NFT Games: Your Ticket To The Metaverse (Blockchain Crypto Games)

Ready player one? Put on your Nike CryptoKicks and step into the metaverse as we explore the new phenomenon of NFT games. 

To some, NFT games are a burgeoning digital economy bringing financial opportunities to millions of families around the world. To others, they’re our first taste of the virtual worlds that the next generation of the internet makes possible. And then some people simply see NFT games as a way to make a boatload of money. As you’ll see by the end of the article, they’re probably all right.

However, not many people actually know what NFT games actually are. So we’ll cover some key concepts and by the end of the guide, you’ll be more knowledgeable about NFT games than 99% of the universe. In fact, we think you'll be ready to enter the metaverse. 

Contents

• NFT games 101: Crypto games on the blockchain
• The 8 best NFT games in the universe... I mean... metaverse
• Ready player one? Your portal to the metaverse

Get Started Right Now

NFT games 101: Crypto games on the blockchain

NFT games are simply crypto games built on the blockchain that let you enter the metaverse. Not making sense? It shouldn’t. NFT games are a brand new digital economy built on a revolutionary technology that 99.999% of people don’t understand. That's why we're going to touch on the key concepts of NFT games before we keep going. 

1. What are NFTs? Prove ownership of a digital item

NFTs are Non-Fungible Tokens which means they’re one of a kind, unlike a bitcoin which can be swapped for any other bitcoin. For a deep dive into everything NFTs, check out our article; what are NFTs?

NFTs are used to represent ownership over a single piece of digital content, such as artwork, a video, or an in-game asset. Proving ownership of their in-game assets lets players buy, sell or trade them in blockchain play-to-earn games. 

2. What are play-to-earn games? Crypto games and the digital economy

The gaming industry is currently worth hundreds of billions of dollars and is growing rapidly. Traditionally, all that money flowed towards the owners and away from the players. But in-game NFTs are giving players an opportunity to earn money thanks to unique, rare, and immutable tokens. 

Already, the NFT play-to-earn gaming industry is already worth over AU$20 billion. Play-to-earn games are driven by in-game assets, such as player skins, weapons, or characters. Now, thanks to NFTs on the blockchain, they have become tradable goods like any other item in the real economy. As a player earns these items in the game, they can then sell them on NFT marketplaces for real money. 

We need to look no further than Axie Infinity in the Philippines. As Filipino people have been breeding, battling, and trading digital pets called Axies, they’ve been earning extra money. In fact, some have paid their bills and even cleared their debts thanks to the crypto game. All they need is a phone and internet access to play.  

3. What is the metaverse? The next generation of the internet

Metaverse is much more than a buzzword. The Washington Post called it the “next version of the internet” and Facebook wants to be a metaverse company. 

The best way to grasp the concept of the metaverse is to watch Steven Spielberg’s film ‘Ready Player One.’ It shows how the internet will become so advanced we will be able to enter virtual spaces that are as realistic as real life itself, and in many ways, better. (As a quick aside for the word nerds, that’s where the ‘metaverse’ gets its name; it’s beyond the universe.)

NFT games like Decentraland and Sandbox are starting to make this a reality. Unrestrained by physics, the only limit in the metaverse is our imagination. But we’ll get to them and this new world later. 

4. So, what exactly are NFT games? 

Can you see where this is heading? NFT games connect these concepts. We can earn valuable NFTs in a play-to-earn game as we hang out with our friends in the metaverse. It’s like real life but on the internet — and way more fun.

Does that all sound a bit out of this world? Good. Welcome to the metaverse...

The 8 best NFT games in the universe... I mean... metaverse

1. Axie Infinity crypto game

Inspired by Pokemon, Axie Infinity lets you breed and collect tokenized pets called Axies. You raise these pets, care for them, and once they’re ready — you send them to battle other players. 

Unlike Pokemon cards, each Axie is truly unique and has its own generic imprint… which is passed down to its offspring. These digital, tokenized and beloved can then be sold on Ethereum NFT marketplaces where the rarest pets can be sold for anywhere from hundreds of dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

To start playing the game, you have to purchase three Axies and then as you play you can earn (or purchase) Smooth Love Potion, which is needed every time you try to breed a new Axie. This cute and cuddly game now has a multi-billion dollar market cap. 

2. Gods Unchained NFT game

Gods Unchained took elements of the trading card genre to build a game of skill and strategy where you must beat your opponent to progress through the game. Each of these cards is an Ethereum ERC-721 token that can be traded on NFT marketplaces. 

You can accumulate these cards by beating other players in matchups with similarly skilled opponents. Or you can simply buy them. Ultimately, the goal is to increase your ranking and your status in the crypto game. 

3. DeRace play-to-earn crypto game

DeRace is a virtual horse racing ecosystem where you can breed tokenized horses with unique traits and then race them in a hippodrome racing stadium. A mix between horse racing and video games, it is aiming to disrupt multiple billion dollar industries. 

A popular competitor to DeRace is another NFT game called Zed Run. It looks like they’ll have a race of their own. 

4. Star Atlas NFT strategy game

Star Atlas is an epic adventure right from the start. It bills itself as a “grand strategy game of space exploration, territorial conquest, political domination and more.” With a leaderboard of the best competitors and a marketplace to stock up on the best items, users can stock up on the best ships and weapons to help them climb to the top of the leaderboard. 

With a feeling that combines Ender's Game, The Age of Empires, and Star Wars, it seems that much like players within the game, the game’s creators are aiming for total domination of the crypto gaming space. 

5. Aurory Japanese RPG

Aurory is a Japanese role-playing game where you can explore two distinct areas and biomes, Antik and Cryptos. As you go, you’ll discover mystical creatures called Nefties which you can use to fight in epic battles. 

With its play-to-earn mechanisms, you can earn NFTs which you can buy and sell using the in-game currency, Aury. It’s one of the first NFT games built on Solana and already has a thriving ecosystem. 

6. Illuvium blockchain RPG adventure game

Illuvium is an open-world RPG adventure game built on Ethereum and Immutable X that lets you cross a vast and varied landscape as you hunt for the rare and valuable creatures called Illuvials. Unlike some other crypto games, there are no gas fees with free peer-to-peer trading. As you build your team and collect different Illuvials, you get closer to discovering the cataclysm that shattered the dystopian landscape. 

Ironically, Illuvium’s tagline sums up much of the NFT crypto games; fight for ETH. 

7. Decentraland metaverse

Welcome to the metaverse. Decentraland is a virtual world that you can own a part of, if you so choose. Anyone can enter the world and purchase the NFT assets on land that’s owned by actual users. From space adventures to medieval dungeon mazes, there’s no limit to what you can find in Decentraland’s metaverse.

8. The Sandbox 3D metaverse

Step into the metaverse with Sandbox 3D where you can build and trade virtual assets. Many consider it a blockchain or metaverse version of Minecraft. Once you build your objects, you can sell them on marketplaces, giving artists, designers and creators an opportunity to unleash and profit from their creativity. 

Along with the SAND token, there is the LAND token, which has sold for millions of dollars. Much like land in the real world, land can be expensive in the metaverse too. 

Ready player one? Your portal to the metaverse

You can invest in the world of NFT games through a crypto exchange like Cointree. We sell cryptocurrency and blockchain game tokens so you can dive into Decentraland and other crypto games and explore the metaverse for yourself. All you need to do is create an account and you can start buying, selling and trading tokens in minutes. You can buy gaming tokens like Axie Infinity, Decentraland and Sandbox, or purchase layer 1 tokens like Ethereum and Solana and swap them for items in gaming marketplaces once your journey into the metaverse begins.

Get started