30 Play to Earn Crypto Games You Can Start Playing This 2023

Earning money from video games has always been the pipedream for hardcore and casual gamers alike. Thanks to technology moving too quickly, this is now entirely possible. You can either write about video games, stream yourself playing it, or make one yourself. If you want, you can even become a professional video game athlete and compete in various tournaments.

But all of these require a lot of hard work. What if you can just earn by simply playing? Enter play to earn crypto games.

You’ve probably heard the story of an entire community making a living off of NFT video games online.^[1] One resident earned ₱1,000 after playing the hit game Axie Infinity for 15 days. And from there, other members of the community joined in on the fun. It really looks like a fun way to earn some income from home.

To help you get started on play to earn crypto games, here's an informative guide that will cover all your bases.

What is NFT?

NFT stands for non-fungible token. To understand what non-fungible means, it’s important to discuss the concept of fungibility. This refers to the ability of an asset to be exchanged with similar assets of the same value.

An example of a fungible asset is currency. If you want to get rid of your four five-peso coins, you can have it exchanged at your nearest sari-sari store for one 20-peso bill. They may differ in form, but they still have the same value of ₱20.

So when an asset is non-fungible, it means it's unique and can’t be easily replaced with something of the same value. For example, you can’t just replace Juan Luna’s Spoliarium painting with a printed version of it. This is why the painting is valuable—it's the only one of its kind.

Therefore, non-fungible tokens are basically unique digital tokens that you can own, buy, or sell in exchange for any amount of money. The more unique your NFT is, the more you can get money out of it.

How Do NFTs Work?

NFTs are cryptocurrencies that are completely unique. They exist as a string or numbers and letters stored in a blockchain ledger and contain various information like who owns the NFT, who sold it, and when it was sold, among other things.

Every data stored in NFTs is also encrypted, ensuring its authenticity and scarcity. NFTs are essentially digital files authenticated with digital certificates. This is why NFTs are now a lucrative industry today, especially in the art world.^[2]

If you're intimidated with anything crypto, articles about cryptocurrency basics should help you get started.

What are Some Examples of NFT?

play to earn crypto games - nft warnymphs — WarNymph NFT by Grimes

Nyan Cat - Yes, the lovable GIF cat that went viral in 2011 was sold as an NFT in its 10th year anniversary for a whopping $580,000.
Charlie Bit My Finger - Remember that viral video of two brothers being the most adorable toddlers ever? It's now an NFT and was sold for £538,000.
WarNymph - Artist and Elon Musk’s girlfriend Grimes shocked everyone when she sold her NFT artwork for $5.18 million in a matter of minutes.
NBA Top Shot - The NBA has also jumped on the bandwagon by selling NFT cards of NBA highlights. Its most expensive item right now is a Lebron James dunk card worth a staggering $1,000,000.

What is a Crypto Game?

play to earn crypto games - axie infinity

So if NFTs are popular in the art world, where does it fit in the gaming world? What's the NFT meaning in games?

NFT allows game developers to incorporate real stakes into video games. By making characters and items in the game NFTs, players can buy, sell, and trade with other players through cryptocurrency. Thus, crypto gaming was born.

Cryptocurrency games, also known as play to earn crypto games, are a class of video games that uses cryptocurrency to buy digital items and unlock perks to improve the gaming experience.

What’s unique about play to earn crypto games is that because they're NFTs, all the items you own in the game are truly yours. The developers of the game you’re playing won’t have any say in what you can do with them, and it’s almost impossible to take it away from you.^[3]

As long as there’s an active economy running it, play to earn crypto games are more likely to remain active for years. That means you have lots of time to buy, sell, and earn money by simply playing a game.

How Can You Earn Money from Play to Earn Crypto Games?

It differs from game to game. But essentially, you’ll be playing games with real money through cryptocurrency to buy characters or items and play the game itself.

Every time you win, you get to earn special items that are either common or unique to the game. And since all the items in crypto games are NFTs, you can sell some of your rare and valued items to other players. You can then convert your items into cryptocurrency and cash it out in the real world through your preferred crypto tradin g platform.

Where Can You Play Crypto Games?

Fortunately, most play to earn crypto games are accessible to almost everyone in the Philippines. As long as you have a stable internet connection, you can choose to play on either your smartphone (Android or iOS) or desktop computer (Windows or MacOS). No need to worry about the specs because modern smartphones can handle most crypto games, and some can be played through web browsers.

How Risky are Play to Earn Crypto Games?

Unfortunately, play-to-earn doesn’t necessarily mean free-to-play. Just like UITF, mutual funds, or any other type of investment, you’ll need to invest in these money games to earn big.

Cryptocurrencies are volatile in nature, which means the value of your NFTs could suddenly spike up and spike down just as likely.

Also, cryptocurrencies are not endorsed by the Bankgo Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as legal tender, store of value, or investment vehicle.^[4] This doesn’t mean, though, that crypto games aren't legit—it just means they’re too risky to be endorsed to the general public.

Top Play to Earn Crypto Games You May Want to Try

The number of play to earn crypto games out there can be overwhelming. And even if you’re already an experienced gamer, you may still find it quite challenging to choose a title. But let's help you narrow down your options with the list below.

Axie Infinity

Platforms: Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS
Cryptocurrency: Ethereum

The Axie gameplay is like if you can earn money from playing Pokemon. No wonder this play-to-earn hit took the Philippines by storm in late 2020.

To get started, you need to buy three adorable Axie monsters to build your team and battle other Axie teams to earn Smooth Love Potions (SLP), which you can then convert to cash. You can also sell and trade Axies and other in-game items to either increase your earnings or strengthen your Axies team, which then leads to more SLPs.

Unfortunately, the price of one Axie has skyrocketed to ₱15,000 due to the game’s popularity. If you don’t have that much money to spare, you can apply for an Axie Infinity Scholarship. This involves an existing player lending you three Axies, so you can play the game for six to eight hours per day. You’ll have to agree with your sponsor to split your earnings 50-50, 70-30, or 80-20.

CryptoBlades

Platforms: Windows, Android
Cryptocurrency: Binance Coin

Another game you can try simply by playing it on your browser is CryptoBlades. It’s a roll-based fighting game where you aim to earn SKILL points per battle by buying and trading weapons and items. The more SKILL points you earn, the more money you can cash out. If you’re the most casual of players, the laid-back approach of CryptoBlades could be the perfect fit for you.

CryptoFights

Platforms: Windows, Android
Cryptocurrency: Ethereum (Enjin Coin)

If you want a more thrilling turn-based, roll-based game, you can try CryptoFights. Just like other crypto games on this list, you’ll need to spend real money to create a character and buy weapons and items. Playing enough games on the free single-player campaign unlocks the battle portal, where you can battle other players and earn NFT items that are tradable on the game’s marketplace.

CryptoKitties

Platforms: Chrome, Firefox
Cryptocurrency: Ethereum

Don’t want violence in your crypto games? You can just collect and breed cute cats with CryptoKitties. You can buy a kitty from the in-game store, and if you have two kitties, you can have them breed to make a new one.

Collect and trade kitties with other digital car lovers on the in-game marketplace or on other NFT stores. Plus, you can enter the KittyVerse and join catfights or solve puzzles. You know, in case you just want to play with your digital fur babies.

League of Kingdoms

Platforms: Android, iOS, any modern browser
Cryptocurrency: Ethereum

Strategy games have also adopted NFT technology with League of Kingdoms being one of the first. It plays like a typical tower defense strategy game. But this time, each land's a real estate NFT. You can build towers and fortify your defense and rewards by simply owning a piece of digital real estate in the game. You can also simply sell your land to other players, just like how real-life real estate works.

Lost Relics

Platforms: Windows, MacOS
Cryptocurrency: Ethereum (Enjin Coin)

Now here’s one for the most hardcore gamers out there. Ever played the Diablo series? Then you’ll love Lost Relics. It’s a hack-and-slash game where you can go nuts hunting monsters. Each successful kill earns you a drop ranging from weapons to accessories. These items can then be traded with other players online for real money. Just be prepared to spend in-game crystals when transferring items to other players.

My DeFi Pet

Platforms: Any modern browser
Cryptocurrency: Binance Coin

Now for some more pet collecting and battling. My DeFi Pet combines the traditional gaming experience and the power of blockchain technology in this play-to-earn browser game. You’ll be spending money on DPET tokens, the game’s main currency. You get to earn these tokens after every successful battle and by selling your pet monsters with other players. Just like Pokemon, you can collect, breed, and level up your monsters to help you earn DPET tokens.

Splinterlands

Platforms: Windows, Android, iOS
Cryptocurrency: Hive

Trading digital cards fit the definition of NFT so well they just had to make a video game out of it. Splinterlands is an online card trading game where players get to build their own deck of powerful NFT cards by buying fighters, stats, and abilities. You can then increase your level by battling other players, which then unlocks more powerful cards. Play enough games and you can earn yourself some rare cards for you to sell or trade with other players.

Nine Chronicles

Platforms: Windows
Cryptocurrency: Libplanet

Unlike most crypto games on this list, Nine Chronicles is free-to-play and open source, which means the game's completely governed by its players. It plays like the usual side-scrolling platform game, but modders can add more game mechanics to their liking. You earn money by selling or trading items for Nine Chronicles Gold (NCG), which are convertible to cash. You can also refer other players, and when they reach level 20, you instantly earn 20 NCGs.

The Six Dragons

Platforms: Windows
Cryptocurrency: Ethereum

Are you more adventurous when it comes to gaming? Then an open world game like The Six Dragons is the perfect fit for you. You start with nothing, so you must craft weapons and other helpful items so that you can raid dungeons and kill monsters. Of course, crafting and item management require spending money to use properly. All items are NFTs, so you can buy, trade, and sell them to other players online.

Town Star

Platforms: Any modern browser
Cryptocurrency: Ethereum (Gala)

Town Star's basically if Farmville generated income for you. Only this time, it’s more challenging than asking your friends to farm your crops. Town Star resets every six days, which means every player starts from scratch. From there, you can build your farm by hiring workers and trading crops and equipment. After every cycle, the top players are awarded with Gala Coins, in-game NFT items, and more.

Crypto Unicorns

Platform: Polygon
Cryptocurrency: Rainbow Token ($RBW) and Unicorn Milk (UNIM)

The world of Crypto Unicorns is as fancy as the mythical creature that inspired it. Basically, Crypto Unicorns is a land NFT game where you’ll take part in a farming simulation. Think of Harvest Moon or Farmville. As such, you’re going to cultivate the NFT land that you own. And while doing so, you’ll be breeding, hatching, and evolving magical Unicorns, which are also NFTs themselves.

The game has recently been launched on Polygon. Nevertheless, you can already buy your game assets, such as land and unicorns, on OpenSea. Eventually, new modes of gameplay will be added, such as jousting, racing, and role-playing game (RPG) battle.

Dracoo Master

Platform: Any modern browser / coming soon to iOS, Android, and Windows
Cryptocurrency: Big Amber Stone (BAS) and Dracoo Point (DRA)

Launched by Radbug Singapore Technology Pte Ltd, Dracoo Master's a crypto game that feels like Axie Infinity in a few key areas. For one, you need to have three Dracoos, which are dragon-like NFT pets, to play battles and earn tokens.

The gameplay's a real-time card battle that combines deck-building and card-playing strategies. Currently, Dracoo Master has three game modes: Sacred Peak Adventure (player vs. environment), Arena (player vs. player), and Guild War (guild vs. guild).

SpaceCrypto

Platform: Any modern browser / coming soon to iOS and Android
Cryptocurrency: Space Genesis Token ($SPG) and Space Energy Token ($SPE)

This free-to-play crypto game's reminiscent of the classic space video games except that you’ll earn crypto tokens here. The premise of this metaverse is straightforward. Here, you’re a space guardian whose mission is to protect the metaverse from evil bosses.

Your spaceship in this game is an NFT asset that carries stats, such as ammo, firing speed, damage point, and spaceship maintenance. To engage in a space battle, you need to assemble a fleet of ships that has at least one spaceship, 15 at most. Each boss you defeat in the battle comes with an assigned reward, which comes in the form of a Space Genesis Token ($SPG).

Legends of Venari

Platform: Any modern browser
Cryptocurrency: Caerras Credit ($CC)

Enter the world of Caerras, an elegantly built metaverse where creatures called Venari thrive. Legends of Venari is a creature collection RPG where you’re supposed to capture Venari through luring it with a bait. Once you catch a Venari, you’ll be rewarded with gold and experience. With these rewards, you can build better baits and rigs.

One of the many things that will lure you to this metaverse is the meticulous and otherworldly design of the Venari. Check it out and see the things that draw the players in.^[5]

Illuvium

Platform: Any modern browser / coming soon to mobile and console
Cryptocurrency: Illuvium ($ILV)

The stunning character and metaverse design should be enough to convince you to play Illuvium, a new open-world RPG built on the Ethereum blockchain. This epic game immerses you in an alien world where you’re tasked with capturing god-like creatures called Illuvials. You’ll also need to unlock mystical obelisks that will allow you to learn more about the metaverse.

You start the game with a free-to-play experience that will let you understand how the metaverse works. And if you happen to love the game, you may decide to go for the paid experience and start collecting NFTs.

Blankos Block Party

Platform: macOS and Windows
Cryptocurrency: Moola and Blanko Bucks

Are you a gamer with a passion for arts and design? Then Blankos Block Party's the best game for you! This free-to-play game lets you own NFTs called Blankos, which are actually digital vinyl toys. Using your Blankos, you can explore the metaverse that's basically a giant block party.

Gameplays include shooting, racing, and collecting. Nevertheless, you can go on solo quests to earn new rewards. And if you think your Blankos look unique, you can sell them off at the game’s marketplace.

Because of the crypto game’s strong focus on arts and design, Blankos Block Party has already attracted brands and artists. These include Burberry and Deadmau5.

Ember Sword

Platform: Any modern browser / coming soon to mobile
Cryptocurrency: Ember

Ember Sword may be the sandbox NFT game you’ve been looking for if you’re into dystopian storylines. In this metaverse, you’ll be travelling to collect rare resources, fight fellow players, and kill high-level monsters.

The characters live in a world called Thanabus where players can buy plots of land of varying sizes. Land types include Regular, Settlement, Town, and City. Each land type comes with ownership privileges. For instance, owning a city gives you title of Duke or Duchess and allows you to host everything, from settlements to towns.

Crazy Defense Heroes

Platform: iOS and Android
Cryptocurrency: TOWER

Cute yet exciting―that’s what Crazy Defense Heroes is. This free-to-play tower defense strategy game puts your smarts to the test. You’ll be protecting your kingdom from evil enemies by commanding heroes and leading your troops to keep the ambush at bay.

Fun never stops in this metaverse, as there are over 1,000 levels that will challenge your battle wits. This game also allows you to consolidate power with your friends by building a clan. And in case you’re busy yet still want to keep the fun going, just put your game in auto-play mode.

Star Atlas

Platform: Any modern browser
Cryptocurrency: ATLAS and POLIS

You can never be Star Trek’s Captain Kirk or Spock, but you can be your own hero in this NFT game called Star Atlas. The metaverse, which is set in the year 2620, is all about creating strategies to claim space territories and conquering opponents.

The game’s NFT assets include ships, which you can use to warp from planet to planet, and structures, such as mining drills and space stations, which you can use to lay claim to territories. There are also NFT collectibles, such as humans, posters, crew gear, pets, and charms.

Thetan Arena

Platform: Windows, iOS, and Android
Cryptocurrency: Thetan Coin and Thetan Gem

Thetan Arena's one of the popular crypto games that have a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) set-up. This e-sport game's pretty easy to understand. When you join the metaverse for the first time, you’ll be given a free hero named Raidon. Your hero’s job is to keep the denizens of the game world safe. To win, you must take down the enemies as fast as possible while earning as many points as you can. If your team of four earns the most points, your troop will be crowned as that game’s MVP.

Gods Unchained

Platform: Windows or MacOS /
Cryptocurrency: GODS ($GODS)

If you’re into card games, such as Yu-Gi-Oh, you may like Gods Unchained. This is a trading card game where you’ll engage your opponents in duels using fantasy trading cards.

One of the most popular play to earn crypto games out there, Gods Unchained offers you full ownership over the items that you have in the game. Aside from collecting rare cards, you can also sell them to other players for a profit.

With $GODS, the game’s Ethereum-based token, you can create your own NFT cards and purchase items from the Gods Unchained Marketplace. Furthermore, you can use this currency to earn staking rewards.

Alien Worlds

Platform: Any modern browser
Cryptocurrency: Trillium (TLM)

Looking for new NFT games this 2023 that are set in outer space? Check out Alien Worlds! This sci-fi-themed game lets you find NFT items while you’re out exploring the metaverse, mining for the game’s currency called Trillium, and laying claim to virtual lands. You may also battle other players through a trading card gameplay.

Alien Worlds features a diverse range of NFTs that you can use to achieve your game objectives. Other than virtual lands, these include, tools, minions, weapons, avatars, rarities, and commemorative items.

Plant vs Undead

play to earn crypto games - plants vs undead

Platform: Windows, Android, iOS
Cryptocurrency: Plants vs Undead Token (PVU)

Plants vs Undead is your Plants vs Zombies with a twist―you can earn NFT! As one of the lighter play to earn crypto games today, Plants vs Undead has an interesting story and gameplay. Everything about it happens in a world called Planet Plants, which suffers from the invasion of undead creatures brought about by meteors. Your objective here is to protect your garden from these villains.

The game has two modes where you can make money: Survival mode and Farming mode. In Survival mode, you’ll need to plot your trees strategically to protect your Mother Tree from the monsters. If you survive the wave, you’ll win PVU tokens. Farming mode, on the other hand, gives you a chance to cultivate crops and harvest Light Energy (LE), which is the in-game currency. You can trade the LE to PVU tokens or use it to buy seeds.

Decentraland

Platform: Any modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, and Brave are recommended)
Cryptocurrency: MANA

Powered by the Ethereum blockchain, Decentraland is a decentralized virtual reality world that allows you to create content and monetize it. Using MANA, or Decentraland’s crypto, you can buy parcels of land that you can permanently own. And since you’re the owner of the said parcel, you have the power to alter its environment and create content and applications, ranging from artworks to games.

Among the most exciting parts of the game is dressing up the avatars. You can spruce up your own using the system’s free wearables. But you can purchase exclusive clothing items and accessories at the Decentraland Marketplace. You can also earn exclusive wearables by joining different events.

Castle Defense

Platform: Any modern browser, Android
Cryptocurrency: Pocket Arena Token (POC)

Developed by Emoji Games, Castle Defense touts itself as the first tower defense NFT game to bridge the gap between crypto investors and eSports players. Depending on your goal, there are two routes to take in this game: become a sponsor or become a player.

If you’re a sponsor, you can buy a castle from the Castle Market. Then, you can sign a contract with a player to play the game using the Castle Defense NFT you just bought. You can also make money by selling or renting the tokenized castles that you own.

Guild of Guardians

Platform: Mobile
Cryptocurrency: Guild of Guardian Gems

If fantasy RPGs are your thing and you want to own NFTs at the same time, take a peek at the metaverse that is the Guild of Guardians. This game lets you build a team of Guardians and compete in a guild to earn tradeable NFT rewards. What makes it different from many RPGs is that its gameplay isn’t a set in an open-world environment. Instead, you'll be completing quests by progressing through dungeons.

Despite being one of the new NFT games this 2022, Guild of Guardians isn’t playable yet. According to the developers, the game is still at the first stage where players can start collecting founder heroes.

Silks

Platform: No information provided
Cryptocurrency: Silks In-Game transaction Token ($STT) and Silks Dao Token ($SLK)

A lot of play to earn crypto games are unique in their own right, and Silks is one of them. It’s one game that attempts to blur the line between the virtual world and the real one.

Simply put, Silks is a horse racing and breeding game where the stats of the horses are linked to real-world thoroughbred horses. Your own Silks horse will track important data of its real-world equivalent, which include training advancement, racing results, and even bloodline. Furthermore, if the real-world counterpart of your Silks horse wins a race or has an offspring, you will earn tokens. You can use these tokens to buy NFT items in this metaverse, such as land, avatars, stables, and Silks horses.

According to Silks’ official website, the games will start in the third quarter of 2023.

Wombat Dungeon Master

Platform: Any modern browser
Cryptocurrency: $WAX and $EOS

In this staking game, you’ll play the role of a dungeon master who sends a team of wombats to find hidden NFT treasures in the dungeons. After the wombats’ run, you’ll receive XP to level up and valuable items, such as iron, coal, and uranium. You also have a chance to get an NFT pack every 24 hours. Such a pack may contain important items that will help upgrade your wombat. These include bags, lights, and digging tools.

Upland

Platform: Any modern browser, Android, iOS
Cryptocurrency: UPX (in-game token on the EOS blockchain and is neither a crypto by definition nor tradable outside Upland)

Live your property mogul dreams by joining the Upland metaverse, which is inhabited by anthropomorphic llamas. In this game, you can buy, sell, and trade virtual properties that are mapped to real-world addresses. You can even build your dream house here and earn UPX or U.S. dollars by selling your NFT properties.

You can brag to your friends that you own properties in expensive metropolises, such as New York City, albeit virtually. Unlike other top NFT games for 2023, Upland allows you to buy the metaverse’s token at the game’s store.

Final Thoughts

Note that crypto games are just like any other investments—they come with risks. But as long as you do your research and plan everything right, you can find yourself earning big while having fun with whatever game you choose.

So what are you waiting for? Work hard, play hard, and earn hard by dusting up your game skills and investing some money in the process. Game on!

Sources:

^[1] How a rural Filipino community is earning a living playing an NFT game (Venture Beat, 2021)
^[2] NFTs Are Shaking Up the Art World—But They Could Change So Much More (Time, 2021)
^[3]Play to earn: The rise of NFT gaming in the Philippines (BusinessWorld, 2021)
^[4] What is the BSP’s position with respect to virtual currencies or cryptocurrencies? (BitPinas, 2020)
^[5] Legends of Venari

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Making Money While Having Fun? It’s Possible with These 30 Play to Earn Crypto Games

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