Top 10 Blockchain Games

Blockchain games are revolutionizing the gaming world, setting new standards in security for gamers, and offering exciting new potential for monetization.

One of the key advantages of blockchain games is tokenomics, whereby tokens are earned by players as a reward for achieving in-game objectives, or for participating in the game’s ecosystem governance (DAO). The tokens can also be used to buy, sell or create digital assets, which can then be minted as NFTs (non-fungible tokens).

This monetization for players is known as Play to Earn/Play2Earn, and is an essential feature of the blockchain’s decentralized finance model (DeFi), which operates without centralized traditional entities such as gaming companies or banks.

Another asset is the security and transparency provided by the blockchain, a decentralized digital ledger, meaning that anyone can see any transactions carried out during gameplay. All data on the blockchain is verified and immutable — in other words, it has been carefully checked, and cannot be altered or tampered with by anyone.

Here are the 10 most popular blockchain games, ranked by number of users, as of 5 August 2021 (data: DappRadar). These user numbers are defined by DappRadar as “the number of unique wallet addresses interacting with the dapp’s smart contracts”. Games can also be ranked on DappRadar by economic volume or balance (in US$).

CryptoBlades 391.5k

Players earn tokens for participating in raids and defeating enemy monsters. They can hire additional characters (Heroes), forge unique weapons (Blades), and trade their characters and weapons. Weapons can also be reforged by spending tokens to burn one weapon into another.

Protocol: Binance
Type of game: Role-play
Token: SKILL (can be exchanged for cryptocurrency and traded on Binance)

Alien Worlds 295.5k

Explorers play mining and fighting games to earn tokens; they can also buy and own land, and charge rent. In addition, players can participate in planet DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) in this DeFi Metaverse (the largest, according to their website).

Protocol: WAX and Ethereum (cross-platform)
Type of game: Role-play
Token: Trilium/TLM; on Ethereum, ERC20 token

Splinterlands 33.3k

Players build up a collection of cards, and use them to battle against other gamers in skills-based matches, in order to solve quests and to conquer worlds. Splinterlands has been described as a mix of Pokemon (cards) and World of Warcraft (characters).

Protocol: Hive
Type of game: Role-play
Token: DEC

Upland 26.9k

Players can become digital landowners by buying, selling and trading virtual properties mapped to real addresses; build their dream house; develop a neighbourhood; and start a virtual business.

Protocol: EOS
Type of game: Role-play
Token: UPX (based on fiat currency, such as US$)

Axie Infinity 26.0k

Players collect, breed and sell creatures called Axies, inspired by Pokémon, which battle, build and hunt for treasure. They can earn tokens through skilled gameplay and contributions to the ecosystem, as well as by farming for the love potions that are needed to breed Axies.

Protocol: Ethereum
Type of game: Role-play
Token: AXS (governance)

Galaxy Blocks 17.3k

In this block game, which is similar to Tetris, players destroy clusters of bricks, earning more tokens for erasing them quickly and continuously, and for erasing the same colour.

Protocol: ThunderCore
Type of game: Puzzle
Token: BLOCK

MOBOX: NFT Farmer 12.0k

In this DeFi yield farming game, players stake tokens in liquidity pools — smart contracts used to lend digital currency. They can earn access to NFTs that can be used across other current and future MOBOX games, as well as MBOX DAO (ecosystem governance) tokens.

Protocol: Binance
Type of game: Yield farming
Token: Stable coin or digital currency; MBOX DAO; MOMO NFT.

R-PLANET: EVACUATION 8.1k

Players try to invent new elements from a combination of air, earth, fire and water. They can utilise unused NFTs from other games, including Upland and Alien Worlds (see above), to mine “aether” (used to make air, fire etc).

Protocol: Wax
Type of game: Role-play
Token: Aether

MyDeFi Pet 7.4k

In this virtual game combining decentralized finance and collectibles, players collect and breed pets, and earn tokens by defeating monsters. Players can improve their pets, trade them, and battle them: they can also stake tokens in pools to earn new eggs or more tokens.

Protocol: Binance
Type of game: Role-play
Token: DPET

CryptoZoon 6.8k

Players breed, grow and train digital creatures, called Zoans, to battle against Yaki monsters. They earn tokens for winning battles in this game inspired by Pokémon; they can also farm, staking their Zoans in the correct pool in return for rewards.

Protocol: Binance
Type of game: Role-play
Token: ZOON

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