Play-to-earn games (P2E) do what traditional video games don’t — reward players for their time and effort spent in the game. Each game offers a unique way for players to be rewarded for their in-game activity. This reward can be in the form of crypto, a non-fungible token (NFT), or an increase in value to a player’s existing NFT. Some P2E games will require an initial investment, while others are free to play. Here are our picks for the best play-to-earn games of 2022.
Top Picks
About The Sandbox
The Sandbox is an interconnected world of unique game experiences. With land plots of varying sizes, each land owner can build their own creations using a visual game builder. The Sandbox is still in alpha testing, but if you’re interested in play-to-earn games, this should definitely be on your radar. Check out our full The Sandbox review to learn how to get started.
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The Sandbox consists of thousands of plots in a variety of sizes. Within each plot lies the unique creation of the plot owner. This could be a game, a social hub, or whatever else can be imagined and built. Sandbox is voxel-based, giving it a Minecraft feel. Assets inside of each experience are individual voxel objects, which can be imported from external editors.
Built on Unity and featuring an ever-growing scripting language, the Sandbox Game Maker gives builders quite a bit of opportunity to create something unique. Plot owners have complete control over what is built in their plot.
The games created so far range from RPGs to side-scrollers, to business management sims to dance games, and more. Players can join and play any public experience via the Game Maker. Most are single-player adventures, though some offer a chance to socialize with other players.
About Axie Infinity
Axie Infinity is the most important game developed on a blockchain thus far. The game focuses on breeding, collecting, and battling creatures named Axies and using them to explore the World of Lunacia. At its peak, the marketplace was making millions in sales every day, and Axies were selling for thousands of dollars each.
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Sky Mavis, the team behind Axie Infinity, amassed a community of millions of players worldwide. Much of the focus was towards developing countries, like the Philippines and Venezuela, where many players earned enough money to live on. Much of this success was due to investors who would buy teams for these players and sponsor their battles.
Sky Mavis received support and sponsorships from major companies, such as Ubisoft and Samsung. They eventually developed a sidechain named Ronin to avoid high gas fees on the Ethereum Blockchain. Ronin enabled users on the chain to exchange and sell in-game assets for no fees. This helps facilitate the circulation of value inside the marketplace.
Axie Infinity has been leading by example. The creators have announced new ways to burn Axies to get in-game items. They have also created scholarships, which allow people to play the game under a manager who covers the initial investment in exchange for a percentage of the winnings.
About Gods Unchained
Gods Unchained is a collectible, fantasy, and trading card game built on the Ethereum network. It’s free to play, easy to get started, and offers play-to-earn opportunities right out of the gate.
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In Gods Unchained, two players face off in an arena to determine who is the most powerful. Whether they choose Nature, Light, Deception, Death, War, or Magic, the goal is always the same: reduce your opponent’s God’s health to zero.
In 2019, Gods Unchained rebranded its parent company into Immutable and began development on ImmutableX, an NFT-focused, layer two solution for Ethereum. ImmutableX launched its marketplace in 2021, and today it serves as a gas-free trading hub for Gods Unchained cards as well as a number of other NFT projects.
About Splinterlands
Splinterlands is a play-to-earn trading card game that plays in a browser. It started on the Steem blockchain as Steemmonsters but eventually switched to the Hive blockchain. Thanks to cross-chain functionality, cards and tokens can also be traded on the Ethereum blockchain and on Wax. Splinterlands now has a governance token called SPS.
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Splinterlands is a cross between a deck-building game and an auto-battler. Players use their cards to create a combat lineup based on the rules of the match. Then, once both sides submit their teams, the cards battle it out until only one team remains. Players earn Dark Energy Crystals when winning matches and can also earn additional cards and other rewards through Daily Quests and a recurring, two-week leaderboard contest.
Players combine cards to level them up for better stats and additional abilities. Cards come in both regular versions and rarer, gold foil versions. Splinterlands features its own in-game market and allows for buying, selling, and even leasing cards!
About Pegaxy
Pegaxy is a Player v Player (PVP) horse racing game with a simple game model that is perfect for new P2E gamers. Players can buy NFT horses to race, breed, or rent out to other players.
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Each race features 12 horses, with the top three horses receiving prizes in the game reward token VIS. Race positions are decided through RNG (Random Number Generator), but this will change in the second version of the game. Eventually, race positions will be determined based on factors such as the food, gear, and apparel a player gives their horse.
Full List of Play-to-Earn Games
Title | Genre | Platform | Blockchain | Status | P2E | F2P | Gameplay |
GameFi | PC | Polygon | LIVE | CRYPTO NFT | NO | Mainly about collecting and DeFi. MMO is coming! | |
Alien Worlds | Strategy Management | PC | Wax | LIVE | CRYPTO | NO | Select NFTs, mine & wait |
Arc8 | Casual | iOS & Android | ETH | LIVE | CRYPTO | YES | Wide variety of hyper casual games |
Axie Infinity | Tactical Battles | iOS, Android & PC | Ronin | LIVE | CRYPTO | NO | Turn-based battles, tactics & strategy |
Big Time | Role Playing | PC | ETH | BETA | CRYPTO | YES | |
Blankos Block Party | Action adventure | PC | EOSIO | LIVE | NFT | YES | One of the few games that comes close to AAA quality |
Chainmonsters | Action RPG | PC, iOS, Android | Flow | CLOSED BETA | NFT | YES | Beta gameplay linnited |
City States: Medieval | Strategy | PC | Stellar | CLOSED BETA | CRYPTO | YES | still early and in development, looks promising |
Cometh | Tactical | PC | Ethereum | LIVE | NFT | NO | Position, harvest & repeat |
Crazy Defense Heroes | Tower Defense | iOS & Android | Ethereum Polygon | LIVE | CRYPTO | YES | Active tower defense battles |
Crazy Kings | Tower Defense | iOS | Ethereum | LIVE | CRYPTO | YES | Active tower defense battles |
Ethermon | RPG | PC, iOS, Android | Polygon | LIVE | CRYPTO NFT | NO | Developers are no quitters, kept building. Now into metaver |
FPS | Web Browser | Solana | LIVE | CRYPTO | YES | Get playing super fast, Quake 3 Arena vibes. | |
F1 Delta Time | Racing | PC | Polygon | ABANDONED | CRYPTO | NO | Racing becoming more active now. One mistake can cost you the race. |
Galaxy Fight Club | PvP fighting game | PC, Mobile | Ethereum | LIVE | CRYPTO NFT | YES | Cross-brand PvP MOBA game where users can engage in combat and earn in-game assets. |
Gods Unchained | Trading card game | PC | Ethereum | LIVE | CRYPTO NFT | YES | Build decks, battle players, tactical choices. |
Guild of Guardians | Action RPG | iOS & Android | Immutable X | CLOSED ALPHA | CRYPTO NFT | YES | Guilds, co-op challenges / TBD |
Illuvium | RPG | PC/Mac | Ethereum | BETA | NFT | YES | |
League of Kingdoms | Strategy MMO | iOS & Android | Ethereum | LIVE | CRYPTO NFT | YES | Farming resources, active battles, big social element. |
Lost Relics | Dungeon Crawler RPG | PC | Enjin | LIVE | NFT | YES | Battle enemies, find treasure. |
Meda Wars | Turn-based RPG | iOS & Android | Polygon | LIVE | NFT | YES | |
MegaCryptoPolis | Simulation | PC | Polygon | LIVE | CRYPTO NFT | YES | Virtual economy with focus on management. |
Mini Royale: Nations | FPS | PC/Mac | Solana | LIVE | NFT | YES | |
Neon District | Turn-based RPG | PC | Polygon | LIVE | NFT | YES | Bit of a niche game, fun tactical battles |
Nine Chronicles | Turn-based RPG | PC | Libplanet | LIVE | CRYPTO | YES | |
NFT Worlds | Virtual World | PC | Polygon | LIVE | CRYPTO | YES | |
Horse Racing | PC / Mobile | Polygon | LIVE | CRYPTO | YES | Good earning possibilities but gameplay is limited | |
Action RPG | PC / Mac | Polygon | ALPHA | NFT | NO | Still in Alpha but AAA game quality | |
Planet Mojo | PvP Autochess and Land Game | PC / Mac | Polygon | BETA | NFT | YES | |
REVV Racing | Racing | PC | Polygon | LIVE | CRYPTO | NO | Serious competitive races, time trial mainly |
Riot Racers | Racing | PC Web | Polygon | LIVE | CRYPTO | YES | True free-to-play and play and earn game |
Skyweaver | Trading Card Game | PC, mobile | Polygon | BETA | NFT | YES | Well polished game with nice graphics. |
Soccer Manager Elite | Management | PC | Xaya | BETA | CRYPTO | YES | Manage team, club or players, activity at own discretion. |
Sorare | Fantasy football | PC & Mobile | Ethereum | BETA | NFT | YES | Change team every week, research advised. |
Spider Tanks | PvP Brawler | PC | Ethereum | BETA | NFT | YES | |
Splinterlands | Trading Card Game | PC | Hive | LIVE | NFT | YES | Build deck, battles are automated. |
Summoners Arena | Action PvP Battler | PC & Mobile | BSC | LIVE | CRYPTO | NO | |
Taurion | Strategy MMO | PC | Xaya | ALPHA | NFT | NO | Build, farm, create, mine, active participation. |
The Sandbox | Virtual World | PC | Ethereum | ALPHA | NFT | YES | Activity required to earn / TBD |
Thetan Arena | MOBA | PC & Mobile | BNB Chain | LIVE | CRYPTO | YES | Fun game but not the best game economy |
Town Star | Simulation | PC | Ethereum | BETA | CRYPTO | YES | Building, managing production |
Upland | Strategy | PC & Mobile | EOS | LIVE | NFT | YES | Action is limited. Collect coins, buy land and build buildings |
Voxie Tactics | Turn-based Strategy | PC | Ethereum | BETA | NFT | YES | Beta is sill a bit rough but improving week after week |
Zed Run | Strategy | PC & Mobile | Ethereum | BETA | NFT | NO |
Best of Play-to-Earn Games
Best Racing Play-to-Earn Games of 2022
Best Crypto Card Games of 2022
Best Free Play-to-Earn Games of 2022
How we score play-to-earn games
Our editorial team ranks and scores P2E games based on the following criteria:
- Quality
- Fun
- User-base
- Potential earnings
- Play-to-earn mechanics
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Blockchain Games?
Blockchain games games are games that use blockchain technology to store game assets and distribute rewards to their players, either through cryptocurrency or through NFT rewards. Some blockchain games require the player to own a specific NFT or to hold a specific cryptocurrency in order to play the game, while others are free-to-play to anyone.
How to get started in play-to-earn gaming?
Play-to-earn gaming should start with research. Take some time to learn about the types of play-earn-games and which ones seem fun to you. You may want to start with a game that is free to play, just to get the hang of it. If you decide to invest in a game, make sure you understand how the game works and how you can earn money. Then, you’ll need to create a crypto wallet, buy cryptocurrency, and eventually buy NFTs. For more tips, read our guide on how to get started with play-to-earn games. Browse our website to learn more about current and upcoming play-to-earn games, and join our Discord community to chat with other players.
How to set up a wallet for play-to-earn games?
Getting started with play-to-earn games? You’ll need to buy cryptocurrency at an exchange like FTX US. You will then send the crypto to a non-custodial cryptocurrency wallet, which means you have full control over it. Many different wallets exist, so you’ll need to choose one compatible with your device and the blockchain you want to use. The most popular wallet is MetaMask. MetaMask is compatible with different blockchains such as Ethereum, Polygon, BNB chain, Avalanche, and many more.
What’s the Play-to-Earn Business Model?
The play-to-earn business model is a model that embraces the concept of the open market and provides financial rewards to players, investors and game developers. You can participate in the model by simply playing a game, investing in digital assets (NFTs), or by developing your own project.
Each play-to-earn game has its own economic model and needs to find the right balance in order to sustain a viable in-game economy for everyone involved.
What are NFTs or Non-Fungible Tokens?
NFT stands for Non-fungible token. An NFT represents something unique with a unique owner. They can be associated with a piece of art (an image, a video, an audio file) or any other item with a unique identifier (it could be a concert ticket or a certificate of ownership). In blockchain games, NFTs are usually game assets such as characters, a plot of land, or a specific game item.
What is the Metaverse?
Nowadays, we hear the word metaverse used everywhere. But what is the metaverse? There is no simple answer, especially because many projects like to call themselves a metaverse. For us, the metaverse is the sum of many projects that are interconnected and interoperable. We could describe the metaverse as a parallel universe that can redefine who we are, what we do and how we do it.
Are there free blockchain games?
Yes, there are free blockchain, or play-to-earn, games. These games do not require an initial investment in cryptocurrency or NFTs to get started. A few examples of free play-to-earn games include Gods Unchained, Alien Worlds, and Splinterlands.
