The 10 Best NFT Games to Play
NFT video games are the latest trend in online gaming. They transform traditional games by enabling players to own a piece of the game – whether that’s their avatar, upgrades and accessories, or in-game loot they find while exploring a virtual world.
The NFTs players collect while gaming can then be sold on NFT marketplaces just like any other NFT. So, players have a chance to make real money while playing the best NFT games.
In this guide, we’ll reveal the 10 best NFT games and show you how to start playing and earning today.
The 10 Best NFT Games for 2024
We’ve tested out dozens of play-to-earn games to find the top NFT games this year. Based on our findings, here is our top NFT games list:
- Tamadoge – The Best New NFT Game on Presale Now
- Battle Infinity – Exciting Metaverse with NFTs and Fantasy Sports Game
- Gods Unchained – An NFT Card Game from the Makers of Magic: The Gathering
- Axie Infinity – Collect Axies and Battle Against Other Players
- Sorare – One of the Best Fantasy Soccer NFT Game
- STEPN – Turn Walking and Running into a Play-to-earn Game
- Star Atlas – Expansive Metaverse Filled with NFTs to Discover
- Splinterlands – Free NFT Card Game to Build a Custom Battle Deck
- The Sandbox – Fast-growing Metaverse Where Players Can Build Games
- Treeverse – One of the Most Exciting Upcoming NFT Games
A Closer Look at The Top 10 NFT Games
Want to know more about the top play-to-earn games for 2022? We’ll cover everything you need to know about the 10 best NFT games.
Alternatively, you could also check out our article on how to earn free Bitcoin.
1. Tamadoge – The Best New NFT Game in 2024
The whitepaper on the Tamadoge (TAMA) homepage describes the meme coin as “the play-to-earn Dogecoin”. The platform combines the appeal of meme coins with the rising popularity of P2E crypto.
Borrowing from the Tamagotchi craze of the 1990s, Tamadoge allows players to mint pet NFTs, then breed, nurture, and compete for rewards and monthly leaderboard positions. The Tamadoge presale has flew past $1 million this week, with the minimum 1,000 TAMA investment worth $10 at the time of writing.
Users can claim their Tamadoge Pet when the presale ends in Autumn. A Tamadoge battle app is set to launch around the same time.
Later phases in the roadmap will see metaverse and augmented reality integration, with holders able to go into the real world to hunt for TAMA tokens and rewards alongside their Pet.
2. Battle Infinity – Exciting Metaverse with NFTs and Fantasy Sports Game
Battle Infinity is a new NFT project and play-to-earn game that’s aiming to build the ‘multiverse of metaverse.’ What that means is that Battle Infinity will be more than just a standalone game. Rather, it will be a comprehensive ecosystem where players can join Battle Infinity games, games created by other players, and explore an ever-growing metaverse.
The Battle Infinity development team is kicking things off with one of the world’s first fantasy sports crypto games in the metaverse, IBAT Premier League. This fantasy sports game will enable players to create their own custom fantasy team and then compete against other players. Winners receive rewards in IBAT crypto, the native cryptocurrency of Battle Infinity.
With IBAT, players can use Battle Infinity’s built-in decentralized exchange to swap their tokens for a crypto of their choice. They can also visit Battle Infinity’s NFT marketplace to purchase valuable upgrades and accessories for their avatar.
Battle Infinity sold out its presale in just 24 days despite originally being set to last for 90, raising 16,500 BNB or around $5 million. We think this is one of the best crypto pre-sales of the year, alongside Tamadoge.
Despite it not being on sale right now, IBAT is being set for release on exchanges, including PancakeSwap, soon. To keep up to date with the project check out the Battle Infinity Telegram channel for updates from the development team.
3. Gods Unchained – An NFT Card Game from the Makers of Magic: The Gathering
Gods Unchained is a popular NFT card game created by the game designer behind Magic: The Gathering. For Magic fans, the strategy and gameplay of Gods Unchained will feel familiar. Perhaps the biggest change is that every trading card in Gods Unchained is an NFT, so players can accumulate a significant amount of value by building a deck of powerful and rare cards.
There are a few things we like about Gods Unchained. First, it’s free to play. New players can get a free starter deck when they sign up. The starter deck won’t help you beat players who have been at the game for a while, but skilled players can begin to advance without having to buy more cards.
Another feature of Gods Unchained that we like is that it’s very strategy-based. The player with the most valuable deck doesn’t always win. Rather, it’s up to you to figure out the optimal way to balance your deck and outsmart an opponent with more powerful cards.
When you win battles in Gods Unchained, you can earn GODS cryptocurrency. GODS can be purchased or exchanged at Crypto.com and Binance.
4. Axie Infinity – Collect Axies and Battle Against Other Players
Axie Infinity is one of the best crypto games that picks up where Pokemon left off. Just as in Pokemon, the goal in Axie Infinity is for players to collect as many different creatures – called Axies – as possible. Each Axie has unique abilities and players can use their Axies to battle against other players.
Importantly, every Axie in Axie Infinity is an NFT. So, players own their Axies and can sell or trade them in the game’s marketplace. They can also use the in-game token, Smooth Love Potion, to purchase rare Axies that other players are selling on the marketplace.
While battle is at the heart of Axie Infinity, players also have the option to explore the game world and complete quests without fighting with other players. Quests are a good way to earn AXS, the governance token for Axie Infinity that can also be staked to earn interest. AXS is the token most readily available at major crypto exchanges and is one of the best play to earn crypto games.
5. Sorare – One of the Best Fantasy Soccer NFT Games
Sorare is a fantasy soccer game that allows players to create their own teams and compete for the most points in a season. Real-world players across more than 245 clubs are represented by digital NFT trading cards, similar to sports cards traditionally favored by collectors.
There are 1,000 editions available of NFT cards for common players. However, there are only 100 card copies of Rare players, 10 copies of Super Rare players, and a single copy of Unique players. Additional NFTs are minted each season to reflect the reshuffling of players among teams.
What’s great about Sorare is that it features an open marketplace where players can trade NFT cards. So, you can constantly tweak your team throughout the season until you’re confident you’ve assembled the best possible group of players for your strategy. There are weekly prizes in crypto for players whose fantasy teams score the most points.
6. STEPN – Turn Walking and Running into a Play-to-earn Game
STEPN is a little different than the other play-to-earn games on this list in that you’re not competing against other players. Rather, this unique game pays users to walk, jog, or run and incentivizes fitness in the process – a move-to-earn crypto.
To play STEPN, players need to acquire a pair of NFT shoes. These shoes are your pass to the game and give you a short window of time each day when you can accrue steps to earn crypto. The more shoe NFTs you own, the more time each day you have to accumulate steps – and the more you can earn.
This game is made even more fun by the fact that each pair of digital shoes has special properties. Some shoes boost steps from running, for example, while others offer more time each day to accrue steps.
Since STEPN shoe NFTs directly translate into steady income in the form of GMT tokens, it should come as little surprise that these NFTs can be quite valuable. At the time of writing, the floor price for STEPN NFTs is 0.94 SOL, or around $40.
7. Star Atlas – Expansive Metaverse Filled with NFTs to Discover
Star Atlas is a space-themed metaverse that enables players to explore, battle, create alliances, and more.
Part of what makes Star Atlas so neat is that there are many different ways players can experience the game. Some players can take their NFT spaceships to the depths of the metaverse, completing quests along the way. Others can mine asteroids for cryptocurrency or sell services in an in-game marketplace.
The Star Atlas universe has been seeded with thousands of NFT objects, which range from upgrades and accessories to rare pieces of art within the game. All of these NFTs can be traded at the Star Atlas marketplace using the game’s native ATLAS token.
Just keep in mind that playing Star Atlas requires an NFT spaceship, which you’ll need to pay ATLAS to acquire. So, this isn’t a free play-to-earn game.
8. Splinterlands – Free NFT Card Game to Build a Custom Battle Deck
Splinterlands is another NFT card game with some similarities to Gods Unchained. Every card in Splinterlands is an NFT, which may be available in hundreds of editions or may be a one-of-a-kind rarity. Players must build up their own custom decks of NFTs to do battle against other players and collect the game’s native cryptocurrency, HIVE.
One of the reasons we think Splinterlands is one of the best NFT games of 2022 is that it’s one of the only crypto games you can play on mobile. Splinterlands is currently available for iOS and Android in addition to Windows and Mac users. That means you can take Splinterlands with you wherever you go and enter a battle anytime you have a few minutes of downtime.
Another benefit to Splinterlands is that players don’t have to sell cards in order to profit from this game. If you collect rare or powerful cards, you can rent them out to other players. You get rent payments in HIVE, and the players who borrow your cards get an advantage in their next battles. It’s a win-win.
9. The Sandbox – Fast-growing Metaverse Where Players Can Build Games
The Sandbox is a rapidly growing metaverse where players will find a diverse range of experiences. This game is distinct from most other crypto games in that it’s actually a patchwork of user-generated mini-games. Players can explore The Sandbox, trying out widely different games and sticking with those they like best.
Since The Sandbox is community-grown, it’s constantly building and changing. There’s very little risk that players will get bored in this metaverse or feel like they’ve explored it all.
Within The Sandbox, players can use the SAND metaverse crypto token to purchase virtual land plots, which are NFTs. Individual mini-games can also offer their own tokens and NFTs, making for a complex economy built around The Sandbox’s central marketplace.
If you decide to try your hand at creating your own game, The Sandbox makes it easy. The platform has a toolbox of game creation features, none of which require coding experience. It’s free to create a game, although you need to purchase land if you want to make it available to other players to discover within the metaverse.
10. Treeverse – One of the Most Exciting Upcoming NFT Games
Treeverse is an upcoming NFT game that we’re excited about. The game’s developers promise an adventure-driven metaverse that involves quests, battles, homesteading, and more.
At the heart of Treeverse are NFT trees – or as the game developers call them, ‘NFTrees.’ The NFTrees collection consists of 420 virtual trees, each of which can be planted on a plot of virtual land and grown.
The NFTree owner can then sell the fruits of their tree for a price they decide on in SEED, the in-game cryptocurrency that drives the Treeverse economy. The fruits of each NFTree are unique, and they each provide temporary benefits for players who eat them.
NFTrees won’t be the only NFTs within Treeverse, either. The developers plan to release a collection of 11,111 unique NFT avatars. Players will need to acquire one of these NFTs to join the game and they will be priced in SEED.
NFT Games – What exactly are they?
NFT games are a new class of video games that turn in-game assets into NFTs, or non-fungible tokens. NFTs are unique digital assets that can be owned by players.
So, NFT games allow players to own some of the in-game assets that they use to play the game. Examples of the best NFTs to buy in these games include avatars, accessories, trading cards, weapons, buildings, and more.
Importantly, since players own these NFT assets, they are free to trade or sell them. Many NFT games have built-in marketplaces where players can buy and sell NFTs to and from one another. This creates an economy within the game that directly benefits players.
Players ultimately have the option to trade coins earned by selling NFTs within a game for popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum at a crypto exchange. This is why NFT games are often called play-to-earn games. Players can collect NFTs, sell them for game-specific tokens, and then convert their tokens into cash.
The Basics of How NFT Games Work
The best NFT games create an in-game economy that is driven by NFT assets.
To start, players collect NFTs within the game. Some games require players to buy a starter NFT to play, while others offer low-value NFTs for free to new players to help them start playing. Typically, players can also collect NFTs through quests or by purchasing them at a game’s NFT marketplace.
Once players have an NFT, they can use it to their benefit within the game (many NFTs within NFT games offer extra capabilities to a player’s character) or sell it at the in-game marketplace. The best NFT games have their own game-specific cryptocurrencies, which serves as the currency for NFT exchanges in the marketplace. In many games, players can earn cryptocurrency by completing quests or beating other players in battle.
If players decide to cash out some of their earnings from the game, they can do so at a crypto exchange. They simply need to exchange any game-specific tokens they earned through play or by selling NFTs for the cryptocurrency of their choice, like Bitcoin or Ethereum.
Types of NFT Games
NFT play-to-earn games are as varied in gameplay and strategy as traditional video games. Broadly speaking, the best NFT games can be grouped into several different categories:
Metaverse Games
There are many metaverse NFT games, which allow players to explore a virtual world. Within that world, players can form coalitions, battle with each other, go on quests, and much more. Battle Infinity, Treeverse, Alien Worlds, and The Sandbox are all examples of metaverse play-to-earn games.
Fantasy Sports Games
NFT fantasy sports games let players build a fantasy sports team based on real-world teams and players. Players earn points when the real-world professional athletes on their teams score points or complete certain goals. Battle Infinity’s IBAT Premier League is an example of a fantasy sports play-to-earn game.
NFT Card Games
NFT card games require players to build strategic decks, which they can then use to battle against other players. Examples of NFT card games include Gods Unchained and Splinterlands.
Fitness Games
STEPN showed that NFT games aren’t just limited to the virtual world. These games can also encourage fitness by rewarding players for activities like walking and running. Look for more new NFT games in this category in the future.
Why Should You Play NFT Games?
NFT games offer all the fun and excitement of traditional video games. Players can explore virtual worlds, build a strategy, battle against other players, and more.
What makes NFT games even better than traditional video games, though, is that you can collect NFTs and earn crypto while you play. That has 2 important implications.
First, players own a piece of the games they’re playing. That’s a big difference from traditional games, where no matter how loyal players are, the content is always fully owned by the game creators.
Second, players can make money from playing video games – without being professional gamers. Players are always free to sell their NFTs to other players and to cash out the tokens they earn at a crypto exchange.
Note that some NFT games require players to buy an NFT upfront in order to start playing. However, many of the best play-to-earn crypto games for 2022 are free to play.
The Best Places to Buy Crypto & NFT in-Game Assets
While you can start playing many NFT games for free, you can jumpstart your gaming journey by purchasing a few NFT upgrades. To do that, you’ll need to purchase the in-game token for the NFT game you want to play, then use that token to buy the NFTs you want.
So, where can you get a game’s token before you start playing? Most major crypto exchanges let you purchase NFT game cryptocurrencies. We recommend using Crypto.com or Binance – here’s why:
1. Crypto.com – Best Place to Buy Crypto for NFT Games
Crypto.com is our pick as the best place to buy crypto for play-to-earn games because it offers low fees on a wide range of game-specific tokens. At Crypto.com, you’ll find tokens like AXS (Axie Infinity), SPS (Splinterlands), and more.
Crypto.com makes it simple to buy crypto using the exchange’s mobile app for iOS and Android. You can pay with a bank transfer, credit card, or debit card, and the platform charges true cost for basic exchanges.
Another thing we like about Crypto.com is that it offers crypto staking for many gaming tokens. That means you can earn interest on the tokens you earn from playing top NFT games. So, players can earn even more from playing their favorite crypto video games.
Crypto.com has its own crypto wallet available for users and the exchange offers 24/7 customer support.
2. Binance – Best Selection of Cryptocurrencies for NFT Games
If you’re looking for an NFT game’s cryptocurrency and can’t find it at Crypto.com, check out Binance. Binance has an enormous selection of cryptocurrencies – more than 600 at last count – and is often the first exchange to offer new cryptocurrencies from NFT games.
Binance accepts credit cards, debit cards, and bank transfers to purchase crypto. However, the platform’s fees can be somewhat pricey. Expect to pay up to 4.5% in fees when purchasing cryptocurrency with a credit card.
Binance justifies these high initial fees with all of the tools the exchange offers once you have cryptocurrency in hand. Binance has its own wallet, supports staking on a huge range of cryptocurrencies, and even lets users borrow against their crypto holdings. Binance even has its own NFT marketplace where you can find NFTs for some popular play-to-earn games.
Binance has more than 90 million users around the world. The exchange offers 24/7 customer support.
The Best New & Upcoming NFT Games
While there are many exciting NFT games for players to try right now, the world of play-to-earn games is growing quickly. Here are some of the most exciting upcoming NFT games we’re looking forward to in the coming year:
Tamadoge
As well as being a meme coin Tamadoge is offering utility and value through its NFTs and play-to-earn game.
Holders will mint Tamadoge Pets, which they care for and watch grow before going into battle against rival players to earn tokens and rewards.
By 2023 the Pets will be 3D and then by Q3 2023 they will be in augmented reality – allowing players of the game to go out into the real world and hunt for TAMA tokens and rewards.
Treeverse
Treeverse is another new metaverse game that promises players a varied and adventurous experience. In this metaverse, players can go on quests, battle other players, or purchase NFT trees that grow fruits they can sell to other players.
Treeverse is built on Ethereum and plans to offer an ERC-20 token, but it is not yet available.
Pirate x Pirate
Pirate x Pirate is a new NFT game currently in development on the Binance Smart Chain network. This pirate-themed game enables players to go on quests with their pirate ship and battle with other pirates. Players get to build up their crew and develop a fleet of ships, earning PXP tokens as they play.
PXP is currently available on the PancakeSwap crypto exchange. Players must purchase a starter pack that costs 9,500 PXP (around $15) in order to play.
It’s also worth noting that Ubisoft, a major video game maker, has announced that it plans to roll out more NFT games in the future. The company has not yet announced what Ubisoft NFT games players can expect.
NFT Games on Mobile
The majority of NFT games right now are designed to provide the best player experience on desktop only. However, there is a growing push for mobile NFT games.
Some games, like Axie Infinity and Splinterlands, are already available on iOS and Android devices. Look for more of the best NFT games to develop mobile apps as they get closer to completing their development roadmaps.
Conclusion
The best NFT games enable players to explore virtual worlds, go on quests, do battle, and more – all while collecting valuable NFTs or earning cryptocurrency. Unlike traditional video games, NFT games allow players to make money while playing without being a sponsored professional.
If you’re looking for the best NFT games in 2022, check out Tamadoge. It combines all the fun and potential of a meme coin with actual utility and value through a fun play-to-earn game and NFT ownership.
You could also try Battle Infinity, a new metaverse play-to-earn game is developing a fantasy sports league as well as a platform where players can create their own virtual games.