements to create a virtual world where players battle each other and strange creatures known as illuvials.
Illuvials are the residents of the world of Illuvium. Players need to battle, defeat and capture them. Thereafter, each conquered illuvial becomes a part of the player's team and will fight for them against other players.
The game rewards players for exploring and capturing various exotic beasts and developing them into a powerful winning machine. Player winnings increase as they defeat others and climb the leaderboard. The utility token, ILV, is given to players based on their achievements and can be sold on cryptocurrency exchanges.
This game is another addition to the growing list of free-to-play card games on the blockchain. Aside from being one of the most popular crypto games for card lovers, Splinterlands operates on its own customized blockchain. This gives it a high degree of stability. Moreover, it is a cross-compatible game that works on the Ethereum, Tron and WAX chains, increasing exposure and playability.
Similarly to Gods Unchained, you earn rewards in Splinterlands by winning card matchups. Once you've bought your starter card pack, you can start earning rewards by participating in different activities like daily quests, ranked play, and tournaments.
There are around 300 unique cards in the game and you may be lucky to get one of the rare ones on your first purchase. You can combine cards for power boosts. You can also use cards with different stats together to achieve different effects. You can join one of the factions in the game and unleash special abilities to defeat opponents.
There are several types of NFT crypto games and knowing them will give you a better idea of where to start your blockchain gaming journey.
This is now the dominant type of game in the crypto space. P2E NFT games invite the player to play and earn rewards. Despite little variations in the setup, all games in this category attract users by adding a monetary incentive to winning battles, scaling levels, and progressing through the game.
Free-to-play games may or may not feature P2E elements. Their main distinction is the zero barrier to entry. A F2P game like Gods Unchained doesn't need the player to pay or buy anything to start. The player gains in-game assets as they move through the game. However, they can choose to buy game packs to speed up their progress.
Play to win is a niche category that caters to players with a win-at-all-costs mentality. In this type of game, the best in-game tools that offer the highest chance of winning are put behind a paywall. Users must spend from their pockets to acquire these items or else get stuck grinding on the lower levels.
Each day brings a new crypto game trying to take advantage of the GameFi and metaverse hype. NFTs, having found a use beyond simple trading, are playing a more prominent role in crypto. Players all over the world have turned to P2E games to find that perfect blend of work, play and profitability.
Needless to say, as more attention turns towards this space, early adopters are primed to make the most gains. And as the most popular crypto games get more exposure, the barriers to entry for a newbie get progressively higher. For a first timer to blockchain gaming, it might be better to give the highest ranked games a wide berth at the beginning. You can instead hone your play-to-earn skills in games that are free to start or cheap to get into.