5 Popular Play-to-Earn Crypto Games in 2022

Maybe all those hours of our youth spent in front of a computer screen weren't all for nothing.

Play-to-Earn (P2E) crypto games are turning those hours of fun into real earning opportunities for casual and experienced gamers alike. The possibility of earning potentially valuable crypto has sparked a growth in players across the industry. The use of blockchain games in 2022 has increased by 2000% from Q1 2021, with 1.2 million daily unique active wallets (UAWs) interacting with game-related smart contracts in March 2022 alone.

With the wider adoption of crypto, the P2E gaming industry will most likely continue to grow in popularity. Want to learn how you can start earning in your downtime? Join us as we explore how P2E games work, and cover some of the popular crypto games in 2022.

Popular Play-to-Earn Crypto Games in 2022

Click below to jump straight to a game that piques your interest. Or keep scrolling to learn how you can start earning through crypto gaming.

• Axie Infinity — P2E Game Similar to Pokemon
• The Sandbox — A Minecraft-esque Game Built by Players
• Decentraland — Trade NFTs as Real-Estate in the Metaverse
• Star Atlas — Explore Virtual Space in This Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG)‍
• Illuvium — An Open-World Fantasy Role-Playing Game (RPG)

What Are Play-to-Earn Crypto Games?

Play-to-earn games are blockchain-based games where the in-game currency has potential value outside of the game. This in-game currency is often a native token that can be used to buy in-game items (such as character and weapon skins, powerups, NFTs, upgrades, and more). Players can also trade the native token for select cryptocurrencies through exchanges or brokerages.

The P2E gaming craze has roots in developing countries like the Philippines. Citizens who have dealt with historically unreliable fiat currencies were looking for alternative ways to earn money during the pandemic. They looked towards crypto seeing that it could have more potential value than their national currency. These citizens used earnings in P2E games (Axie Infinity in particular) to help support their livelihood during a time when traditional work was hard to find.

How Does Play-to-Earn Work?

For Players

The way P2E games work does not differ much from traditional games. Players are rewarded with in-game money for playing the game (e.g. completing quests). Players can then use their rewards to purchase customisable components to upgrade their avatars. These components are usually in the form of NFTs.

Upgraded avatars can then be used to complete higher difficulty quests, which would earn players more rewards, to be used to purchase upgrades, and so on. Players can also trade the rewards they have earned into other cryptocurrencies, like Ethereum.

For Creators

You might find that some crypto games are free-to-play. So how do the game creators earn a profit? One way is through securing large investments. As a project grows in popularity, it may go through a few funding rounds.

Eventually, some creators sell off their projects, maintaining some level of ownership of the governance token used in the game.

For everyday earnings, game creators often charge players marketplace fees for making purchases in-game, or fees to participate in virtual events. They may also charge a fee when players create a new in-game asset, like building on land in Decentraland, or “breeding” a new creature in Axie Infinity. These fees have helped games like Decentraland earn up to $16.5 million in protocol revenue over the last quarter.

5 Popular Play-to-Earn Crypto Games in 2022

Getting Started

Since many P2E games incorporate the use of NFTs in their gameplay, you might need a crypto wallet that supports NFTs. Once that's sorted, you'll need to make an account within the game you'd like to play. During the investor onboarding process at Caleb & Brown, we can assist you with wallet setup. For a more thorough breakdown on storing and securing your assets, read our guide on How to Invest in Crypto.

Now let's get to the fun part: the games.

Axie Infinity

Inspired by Pokemon and other similar monster hunting games, Axie Infinity allows gamers to breed, train, and collect monsters within its digital world. Players earn rewards through fighting other monsters or battling against other players online.

Rewards come in the form of “smooth love potions” (SLP) which can be sold for AXS tokens, USD, or Philippine Pesos. The monsters that players collect (as NFTs) can also be sold outside of the game.

Axie Infinity is known for starting the P2E gaming craze in the Philippines and beyond.

The Sandbox

The Sandbox is a game for creators and Minecraft lovers. Players can buy the in-game NFT known as “LAND”, and use it to build houses, fortresses, or anything a player desires. Since LAND represents ownership within the game, players can also rent their land to others for in-game currency, known as “SAND”.

This game relies heavily on user-generated LANDs that can be shared with the wider community.

Decentraland

You might have already heard about this one. Decentraland has risen in popularity because of its vested corporate interest. Companies like McDonald's, Samsung, and more have already bought their share of LAND in this metaverse.

MANA is the native token of Decentraland, which operates as its in-game currency. Players can potentially earn money through investing in MANA, or by using it to purchase LAND. Like in The Sandbox, LAND is an NFT that represents virtual ownership, upon which a player can build or shape as they please.

Star Atlas

Ready to explore the final frontier? Hop into your spaceship and explore the universe in Star Atlas. This game is a sci-fi themed MMORPG that is completely governed by its player base. Players can explore the far reaches of space claiming sectors through brute force, or peaceful negotiation.

The game allows players to reimagine what humanity can be. Work with other players to lay the groundwork for in-game socioeconomics, politics, and law (much like a decentralised autonomous organisation, or DAO).

Players can use the native token ATLAS for in-game purchases. The developers aim to have every usable asset in the game be a purchasable NFT.

Illuvium

Looking for open-world fantasy action? Try out Illuvium. This 3D fantasy RPG pits players against Illuvials; mysterious creatures that players can capture on their journey. Once captured, players can use these Illuvials to fight and capture other creatures. They can also use them to fight one-on-one player battles. Outside of the game Illuvials are NFTs that can be bought or sold on the Ethereum blockchain

Players are rewarded the native token ILV for completing quests or participating in the game's DAO. ILV can then be used for in-game purchases.

Have Fun While Earning Crypto

Crypto doesn't have to be so serious. While it is likely that only the most dedicated gamers will make a living through P2E, these games open the gateway for new investors to learn and acquire crypto. For the seasoned investor, these games are a welcome distraction from an often volatile market.

Ready to enter the metaverse? Caleb & Brown can guide the way. We offer a wide variety of P2E tokens for our investors, so you can start gaming seamlessly with your own fiat or crypto. Trusted by over 20,000 investors across 100 countries, our dedicated team of experts works around the clock to carry out all your crypto trades. Get set up with a personal broker today and you'll receive a free security consultation, along with support to help you execute your first P2E token order.

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