The 7 Breakout Crypto Games of 2024

It’s been a wild 12 months for crypto gaming, with some actual surprises within the combine.

Initially of the 12 months, who would’ve thought that tap-to-earn gaming—a super-streamlined riff on the play-to-earn mannequin—would turn out to be the largest story of the 12 months? And who thought we’d finish the 12 months with an enormous crypto sport making critical inroads with mainstream avid gamers?

That’s simply the tip of the iceberg for the fascinating twists we noticed this 12 months, so with 2025 proper across the nook, right here’s a glance again at seven video games that basically outlined crypto gaming during the last 12 months. And keep tuned, as Decrypt’s GG will proceed to report on the following large video games to shake up this thrilling house.

Notcoin

Notcoin might need taken apparent inspiration from earlier “clicker” video games like Cookie Clicker, however it undoubtedly created the Telegram tap-to-earn craze—and really delivered, too.

Billions of {dollars} price of crypto (at NOT’s peak worth) was finally given out to gamers, spawning a surge of clones within the course of. None of them lived as much as the affect of the unique, even when some finally pulled in additional gamers, however that shouldn’t diminish Notcoin’s immense affect.

Off the Grid

It must be no shock that GG’s choose for the 2024 sport of the 12 months is on this checklist, and on the subject of pure gameplay, nothing else comes shut. Off the Grid delivers a powerful riff on the acquainted battle royale shooter gameplay of Apex Legends or Name of Obligation Warzone, including thrilling twists reminiscent of cybernetic limbs that present particular skills.

That yielded many viral moments when the sport launched in early entry in October—however what many gamers could not understand is that there’s a blockchain behind the scenes, with an upcoming token launch and tradable merchandise NFTs certain to shift the narrative across the sport.

Pixels

Social farming sport Pixels gained a good bit of consideration when it migrated over to Ethereum gaming community Ronin in late 2023, however it grew to become a breakout crypto hit early this 12 months when it launched its PIXEL token, providing substantial rewards to early gamers.

Pixels didn’t fizzle out as soon as the crypto funds had been handed out, nevertheless, as the sport has solely expanded and developed since, protecting gamers plugged in because the builders discover spinoff video games—like Pixel Dungeons and an early entry Telegram sport—plus additional enhancements forward.

Hamster Kombat

For a buzzy second this summer time, Hamster Kombat briefly grew to become one of many most-talked-about video games on the planet, with the Telegram tap-to-earn sport attracting 300 million complete gamers.

It reached a vastly bigger viewers than Notcoin with expanded gameplay parts, tasking gamers with working their very own crypto alternate. Nonetheless, many gamers thought-about the airdrop to be underwhelming, and a deliberate second season of gameplay continues to be MIA.

Fantasy Prime

Fantasy Prime felt like the most well liked factor in all of crypto for about two weeks earlier this 12 months, no less than for these immersed in Crypto Twitter. Designed like an NFT fantasy sports activities sport constructed round actual Twitter influencers, Fantasy Prime on Ethereum layer-2 community Blast was a roaring engagement machine for that temporary second. The thrill cooled comparatively rapidly, however with contemporary funding raised lately, we’re curious to see if Fantasy Prime can regain momentum.

Parallel

Parallel was GG’s choose for final 12 months’s prime crypto sport, however 2024 is when it began to make substantial inroads with gamers. This 12 months, Parallel entered open beta, launched to a a lot wider viewers by way of the Epic Video games Retailer, and debuted its esports collection with an enormous championship set for Las Vegas in March 2025.

And for the cherry on prime, widespread F1 driver Fernando Alonso endorsed the sport. It’s nonetheless one of many best blockchain video games you’ll be able to play, and it solely seems to be rising.

Crypto: The Recreation

Crypto: The Recreation is certainly a sport constructed round crypto, however it’s not a online game—nicely, principally. It’s a multimedia expertise impressed by the TV present “Survivor,” mixing real-world and on-line occasions and just a little little bit of video gaming, to not point out social maneuvering.

The primary two seasons ran early this 12 months and had been broadly hailed by many gamers as among the most enjoyable they’ve ever had on this trade. After being acquired by Uniswap Labs, an upcoming third season goals to be greater and higher whereas protecting the compelling vibe of the preliminary efforts.

Edited by Stephen Graves