Play To Earn Crypto Games: Everything You Need To Know

Yes, you can play games and earn money.

It is quite hard to believe it, but it finally happened, gaming has been accepted as a mainstream way to earn some money, and all kinds of companies and businesses have been embracing it. While esports has been on the rise for years, what pushed the general idea of people playing games to earn money is the recent appearance of play-to-earn crypto games.

In the past, people would only make money from games if they created some kind of content around it, like making videos, streaming their gameplay, or creating art from games. Of course, professional gamers have been a thing for quite a while, but not everyone has the skills to pull that off. Now finally, play-to-earn crypto games are allowing a casual gamer to earn some money while playing video games.

How do play-to-earn crypto games work?

It may sound very unbelievable to some, it is necessary to explain how play-to-earn games works. For years, developers have been creating games, and they monetized them in a way that no matter how much a player plays, they would be the ones making all the profit, but play to earn games have decided to change that concept.

Play to earn games rely on blockchain technology, where players can earn items while playing games in the form of crypto tokens, also known as NFTs which stands for non-fungible tokens. However, there is a bit more to it, as to start playing play to earn games, one would first have to partake in something called staking, which is essentially using your already own cryptocurrency and putting it to work, or in other words, investing into the game before it pays for itself and earns you money later on.

What are the best play-to-earn games?

The best way to explain how play-to-earn games work and what they are all about is to go through a couple of examples, in this case, the best play-to-earn games that you can find in the world of crypto gaming and the NFT market.

Axie Infinity

© Axie Infinity

Card games have been around for a long time, and if you have been interested in card games, you would know just how much certain cards from Magic the Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Pokemon are worth. While the principle with Axie Infinity is not the same, as everything is digital and the three mentioned ones are physical releases, the idea is more or less the same.

To participate in this popular play to earn game, you will have to create some kind of crypto wallet that is compatible with the game, and also the games we are going to mention later on. MetaMask is one of the best crypto wallets for gaming for example, and you can deposit some of your ETH there before transferring the currency to the game’s Ronin wallet.

Now, this is where the crypto staking part of the story is. Before you can play the game, you will have to purchase three Axies (which are monsters/cards in the game) in order to create a team. You can browse and scout the in-game market for available options, and it is best to do some kind of research as each Axie has its own abilities and stats, so you do not want to buy something useless.

Upon making a team, and staking your ETH into the game’s system by getting the Axies, you are finally able to play the game. To earn from the game, all you have to do is play it. There is an adventure mode, but where the play-to-earn crypto game aspect really lies is the arena mode where you battle other players. You can find more about this in our Axie infinity review.

Gods Unchained

© Gods Unchained

Another card game that is getting quite popular is Gods Unchained. In order to start playing, once again, you will have to unlock some cards by staking some of your cryptocurrency into the game. As you play the game, there are various ways that you can earn in-game items and then sell them for cryptocurrency, or even fiat currency directly.

The best way to earn in-game items is to simply play the game, and every few levels that you gain within the game, you will be awarded some packs. The packs are quite random, so you may be extremely lucky and get an NFT that is worth a lot, or you may earn some plain cards which you will then have to combine in a forge.

Mines of Dalarnia

© Mines of Dalarnia

If you are looking for a more action-based game, then Mines of Dalarnia is a much better option than the previous two mentions. In this game, there are two factions that you can play, the miners and landowners. Miners are players who battle monsters, destroy blocks, and find various items, while the landowners are the ones who provide the land and those items.

Players have the option to complete quests and defeat stronger monsters together in order to unlock in-game rewards. It is a very interesting game, and it kind of has an old-school feel to it. The first thing that might come to mind to a lot of players is that it is similar to Terraria, and it kind of is, except you, can earn money by playing this one.

My Neighbour Alice

© My Neighbor Alice

While a lot of people kind of get confused and turned off from the game when they read its name, it is actually one of the best play-to-earn crypto games out there. It has more or less something for everyone. You can earn NFTs by farming, upgrading your animals, trading resources, designing unique items, completing jobs posted by other players, and so on.

The Sandbox

© The Sandbox

This game is perfect NFT game for beginners. It plays similar to Minecraft and includes recognisable brands and figures from web2. It is built on the Ethereum blockchain and is compatible also with Polygon Network.

It is constantly evolving with new experiences being released frequently with these big names.

Furthermore, The Sandbox crypto game has joined forces with the Saudi Arabian government to expand Web3 into The Middle East!

Blankos Block Party

@ Epic Games

Blankos Block Party can be played for free or with a bought NFT. Accessible without a non-custodial wallet, it is available to try now on Epic Games Store.

Brought to us by the team behind Skylanders, this blockchain game is another great intro game. You can play as a collectible toy figure that acts as an NFT.

If you are a fan of party game modes and season pass’, this crypto game is for you!

CryptoKitties

© CryptoKitties

CryptoKitties is one of the earliest games on the blockchain. Built on the Ethereum blockchain, players buy, breed and create cat NFTs.

You can enter the KittyVerse and battle against other players to level your character and earn prizes.

Each NFT cat minted is completely unique. This game requires some form of understanding of crypto gaming. Be sure to research this one a little more before playing!

EV.io

@ EV.io

EV.io is another simple crypto game. Search the name of the game on Google or your chosen browser and you are thrown straight into a game.

For fans of first person shooters, this game plays like a classic Halo game. It is built on the Solana blockchain.

What’s interesting about EV.io is the crypto esports scene for it. Competitions are held very regularly with prize pools and leaderboards. Furthermore, advertising funds paid by businesses to EV.io help expand the ecosystem and Play-To-Earn functionality of the game.

Phantom Galaxies

@ Phantom Galaxies

If you are a fan of Mecha Shooters and over the top space action, Phantom Galaxies needs to be on your radar.

Interestingly this web3 game will be released on PlayStation and Xbox consoles. It has been built with Unreal Engine offering an immersive and cinematic gaming experience on the blockchain.

You need to purchase an NFT to play the different released episodes for Phantom Galaxies. Read our Phantom Galaxies review to learn more!

Splinterlands

@ PR Newswire

Splinterlands has aimed to push the Trading Card Game genre onto the blockchain.

Battle it out against other players in PvP matches and climb the leaderboards with your NFT collectible card deck.

To date there has been over $6 million distributed in tournament prize pools. If you want to be active within the crypto gaming esports scene, this could be the game for you!

Tamadoge

@ Tamadoge

Tamadoge is the new crypto meme coin project based on everyone’s favorite meme dog.

Tamadoge is a platform that features a bunch of different doge themed mini games.

You can purchase $TAMA tokens to play or alternatively play for free. You are unable to get the full experience without purchasing tokens so be aware.

Sorare

@ Sorare

Moving onto sports themed crypto games, Sorare is the fantasy sports game on the blockchain!

Collect NFT cards of your favourite sports stars across Basketball, Soccer & Baseball.

Play Sorare crypto game on iOS, Android and desktop. The British Premier League have signed a licensing agreement with Sorare. Along with the Spanish La Liga and other notable sports leagues.

One of the most expensive NFTs sold was of Erling Haaland in 2022. Selling for 265.1 ETH (almost $679,000 at the time.)

Stepn

@ Stepn

Play-To-Earn games have really pushed the boundaries for gamers. This time round, Stepn has revolutionized both gaming and exercise.

This “Run-To-Earn” game pays you for keeping active. Purchase an NFT trainer and you can start earning. You can also rent out your NFTs to players for a fee.

World famous sports brand, ASICS, have released their own NFT collection on Stepn.

It is all about the community

When it comes to play-to-earn crypto games before you decide which one you are going to invest your time in, make sure you do a little bit of scouting and check out what kind of community is behind it. It is way more fun to play a play-to-earn crypto game with people who are sharing your mindset than to end up playing and grinding all by yourself.

FAQ