Top NFT Games (Updated for 2022)
NFTs and NFT games are all the hype lately, with prices and number of users skyrocketing – what are some of the top NFT games, and what are the up-and-coming ones to look out for?
Table of Contents.
What Are Play-to-Earn Games? How Does the Play-to-Earn Model Benefit Gamers? What Are the Top NFT Games? Axie Infinity Gods Unchained Splinterlands The Sandbox 3D Alien Worlds Battle Racers Sorare — Fantasy Football Star Atlas Illuvium NFT Champions Dogami Spider Tanks The Walking Dead: Empires MAD Metascientists Gold Fever Sidus Heroes Cosmic Champs Thetan Arena Untamed Isles Three Up-and-Coming NFT Games to Watch Guild of Guardians Neon District Other Popular NFT Games Play-to-Earn Games on Android and iOS.
Ever since the introduction of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), they have shown time and again that they have the potential of changing the gaming world. The emergence of NFTs promises a new and exciting order where players take up even more critical roles in the gaming economy and receive befitting rewards in the process.Today, this gaming paradigm has begun to take shape as game developers are increasingly adopting blockchain technology to give their games an even more immersive experience. In this guide, we will give you a rundown of some of the top NFT games available today. However, before diving into our list of the best NFT games, let first discuss the rudimentary of an NFT-based game.
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What Are Play-to-Earn Games?
An NFT game combines conventional gaming designs with unconventional game mechanisms to let users have more control over in-game assets like skins, characters, weapons, virtual lands and much more. This is made possible by launching games on blockchains and anchoring them with digital asset-powered economies. These digital assets are often NFTs so that they are distinguishable and tamper-proof. The adoption of NFT token standards also allows developers to preserve the rarity and uniqueness of some of these in-game items. This is why some blockchain game assets are considered more expensive than others.
With this system in place, the players can claim ownership of game assets through 3 main strategies. They could create or breed new characters, purchase digital items on native or third-party marketplaces, or unlock and earn new items. Whichever way you choose to access these game assets, you have exclusive ownership rights over them. In essence, you can distribute or sell them and pocket all the money made from such trades. This is why this gaming model is called play-to-earn.
How Does the Play-to-Earn Model Benefit Gamers?
Virtual economies existing in gaming universes are not unheard of — popular massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) like RuneScape and World of Warcraft have players in the millions. Furthermore, many games claiming to be free-to-play are running on a 'freemium' model; gamers have to splash certain amount of money, on top of time and effort, to accelerate their rise through the ranks or obtain rare in-game items. While these in-game items may be worth a tidy sum, the true ownership does not lie with the gamer, but with the game developers.
While gaming companies should be rightly compensated for developing entertaining titles, gamers also bring value by spending time and actively participating in the in-game economy. The play-to-earn model could be seen as a way to synergize both parties so that all are rewarded for the value they bring. On one hand, gaming companies can develop a more vibrant in-game economy. On the other hand, gamers get to own their in-game assets and be rewarded for their time spent.
Can You Make Money Playing NFT Games?
Yes — while you've probably heard of the news of people in Philippines earning a reasonable wage playing Axie Infinity, the cost to start playing the most popular play-to-earn game — Axie Infinity — has reached at least a few hundreds dollars. As of Oct. 27, 2021, the cost of the cheapest Axie you can find on the marketplace is $93; users need three Axies to start playing. To start earning, you would have to recover your upfront cost, which could take anywhere from 50 to 80 days, before earning between $8 to $40 depending on their Axies.
Are There Free
NFT Games?
While some of the games mentioned below — such as Gods Unchained and NFT Splinterlands — are free-to-play, cryptocurrency most require you to spend a certain amount to purchase a starter pack or progress further. Those not willing to fork out the upfront capital will be glad to know that there are initiatives such as Axie scholarships: sponsors loan three Axies to "scholars" and engage in a profit sharing scheme, which could see players earning around 50%-70% of the total profits.
What Are the Top NFT Games?
Like all emerging and established sectors, certain platforms have positioned themselves as the main highlight of the NFT gaming world. These games are at the forefront of the current NFT craze because they have successfully integrated NFTs with popular game themes. As such, players get to play some of their favorite game genres and at the same time engage with a profitable NFT market. Without further ado, here are some of the games that fall within this category.
Axie Infinity.
Axie Infinity borrows heavily from the Pokemon game series and adds its own blockchain twist to give the finished product an even more exciting feel. In this Ethereum-based game, players breed and collect NFT-based digital pets called Axies for the core purpose of battling other players. Each individual Axies has its own genetic imprint. Therefore, the weaknesses and strengths of Axies are passed down to their offspring.As expected, these digital pets are tradeable on Ethereum NFT marketplaces, and the price of each depends on their rareness and unique traits. To start playing the game, you have to purchase 3 Axies. For each quest, player-versus-player (PVP) battle, and adventure mode you scale, you receive Smooth Love Potion (SLP) – the platform’s native ERC-20 utility token – as a reward. Axie Infinity has been extremely popular in developing countries like the Philippines, where players can earn a substantial income playing the game. Players from the Philippines can check the price of 1 SLP to PHP directly on CoinMarketCap." and link "1 SLP to PHP. For every attempt to breed a new Axie, you must pay a specific amount of SLPs, which you can also purchase at exchanges. Another ERC20 token native to Axie Infinity is Axis Infinity Shard (AXS), which functions as the platform’s governance token. It will also anchor the game’s staking service scheduled to go live at some point in 2021.Learn more in our deep dive on Axie Infinity.
Gods Unchained.
Gods Unchained is a free-to-play game designed to infuse elements of NFT into a familiar card trading gaming genre. Players accumulate cards by purchasing them from other players or winning PVP matchups where the quality of cards and the gaming skill of players often determine the winner. Notably, more emphasis is being placed on skills and strategy. This is because the game utilizes a ranked game mode where players with the same ratings are matched.
You win matches when your gameplay causes your opponent’s life to drop to zero before yours. For every win, you receive experience points. As soon as the experience bar is filled up, you will move to the next rating or level and receive a new pack of cards to add to your collection.
Note that each card is backed by an ERC-721 token.
Therefore, you can trade them on the platform’s native marketplace or the open market.
