Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have successfully shown that they have the capability of changing the gaming industry. The development of NFTs holds the potential to usher in innovations in which gamers are rewarded appropriately for their significant roles in the gaming economy.
This new gaming paradigm has started to take shape today as more and more game creators are integrating blockchain technology to make the gaming experience even more immersive.
Today, we will provide you with an overview of some of the most popular NFT games currently on the market. However, before we get into our list, let’s first go through the fundamentals of what an NFT-based game is.
What are NFT games?
When playing NFT games, the players have greater control over in-game assets such as characters, skins, weapons, virtual lands, and more. Launching games on blockchains and staking them down with economies powered by digital assets makes this possible.
To ensure that these digital assets cannot be altered, they are often implemented as NFTs. This makes it possible for game developers to maintain the exclusiveness and scarcity of certain in-game items. Because of this, the value of some blockchain gaming assets is regarded to be higher than that of others.
With this framework in place, you can have three primary strategies to choose from to stake their claim to ownership of game assets. They were able to make new characters from scratch or breed existing ones, buy digital items from the game’s official or third-party marketplaces, or unlock and earn new items.
Players have sole ownership rights over the game assets regardless of the method used to get them. Thus, you can sell, keep, buy, or trade them. All of the money gained from such deals are in your possession. Because of this aspect, the model is referred to as play-to-earn.
What are the top NFT games of all time?
Various game platforms and developers have combined NFTs with well-known game concepts. These games are at the front of the current NFT frenzy that has taken the gaming industry storm. In no particular order, here is a list of a few of the games that are considered to be the best.
Axie Infinity
Axie Infinity is a game inspired by the Pokemon game series. It adds its unique spin by incorporating blockchain technology into the gameplay.
In the game, players compete against one another by breeding and collecting NFT-based digital creatures called Axies. The main objective of the game is to win. Every Axie has its unique genetic imprint, which makes their strengths and weaknesses be handed down to their offspring.
The price of each Axie varies based on how rare it is and the characteristics that make it distinctive. You need to buy three Axies before you can begin playing the game.
Smooth Love Potion (SLP), the platform’s native utility currency, is awarded as a reward whenever you finish quests or win battles. You need to pay a certain number of SLPs for each effort you make to breed a new Axie. Axis Infinity Shard (AXS) is another ERC20 token that serves as the governance token for the platform.
CryptoKitties
CryptoKitties lets you acquire a variety of cats, some of which can be bred to produce more. It was the first game to introduce the idea of exchanging digital assets using blockchain technology.
You can advance in the game by completing optional objectives such as puzzle-solving. The game’s popularity and appeal to players have been steadily declining due to the overproduction of kittens. This threw the market out of whack and made the game unappealing to many people. Despite this, it is still considered the godfather of NFT-based games.
Gods Unchained
Gods Unchained is a free-to-play NFT game where you acquire cards either by purchasing them from other players or by winning player-versus-player (PvP) matches. The game’s outcome is often determined by the quality of the cards played and the gaming prowess of the players.
You win in the battle and gain experience points if you bring your opponent’s life down to zero. You will advance to the next level as soon as the experience bar reaches its full capacity, with which you will also be given a new pack of cards to add to your collection.
Each card has an ERC-721 token attached to it. Thus, you are free to trade them. Those who choose to sell the cards within the gaming ecosystem will be compensated with the game’ native token referred to as GODS.
Spliterlands
Splinterlands is similar to Gods Unchained since it allows users to win card matchups in exchange for tokens and NFTs. To play the game, you must first purchase a starting pack of cards, then sign up for a Steem account. You can then reveal the cards you purchased on the Splinterlands platform.
When you buy a set of cards for the first time, there’s always a chance that you’ll get lucky and uncover a rare card among them. In addition to that, it was possible to have numerous copies of the same card. If this is the case, you can combine cards of the same type to increase their overall strength or sell one of the cards in exchange for cryptocurrency.
Once you have your cards, you can now compete against other players or participate in quests. The outcomes of these actions will influence whether or not you can get further cards.
The Sandbox 3D
Players can create and exchange virtual assets within The Sandbox, a blockchain-based gaming metaverse, and gaming platform. Oy is like the blockchain version of Minecraft and Roblox.
The Sandbox provides the tools necessary to design and animate things, which may be offered for sale on various marketplaces. In addition, users can design and play their games within the platform.
Sandbox 3D has an ERC-20 token, SAND, which acts as the native token of this metaverse. SAND will be used to pay for virtual goods and services. Players can purchase the platform’s marketplace for virtual goods using this currency.
Pegaxy
Non-fungible token (NFT) games are generally seen as the future of sports betting since they make many opportunities possible. The connections between gaming and betting are now stronger than ever due to Pegaxy.
Pegaxy offers a play-to-earn system, making it an excellent choice for gamers interested in exploring the P2E world. More features will be added soon, making the game more strategic and skill-based, which will make it less grindy for players to play.
In the game, you will participate in a race by entering your horse and then crossing your fingers that you finish in the top three to receive a reward in VIS tokens. Each race had a total of twelve competitors.
Star Atlas
Your primary goals in Star Atlas are to discover new planets, develop new technologies, and mine for resources. As you travel through the cosmos, you have the option to construct your unique starships, crews, and avatars for use in the game. You can also set up mining facilities.
The starships in the game feature combat capabilities, which let you engage in player versus player (PvP) and potentially player versus environment (PvE) combat to gain resources. The vast majority of in-game assets will be tradable on the Star Atlas marketplace and reflected on the blockchain as NFTs.
Some fundamental game features are already operational, such as the Star Atlas marketplace and faction selection. Still, the full-fledged game is not projected to go live until the latter half of 2022.
Thetan Arena
Thetan Arena is one of the few blockchain-based multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games that aims to compete with Dota 2 and League of Legends. It provides users with an esports title to form alliances with other players to battle and earn real money.
The game is one of the first mass-market game to earn games due to its game elements such as staking, guilds, in-game pets, streaming, and more. Players are awarded NFTs and gTHC based on their contribution to their teams, the outcome of each match, and the rarity of the heroes and skin used.
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My Defi Pet
My Defi Pet blends decentralized banking with a pet lifestyle game where players construct a farm and level up their pets for combat against other players. These battles take place on a decentralized battlefield.
In the game, you can cultivate food on your farms, breed pets to produce offspring, acquire silver coins, and participate in in-game events.
Eggs can be purchased from the game or traded for in the marketplace to get a variety of pets with different stats, types, and rarities.
According to the roadmap, My Defi Pet intends to implement a scholarship system around the summer of 2022. This would allow pet owners to rent out their teams to other users in exchange for a share of the profits.
Conclusion
The NFT games listed above let players indulge in an enjoyable and lucrative gaming experience. Even though it is a relatively new concept, people have been jumping on the crypto bandwagon, mostly due to the fantastic returns they offer in the real world.
There is a tremendous amount of potential for digital assets like NFTs to become more involved in the gaming industry, especially given the increased interest shown in this sector by investors and traders.
