5 Play-to-Earn NFT Games You Must Try
People are known to monetize their hobbies, turning what they love doing into cash. They’ve done it in various ways, but perhaps the most prevalent method is through video games. If you’re involved in gaming just slightly more than an average person, you’ve likely been on Twitch and watched a couple of streams or more.
Successful streamers can earn an absurd amount of money, and to be on their side of the screen; it’d take years of gaming and grinding for subscriptions.
What most people don’t notice is at the end of the day, no matter how successful you are on Twitch or any other platform, you’re only a product and not a brand. This is especially true for most free-to-play (F2P) games where you can download for free but have to pay to progress. Nothing you buy in these games truly belongs to you. The developers can shut down your account at any time and for any reason. It’s written plainly in the T&C that nobody ever reads.
Play-to-earn (P2E), or NFT games follow a new business model that ameliorates the current state of the gaming industry. Instead of simply paying to play or playing free but paying to win, gamers can now play to earn money. The items you earn in these games are yours to keep and do as you please with them.
The payouts are always in cryptocurrency. Every P2E game has its native token, otherwise known as the governance token. As players progress through the game, they continue to earn these tokens and can later exchange them on a DEX for crypto coins or directly sell them for cash.
Below is the list of titles that either has a large player base and good payouts or are gaining lots of attention. We’re not going to mention leading games like Axie Infinity as they have gotten very expensive to play, especially for beginners. The games we’re going to talk about have low barriers to entry and are easy to understand. Let’s get started.
CryptoBlades
CryptoBlades is an NFT-based game that allows you to craft your own collection. It’s a web browser type of game so there’s nothing you need to download. There’s a fantasy vibe to it, so those who come from the medieval community should feel right at home.
The game runs on SKILL tokens and does require you to purchase some to start playing. You can put in as little as a single one, which is worth around $12 at the time of this writing. Progression isn’t too tricky – you need to analyze the stats of your character and match up with other players for a chance of earning. Every win gets you a little bit of SKILL while you can endure several losses before losing any token.
It’s a safe and beginner-friendly game for those who want a slow easy start.
Crazy Defense Heroes
The shift in the business model of this game is definitely a crazy one. CDH used to be a simple F2P tower defense mobile game that upgraded from its original version, Crazy Kings. The Animoca developers put a lot of work into adding new features so they thought why not make it a crypto-based play-to-earn game.
The way it works is you have to earn a certain amount of points in the game every month to earn tokens. This amount is set by the developers. For example, in August players had to reach 250,000 points. Once you’ve done that, at the end of the month you’ll receive TOWER tokens in your wallet.
Alien Worlds
This game is not as scary as its name suggests. In fact, it’s pretty darn fun. You are a space explorer who mines valuable materials in the universe. To do that, you’ll need tools and these sell for a pretty penny.
Players can earn trillium (TLM) tokens through mining and they can cash out at any time. The catch is it takes a super long time to gain any materials with basic tools. You can keep grinding until you earn enough for a better tool or buy them on the market. Vice versa, you can sell your shiny tools to other players as NFTs.
Guild of Guardians
Guild or Guardians is a more elaborate title in terms of aesthetics. You can see a clear reminiscence of popular games like Mobile Legends. Players collect heroes and other items by in-game currency they earn by completing quests. You can also invest some money for a better chance of getting them. Rare heroes are worth tons of money and can be sold as NFTs on the market.
The interesting thing about GoG is the element of luck. A brand new player can end up with a super rare hero on their first spin. On the other hand, someone who’s been playing for months could still end up with a mediocre collection.
Gods Unchained
When people hear trading cards, they often think of Magic, the gathering, or Hearthstone. Gods Unchained is a pretty strong representation of these games. The mechanics are a bit wonky, but you don’t really play the game for that. The goal here is to collect rare cards, which can be worth a lot of money. Their value also increases over time as the game gains more players. Winning isn’t too difficult if you’re patient or willing to invest a bit for a nice head start.
The game is free to play and you earn GODS tokens, which can convert into real money. These tokens are still quite below the $1 mark but you’re able to earn many tokens in a day, so the payout isn’t too bad.
Conclusion
The above games are just some of today’s trendsetters. There are many more to explore and earn exquisite tokens to make your way into Axie Infinity eventually. Note before starting an NFT game that they are designed for an income and not to cater to certain fantasies. Don’t expect high graphics quality or a lore-filled adventure. We have P2P games for that.
Another to keep in mind is if you decide to start an NFT game, choose one in its early stages while backed by a reputable entity. This is when everything is cheap, and you can grab all the first edition stuff with minimal investment. It will pay off well in the future.