10 Best Play to Earn Games You Should Know

Blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs have enabled the development of the best play to earn games rewarding you in crypto assets when you play these for fun.  

Gone are the days when parents or teachers would say video games distract you from your career goals. Nowadays, game geeks are making a fortune from play-to-earn games through live streaming, in-game NFT minting, and earning crypto as rewards. 

Some of these play-to-earn (P2E) games could be free (Gods Unchained), or some require you to invest (STEPN) to start gaming and earning. Assuming you’re already familiar with the concept of NFT games, here are the ten best P2E game titles to try.

1. Gods Unchained 

Gods Unchained is a tactical card game where you need to build card decks of heroes or gods to defeat the card decks of your opponents and earn GODS coins.

Since this is a free-to-play game, you’ll get a total of 140 god cards to begin the journey. These cards will come pre-sorted in six decks. 

By playing the game, you can earn GODS tokens or in-game NFTs. The Immutable X Marketplace lets you trade these items on its platform. GODS coin’s value is better than Axie Infinity’s SLP.   

• Genre: Trading card game
• Platform: Windows PC and macOS
• Blockchain: Ethereum Layer 2 Immutable X

Pros

• Free to download and play
• Good graphics and sound effects
• You can earn GODS coin

Cons

• Game rules are complex
• No guaranteed earnings
• You have to pay Ethereum gas fees

2. STEPN

STEPN is a lifestyle gaming app made on Web3 and blockchain. It has Game-Fi and Social-Fi elements that connect users in a virtual place and let them compete against each other in a fun-filled way. 

All you need to do is install the game app and link it with your favorite crypto wallet. Then, buy a pair of NFT sneakers using the SOL coins and start running, jogging, or walking indoors and outdoors to earn Green Satoshi Token (GST), the in-game crypto coin.

GST is a valuable asset in crypto exchanges, and hence you can earn a lot of money by playing the game. You can also mint new sneakers and rent them to get GST.    

• Genre: GameFi and lifestyle gaming
• Platform: Android and iOS
• Blockchain: SOLANA and BNB Chain

Pros

• Simple gaming rules
• GST and GMT are high-value tokens
• Lead a healthy lifestyle

Cons

• You need to buy sneakers with SOL coin to start playing
• The rental system is yet not available

3. Guild of Guardians

Guild of Guardians is a multiplayer RPG game that lets players develop a team of Guardians to contest in a guild and win tradeable crypto assets like GOG tokens. Currently, the developers are still giving it final touches and only allowing pre-registered players to collect founder heroes. 

The game should be available soon in 2022. You can follow the @GuildOfGuardian Twitter handle to stay in the know as soon as the game launches.   

• Genre: Role-playing game or RPG
• Platform: Android and iOS
• Blockchain: Ethereum

Pros

• Supported by the game development giant Ubisoft
• You can start playing the game for free 

Cons

• The game developer will be collecting 20% fees from primary and secondary sales

4. Axie Infinity

Axie Infinity is the pioneer of NFT-based video games. Players breed pets or Axies in the Axie Infinity metaverse and use them for arena or single-player battles. You need SLPs and energies for breeding, which you can earn by completing daily quests and single-player or adventure mode gameplay.

You can also purchase SLP from secondary marketplaces and start breeding higher-level Axies. There are various earning opportunities in the game. For example, you get SLPs for winning arena battles which you can sell in crypto marketplaces. You can also trade Axies NFTs on NFT marketplaces.   

• Genre: Tactical battles 
• Platform: Windows PC, macOS, Android, and iOS
• Blockchain: Ronin

Pros

• Gas fees-less transaction of SLP coins on the RON network
• Free-to-play mode available

Cons

• The value of SLP is constantly dipping to an increased supply
• Daily quest and adventure mode may longer earn any SLP tokens

5. Lost Relics

Lost Relics is an action and adventure game built with the Unity gaming engine and on the Enjin blockchain. It’s a free-to-play game where you don’t need to buy specific crypto coins to enter the game ecosystem. 

Earnings in the game aren’t guaranteed. But, it has a good earning potential should you get your hands on rare collectibles like shadowstones, gold coins, and other blockchain assets.  

• Genre: Role-playing game or RPG
• Platform: Windows PC and macOS
• Blockchain: Enjin

Pros

• It has a built-in marketplace where you can trade items with fellow gamers

Cons

• There is a long waitlist for new account activation

6. The Sandbox

The Sandbox metaverse brings creator economy and gaming into one place. You can create games, develop assets, or participate in games created by other gamers. 

The content is Voxel-based designs and hence looks similar to Minecraft or Roblox. The utility token of this gaming metaverse is SAND with a limited supply of 3 billion SANDs. Hence, it is a rare coin, and you can earn it by creating games, artworks, and renting LANDs.   

• Genre: Virtual world
• Platform: Windows PC and macOS
• Blockchain: Ethereum

Pros

• It’s a VR-enabled metaverse game
• You can also create content for the metaverse and earn

Cons

• There are economic and liquidity restrictions around the SAND token.

7. MOBOX

MOBOX is a hybrid gaming platform where you can earn from both Gaming NFTs and DeFi yield farming. It offers a wide range of games like MOMOverse, NFT Farmer, Block Brawler, Token Master, ChainZ Arena, and MOland Defense. 

You can play all these games for free and start earning a handful of MOMO keys. Crypto exchanges let you trade MOMO keys for fiat money.  

• Genre: GameFi
• Platform: Windows PC, macOS, iOS, Android
• Blockchain: BNB Chain

Pros

• It’s a project from the Binance Launchpool

Cons

• You need to learn how to operate NFT Creator, Game Creator, and the NFT Marketplace of MOBOX before you can start earning crypto assets

8. Star Atlas

Staged in the year 2060, it’s a virtual gaming metaverse based on planets, stars, space ships, and yet to launch. In addition to these components, three factions or races will control the universe. These are humans in the control of MUD Territory, aliens governing the ONI Region, and AI androids control the Ustur Sector.  

Its in-game economics depend on production and piloting processes. The game will offer various valuable assets like utility token ATLAS, governance token POLIS, Land parcels, Ships, Crew, Equipment, etc. It’s considered that these will be tradeable on the secondary marketplaces.     

• Genre: Real-time strategy or RTS
• Platform: Windows PC and macOS
• Blockchain: SOLANA

Pros

• Open world metaverse gaming system with various earning potentials

Cons

• It’s a time consuming strategic development game and hence not suitable for quick earnings

9. SORARE

SORARE is a fantasy football-based card deck game. The cards reflect football players of the real world. Each card’s power and skills will dynamically change according to the original player’s performance in the real world. 

These cards are essentially NFTs, so you can sell rare cards to earn a large chunk of fiat money. 

• Genre: Fantasy football
• Platform: Web browser
• Blockchain: Ethereum

Pros

• Easy gaming rules
• If you’re a football geek, you should get an edge over your opponents
• Backed by renowned footballers like Gerard Pique and Antoine Greizmann

Cons

• You may need to pay hefty Ethereum gas fees

Read our guide to NFT gas fees

10. Thetan Arena

Thetan Arena is a blockchain-based free-to-play esports game. Here, you can team up with your friends and defeat your opponent team to capture their bases and earn THC coins in the process. Success and earning potential depends on individual gaming skills and collaborative effort.

You can participate in different game modes like Battle Royale, 4×4 Death Match, 4×4 Super Star, and 4×4 Tower Destroy to earn lots of THCs which are tradable in crypto exchanges.  

• Genre: Multiplayer online battle arena or MOBA
• Platform: Windows PC, Android, iOS
• Blockchain: BNB Chain

Pros

• Easily playable on low-spec devices
• You get basic in-game heroes and skills for free 

Cons

• At some point, you need to spend to go beyond a level
• The game lacks real-time in-depth hints and tutorials

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)