10 Best Play-to-Earn Games with Crypto & NFT Rewards for 2024

The best play-to-earn crypto games do exactly what their name suggests – pay you to play games. These games have been particularly popular among crypto investors, who can earn different rewards, ranging from tokens to NFTs.

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of top play-to-earn games, including their mechanics, advantages, and investment potential. We cover established titles with active ecosystems and promising newcomers, offering insights for those looking to enter this emerging crypto-gaming space.

Best Play-to-Earn Games: A Detailed Review

The best play-to-earn games of 2024 offer a variety of games, including Tamagotchi-style mobile games and gambling games.

1. The Meme Games – Best Play-To-Earn Crypto Game With an Olympic Theme

Why is The Meme Games One of the Best Play-to-Earn Games?

The Meme Games ($MGMES) stands out as one of 2024’s best play-to-earn crypto games, blending the appeal of meme coins with Olympic-style competition. Its innovative presale event offers token bonuses to buyers, who select a character for a 169m dash, adding a gamified element to the purchasing process.

So, with each $MGMES purchase, you choose a meme character to race in the dash, and if your character wins, you receive a 25% bonus in tokens. This gamified approach allocates 10% of the 2.024 billion token supply priced at $0.0094. The presale has already raised over $418k within a few weeks, demonstrating strong initial interest.

2. Shiba Shootout – Western-Themed Play-to-Earn Crypto Project With Massive Rewards

Why is Shiba Shootout One of the Best Play-to-Earn Games?

Shiba Shootout is next on our list of the biggest play-to-earn crypto games around. The game immerses players in a whimsical Wild West universe as a Shiba Inu gunslinger, focusing on intense, fast-paced duels that test reflexes and accuracy. Using intuitive touch controls, players must outdraw opponents in split-second showdowns across vibrant, colorful environments filled with quirky characters. The game’s core revolves around mastering the art of the quick draw, where precision and timing are crucial for victory.

Shiba Sharpshooter combines challenging gameplay across diverse Wild West locations with charming graphics and a lighthearted atmosphere. As players progress, they face tougher opponents in intense duels, striving to become the ultimate Shiba gunslinger. The project also features a “Lucky Lasso Lottery” system, allowing players to win crypto prizes by purchasing tickets with $SHIBASHOOT tokens, adding an extra layer of excitement to the gaming experience.

3. Mega Dice – Best Gambling P2E Game With Crypto Rewards And a $2.2 Million Airdrop

Why is Mega Dice One of the Best Play-to-Earn Games?

Mega Dice is a popular crypto casino with over $50 million in monthly wagering volume and more than 50,000 active players. The casino offers over 4,000 games, including slots, blackjack, and poker, and it will reward active players with an airdrop worth $2.2 million.

Mega Dice’s $DICE token presale offers multiple rewards: stakers earn a share of casino profits, while a referral program provides a 10% commission on friends’ investments without limits. Presale participants can also earn rare NFTs with additional benefits. The only missing thing is their mobile app. However, users can comfortably play casino games on their mobile browsers. Tokens can be purchased using SOL, ETH, or BNB through the Mega Dice website, allowing investors to earn rewards even without playing the casino games.

4. Sponge V2 – Top P2E Gaming Coin Offering 230% Staking APY

Why is Sponge V2 One of the Best Play-to-Earn Games?

Sponge V2 is a hot upgrade of the original $SPONGE token, set to offer more utility. Leveraging the original’s success, Sponge V2 targets a $100 million market cap, with strategic plans for listings on top exchanges like Binance and OkX as one of the most popular meme coins in the crypto market.

A key feature of its strategy is launching one of the best crypto games to make money, aimed at increasing the demand for $SPONGEV2 by providing the added utility with fun for users to acquire tokens. There will be a free and paid version of the game. Sponge V2 introduces a stake-to-bridge mechanism, enabling the staking of V1 tokens for V2 rewards, promoting long-term engagement, and ensuring long-term value through a permanent conversion process over four years.

5. The Sandbox — Best Play-to-Earn Crypto Game for Creatives

Why is The Sandbox One of the Best Play-to-Earn Games?

The Sandbox is another one of the top crypto games that focuses on digital land in a 3D virtual world where you can build, explore, and monetize experiences using NFTs called LAND and the SAND cryptocurrency. It offers tools like VoxEdit for designing and animating voxel models, a game maker for creating games, and a marketplace for selling NFTs.

The game maker lets you create your own games using drag-and-drop logic and thousands of assets made by the community. The marketplace, on the other hand, is a platform where you can buy and sell NFTs and LANDs, which are parcels of virtual land in The Sandbox metaverse.

6. CryptoKitties — P2E Game Featuring Digital Kittens

Why is CryptoKitties One of the Best Play-to-Earn Games?

CryptoKitties is one of the best crypto games to make money that revolutionized the industry by introducing NFT-based digital cat breeding and collecting. The game’s simplicity, coupled with the rarity and unique features of some cats, drives their value and scarcity in the marketplace.

The game was launched in November 2017 by Dapper Labs and quickly became a viral sensation, generating millions in revenue but also causing Ethereum network congestion. To address scalability issues, the game later migrated to Flow, a blockchain designed for high-volume applications.

7. Axie Infinity — Pokemon-Like P2E Game

Why is Axie Infinity One of the Best Play-to-Earn Games?

Axie Infinity, an Ethereum-based game, pioneered the concept of battling collectible NFT monsters (Axies) in a play-to-earn model. Players earn and trade Axie Infinity Shards (AXS) tokens, making it one of the most popular and best play-to-earn games
with its own tradable cryptocurrency.

Axie Infinity expanded beyond dueling to include a land mode where players build villages on Lunacia, harvest resources, craft items, and interact with others. Recently, they launched the Axie Classic Competitive Season 5 with 35.6K AXS in rewards, World Cup qualification, guild points, mini tournaments until September 26th, the new Coliseum Chest, an exclusive Battle Pass, and a revamped site with guides, tools, and leaderboards.

8. Splinterlands — Top P2E Game With Blockchain Trading Card Mechanics

Why is Splinterlands One of the Best Play-to-Earn Games?

Splinterlands is a top play-to-earn game because it offers gamers trading card mechanics with blockchain technology. Players can profit by collecting, buying, and selling unique cards, each represented as a non-fungible token with real-world value.

Inspired by Magic the Gathering and Hearthstone, Splinterlands focuses on card-dueling gameplay. Players can earn in-game coins and improve their community ranking by mastering the rules and strategies. The game’s economy revolves around Dark Energy Crystal (DEC), its main cryptocurrency, which can be traded on exchanges.

9. DeFi Kingdoms — Fantasy RPG Based on a DeFi Protocol

Why is DeFi Kingdoms One of the Best Play-to-Earn Games?

DeFi Kingdoms is a cross-chain, pixel-art MMORPG where all resources and heroes are NFTs. Available on Klaytn and Avalanche, it boasts over 100,000 users across networks. The game currently features two realms with expansion plans, and is marketed as one of the most profitable play-to-earn games in the fantasy RPG genre.

The game’s play-to-earn mechanics are based on the JEWEL token, which is used to power its ecosystem and has real value. It can also be used for governance rights, in-game power-ups, and even an opportunity to get a portion of the distributed fees that the game charges to players. Like in many other RPGs, heroes have unique abilities and items that can help players. Some heroes feature rare items, making them more valuable.

10. Gods Unchained — Digital Trading Card Game With P2E Elements

Why is Gods Unchained One of the Best Play-to-Earn Games?

When ranking the best P2E games, Gods Unchained definitely made it to the list, as the game is the main competitor to Splinterlands. It is a blockchain-based trading card game where players collect, trade, and battle using digital cards. Unlike traditional card games, it offers players full ownership of their cards as NFTs on the Ethereum network, securing a spot among the top P2E games.

The game uses a unique balancing system to adjust card power based on popularity and performance. It offers various modes, including ranked matches, draft tournaments, weekend events, and solo adventures. They recently reconstructed their

What Is a Play-to-Earn Game?

A play-to-earn (P2E) game is an online game that rewards players with cryptocurrency or other digital assets for playing.

Unlike traditional games that rely on in-game purchases or advertisements for monetization, play-to-earn games allow players to earn value for their time and skill.

Play-to-earn games are built on blockchain and have their own ecosystems, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs, some of which hold real-life value and can be traded on exchanges. These games are part of the broader Web3 trend, aiming for a decentralized, user-centric internet. Analysts at Citi believe the metaverse could be worth $8 to $13 trillion by 2030, poised for exponential growth as technology advances.

How Do Play-to-Earn Games Work?

Play-to-earn games are powered by blockchain technology, which enables the creation and exchange of digital assets that are scarce, verifiable, and owned by the players. It’s like owning Bitcoin, except that you can use them in gaming ecosystems to buy and sell in-game items, characters, features, and more.

Blockchain also ensures the security and transparency of game transactions, as well as the interoperability of game assets across different platforms and metaverses. You can sometimes trade assets from different P2E games, provided they’re on the same blockchain.

Types of Play-to-Earn Crypto Games

The P2E space is new, making it hard to categorize all types. These games span various genres, from shooters and racing games to RPGs and trading ones. Unlike traditional console and PC games, P2E games allow players to monetize their gameplay instead of paying out of pocket.

Even things like fantasy sports have made it to the blockchain through projects such as Sorare. Many new P2E crypto games are released all the time, so a fan of any type of game will be able to find what they are looking for.

Benefits of P2E Games

Some of the perks of P2E games include the following:

• Source of income — Players can generate income by playing P2E games. In most cases, that might not be enough to make a living. Still, having a fun side hustle for a bit of extra cash doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.
• Transparent and fair gaming economy—Players control things in play-to-earn games, as they fully own digital assets. This is not like traditional games, which can shut down servers, ban accounts, or change rules at any time. P2E games give players the power to store, transfer, and sell their assets without intermediaries or restrictions.
• Creative inspiration — The best play-to-earn games foster innovation and creativity in the gaming industry, where developers can experiment with new genres, mechanics, and features that leverage the potential of blockchain technology.

Risks of Play2Earn Crypto Games

Even the most profitable play-to-earn games come with their own risks, so investors should be aware of the following ones:

• Time consuming – Players can become engrossed in the thrill of winning, leading to more time spent than intended, which can negatively impact productivity, health, and relationships.
• Uncertainty – Players aren’t guaranteed to earn what they expect, and some games may be scams that don’t pay at all. Additionally, hidden fees or charges can reduce earnings.
• Sustainability – Play-to-earn projects hinge on attracting new users or effectively incentivizing existing players, which could pose sustainability challenges over time.
• Health risks – Extended gaming periods can result in health issues such as eye strain, musculoskeletal disorders, and disruptions to sleep patterns.

Can You Play P2E Games on Mobile?

As of 2024, the play-to-earn (P2E) mobile gaming landscape is vibrant and diverse. Several standout titles are captivating players globally, offering unique gameplay experiences and innovative reward systems. These games not only entertain but also provide opportunities for players to earn real-world value, driving the popularity and growth of the P2E sector.

Can You Really Earn Crypto With Play-to-Earn Games?

In short, yes, this is possible because P2E games are blockchain-based and the space is only getting more popular. A recent Statista report revealed that by 2026, at least 25% of people worldwide will spend at least one hour per day in the metaverse, with 30% of global businesses expected to have metaverse-ready projects and services by then.

Knowing how to earn crypto by playing games depends on the game’s design and mechanics. Some common methods are:

• Trading in-game tokens earned through achievements or as a reward for other cryptocurrencies or fiat money on exchanges and marketplaces.
• Collecting NFTs that represent unique game items or characters and selling them.
• Staking or lending in-game coins to earn passive income (provided this feature is available in the game of your choice).
• Taking part in governance and community activities related to game development and direction.
• Competing in in-game tournaments that offer coins or NFTs as prizes.
• Building upon virtual plots of land in a metaverse and charging admission.

Are Crypto Earning Games Legit and Safe?

Generally speaking, blockchain is a safe and secure technology that protects your digital coins and transactions. However, you should still learn as much as possible about crypto, blockchain, DeFi, and P2E to minimize the risk of being scammed. 

Here are some of the main factors regarding safety to consider when playing P2E games:

• Overall security — Players must use secure and reputable wallets, platforms, and exchanges to protect their assets from hackers, scammers, and fraudsters. They must also keep their private keys and passwords safe and never share them with anyone.
• Regulation — P2E games operate in a somewhat unregulated space, which means there might be no clear legal framework or authority to govern them. This can lead to uncertainty, ambiguity, and disputes over taxation, ownership, intellectual property, and consumer protection issues. Players must know their jurisdiction’s laws and regulations and comply accordingly.
• Volatility — P2E games are subject to the volatility of the crypto market, which means the value of their tokens and NFTs can fluctuate significantly over time. Players should be prepared for the price to increase and decrease at any time and act accordingly.

What Are the Top New Play-to-Earn Games?

The hype for P2E games does not and will not stop in the near future as more and more new games are developing every moment. These games are gaining popularity for their engaging gameplay and the potential to earn real-world value, attracting a growing community of dedicated players. Here’s a round-up of the best new crypto earning games:

Conclusion

Some of the best play-to-earn crypto games offer profit potential alongside engaging gameplay, but players should research each game’s rules and approach them as a side activity rather than a primary income source. Among these, The Meme Games ($MGMES) stands out as a top choice to earn crypto playing games, offering high APY rewards and huge profit potential.

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