The evolution of blockchain-based NFT play-to-earn games allowed gamers to earn in cryptocurrency or NFTs as a reward for game time and mastery. Presently, there are hundreds of games built on different blockchains using the play-to-earn model. However, for gamers new to the blockchain gaming space, you need to understand the basics, like NFTs and P2E.
What are NFTs?
Non-fungible tokens are simply unique sets of information written on a blockchain ledger. They could be anything from music to videos to pictures, artworks, or independent designs. The general idea behind NFTs is that they are one of a kind, just like original artworks and designs. Regular cryptocurrencies are fungible, you can trade bitcoin for another bitcoin, but an NFT can only be traded for a different NFT altogether, not for a similar one, because they are unique.
What is Gaming on Blockchain
Worldwide cryptocurrency adoption has resulted in a shift in different sectors. The gaming industry is gradually veering towards developing more blockchain-based games. The likes of Axie Infinity, The Sandbox, and Crypto Kitties have witnessed unprecedented volumes of users, marking the beginning of the transition from traditional gaming to blockchain gaming. While regular gaming is structured such that users spend cash on in-game purchases, the advent of the play-to-earn sensation perhaps explains the recent upsurge in blockchain gaming.
Understanding Play To Earn Games
The play-to-earn idea is based upon one central goal: users are rewarded for their game time and gaming ability. Gamers play games and earn either tradable NFTs or cryptocurrency tokens for their efforts. Some games are free to play, while others require some amount of cryptocurrency to acquire in-game NFTs needed to play. In all, the P2E model is structured like an investment, with gamers getting value in return for their playing ability, effort, resources, and time. Blockchain games built on the play-to-earn model are mostly NFT games, and some even have an in-game cryptocurrency used for purchases and rewards.
While play-to-earn games promise real rewards, not all of them are profitable investments for gamers. Several games are more rewarding than others, with some outrightly unprofitable. Below is a list of the top ten play-to-earn games presently in terms of profitability:
Top 10 NFT play-to-earn (P2E) Games
CryptoSpells
Built on the Ethereum blockchain, CryptoSpells is a trading card game that allows users to create, own, trade, and use their assets. The assets (cards) are issued as ERC-721 NFTs.
There are four kinds of cards in CryptoSpells, based on rarity. The Bronze cards have an infinite supply, while the Silver cards have a fixed supply of 9999. There are fewer Gold cards in the game, with only 999, while the Legend cards are the rarest, as there are only nineteen of them. Gamers have full ownership of their cards and can trade them outside the game.
During gameplay, users can earn the right to issue (create) a new and unique card, earning fifty percent of the transaction fee involved in the process. In-game, players can purchase cards using SPL, and there is a reward mechanism for guild owners, up to ten percent of all the SPL purchases by members of the guild. Rewards in CryptoSpells are distributed in Ethereum, and the cards can be traded on NFT marketplaces built on Ethereum.
CoddlePets
CoddlePets is an NFT play-to-earn game where users collect pets, raise them to adulthood, breed and train them, and use them in games to earn rewards. The pets are collected as NFTs and traded on the Vulcan Marketplace using the Vulcan Forged PYR token.
The game is free to play and built on the Ethereum blockchain. To collect pets, users can buy them on the Vulcan Marketplace with the PYR token. Gamers can trade PYR on popular Ethereum DEXs like Uniswap. By playing games on CoddlePets, users earn XP, which is then used to grow the pets to adulthood. Adult pets of the same series can breed once to produce a new baby pet. The game is available on Android and iOS.
Neon District
Developed by Blockade Games, Neon District is an RPG fantasy game where users embark on an adventure through the in-game apocalyptic world.
As players progress, they earn collectibles and gear as NFTs, depending on the challenge for that particular phase. The NFTs collected are tradable within the Neon District metaverse. The game is built on Ethereum and Polygon.
Eggrypto
Eggrypto is an NFT game built on the Ethereum blockchain. The game features monsters and rare ones known as Raremons, either hatched or collected in the more difficult levels. The Raremons are in kind and have a fixed supply, depending on their rarity. They can also be traded within the game or auctioned.
Users can earn rewards in EXP or Monsters by competing in quests, battling hostile monsters, or other player monsters.
Upland
A blockchain game built on the EOS network, Upland allows users to trade virtual real estate and properties, mirroring the exact geography in the real world. Gamers can own property as NFTs and can buy and sell them within the Upland metaverse.
The governance token on the Upland metaverse is the UPX coin, which can only be used in-game. Players earn rewards on their property in UPX, and a new Property to USD feature makes it possible for gamers to cash in on their assets in the game.
Clash of Streamers
Another NFT game built on the Ethereum blockchain, Clash of Streamers, is an adventure game where users can create heroes for the in-game experience. The game features custom-built heroes, as users can create their own NFT avatars, equip them, and battle with them.
The personalized NFTs can be traded in a marketplace within the game environment, and the interaction currency is Ethereum. Clash of Streamers supports offline play and live stream.
CHOJO Crypto Girls Arena
CHOJO Crypto Girls Arena is a free-to-play RPG game that pits girl fighters against one another. Players train their fighters in martial arts, equip, and battle them, earning rewards in abilities and avatars, as NFTs. The game is built on Ethereum, and the reward mechanism is in non-fungible tokens.
Spells of Genesis
Another NFT game built on Ethereum, Spells of Genesis is a fusion of trading card and arcade games. Players collect cards and use them to battle one another (PvP) or random enemies (PvE) in the in-game fantasy world.
Users play with a four-card deck, and the cards can be converted into NFTs with a ‘blockhanization’ mechanism. All in-game purchases and rewards are in Ethereum. The game is available on Android and iOS.
SecondLive
SecondLive is a three-dimensional virtual world where users can import personalized avatars of themselves and do things they would do in the real world. The game is modeled after the realistic world and built on the Binance Smart Chain.
SecondLive features an avatar editor, the marketplace where NFTs are traded, several virtual sub-spaces like malls, offices, et cetera, and a code-free design editor.
The game is entirely flexible, is free to play, can be designed to the player’s taste, and even offers in-game rewards.
Cometh
The Cometh metaverse combines decentralized finance (DeFi) and gaming, allowing users to collect NFTs, play, and earn in cryptocurrency. The game is set in a galactic world, and users generally collect spaceships as NFTs, and use them in exploration, earning tokens along the way. Cometh is not a free-to-play game, as all spaceships need a driving power of 0.001 MUST.
A governance token, $MUST, powers the Cometh ecosystem. $MUST is the utility token for acquiring spaceships, farming, staking, and mining. The game also features a marketplace for trading spaceships and a DEX to trade $MUST with other cryptocurrencies.
Conclusion
The top 10 play-to-earn games have two things in common: great gameplay and fantastic rewards to be earned. While blockchain P2E games can be rewarding, profitability mostly depends on the player’s skill. Excellent gamers get to earn the most. If you can find a game you excel at playing, the possibility of earning considerable rewards is relatively high.
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Written by: Narender Charan
