- GameFi integrates blockchain technology like NFTs and cryptocurrencies into gaming, allowing for true digital asset ownership and play-to-earn models.
- Players can earn crypto tokens and NFTs through gameplay and achievements, which hold real monetary value.
- Major projects like Axie Infinity, The Sandbox, Decentraland and Star Atlas showcase the potential of GameFi to disrupt the gaming industry.
Gaming is one of the fastest-growing niches within the blockchain industry. And in this highly competitive niche, there are many projects that are creating innovative Web3 solutions to push the GameFi narrative in the coming bull run. Let us highlight some of these projects to look out for.
Market Heavyweights
Immutable X
Immutable X is a layer-2 scaling solution designed to empower game studios and independent developers. Unlike many others, Immutable X stands out with its pre-built solutions optimized for usability, ensuring a smooth journey to market without compromising security or player experience. What sets Immutable X apart is its fee-free structure, a significant advantage for blockchain games.
Furthermore, the platform utilizes its native utility and governance token, $IMX, to fuel its growth. With a total supply of 2 billion $IMX, the distribution includes allocations for ecosystem development, project development, and foundation reserve, reinforcing its commitment to a balanced and sustainable growth model.
The Sandbox
The Sandbox is a virtual metaverse that empowers users to stake a claim in the form of NFTs. This decentralized, community-driven gaming ecosystem offers a myriad of advantages, from true ownership and digital scarcity to monetization capabilities and cross-game interoperability.
Central to this vibrant ecosystem is $SAND, an ERC-20 token facilitating transactions and interactions within the platform. With 3 billion tokens in supply, $SAND serves as the lifeblood of The Sandbox, benefitting players, creators, and the overall health of the platform.
Beam
Beam is a gaming network powered by the Merit Circle DAO and operates as a subnet on the Avalanche network. It is a community-driven platform where gamers and developers come together to shape the future of the gaming industry. Its key features include:
- Beam AMM Swap – A decentralized exchange
- Beam LayerZero Bridge – An omnichain solution
- Beam Block Explorer – A tracking platform
- Sphere — A NFT marketplace
- BeamOS —Beam ecosystem hub
- Beam SDK – A tool to help developers innovate
To interact with Beam, users require $BEAM, the cryptocurrency facilitating transactions and interactions within the Beam network.
Axie Infinity
Axie Infinity is an online game universe featuring adorable creatures called Axies. In this game, players can collect, battle, breed, raise, and build kingdoms with these virtual creatures. The project operates on the Ethereum blockchain with the help of the Ronin sidechain, offering players true ownership of their virtual assets.
Moreover, the game employs Axie Infinity Shards ($AXS), an ERC-20 governance token, as the native currency of the Axie Universe. Holding $AXS enables players to claim rewards by staking tokens, participating in gameplay, and contributing to key governance decisions.
ApeCoin
ApeCoin ($APE), introduced by Yuga Labs, is an ERC-20 token with a fixed total supply of 1 billion tokens. Serving as both a governance and utility token within the APE ecosystem, it functions as a decentralized protocol layer supporting community-led initiatives that propel “culture” into the metaverse.
Individuals holding $APE are automatically enrolled as members of ApeCoin DAO, a decentralized entity entrusted with governing the allocation of the DAO’s treasury. These members actively participate in voting on proposals related to future projects associated with the coin.
Mid-Cap Projects
Ronin
Ronin is an EVM blockchain developed by Sky Mavis, the company that created Axie Infinity, and is tailored exclusively for game developers. Prioritizing swift transactions and minimal fees, Ronin facilitates millions of in-game transactions effortlessly, positioning itself as the preferred platform for Web3 games.
The $RON token functions as the primary currency of the Ronin Blockchain, with a fixed supply of 1 billion tokens. Its purpose extends to covering gas fees and strengthening the network for both Axie Infinity and future games/products built on this blockchain.
Illuvium
Illuvium stands as an epic sci-fi fantasy battle game developed on the Ethereum blockchain, utilizing the capabilities of the Immutable X blockchain and its Layer-2 scaling technology. Described as an open-world exploration, the game allows users to engage in activities such as mining, harvesting, capturing, and battling virtual creatures known as Illuvials.
At the core of the game is the $ILV token, serving multiple purposes, including empowering players in governance, rewarding their participation, and facilitating in-game purchases. With a total supply of 10 million tokens, $ILV operates as a deflationary asset, as tokens used for Illuvium transaction fees are systematically burned, effectively reducing the circulating supply.
Echelon Prime
Echelon Prime emerges as a Web3 ecosystem operating on the Ethereum blockchain, propelling the evolution of the next generation of gaming. The platform is dedicated to creating and distributing tools that foster and facilitate the growth of innovative gaming models and economies.
At the core of Echelon’s ecosystem is the $PRIME utility token, which fuels token-gated products, services, and experiences. With a total supply of 111,111,111 tokens, $PRIME plays a pivotal role in the dynamic offerings of Echelon and its associated games.
Vulcan Forged
Vulcan Forged functions as both a blockchain game studio and an NFT marketplace, offering an accessible and user-friendly ecosystem. Positioned as a community-driven initiative, Vulcan Forged actively fosters the creation of top-tier blockchain games by providing support to developers through development programs, incubation, and crowdfunding. At the heart of the entire ecosystem is its native ERC-20 utility token, $PYR. Serving as a cross-platform currency, $PYR is utilized within game titles integrated into the Vulcan Forged ecosystem.
Star Atlas
Star Atlas, developed on the Solana network, is an immersive space exploration-themed role-playing game (RPG) experience. Within this virtual world, political factions compete for power, territorial aspirations drive strategic maneuvers, and futuristic technology shapes the entire gameplay.
Star Atlas rewards players for their bold exploration of the game with $ATLAS tokens. These in-game tokens function as currency, allowing players to acquire prized assets such as advanced weaponry, formidable spacecraft, land holdings, and mining equipment—all represented as NFTs within the game.
Up-and-Coming Projects
Ultra
Ultra stands as a blockchain-driven publishing platform crafted for video games and game-related content. To power this gaming environment, Ultra has established its own blockchain utilizing EOS technology and architecture, fine-tuned to align with the specific needs of Ultra, where its native token ($UOS) is used for all transactions on the platform.
In essence, the ecosystem serves as an open marketplace where users can resell their games and items while earning rewards through active participation in the Ultra network. For developers, this translates into novel revenue models, sophisticated software development kits, and blockchain tools underpinning features like item distribution, creating a cooperative relationship between creators and players.
Shrapnel
Shrapnel is a mission-based first-person shooter (FPS) game developed by NEON Media, seamlessly incorporating blockchain into the gaming landscape. Its gameplay is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where players scavenge for resources, build weapons, and engage in battles, all powered by the $SHRAP token on the Avalanche blockchain.
With a total supply of 3 billion tokens, $SHRAP plays a pivotal role, including fee payments in the Shrapnel marketplace, rewarding player-created content, enabling voting on content, supporting platform governance, and providing compensation to validators.
Verasity
Verasity has carved out a unique space for itself within the gaming industry. It is essentially an ad tech provider that is disrupting the gaming advertising landscape with its patented Proof of View (PoV) technology. By partnering with top Content Delivery Networks, Verasity aims to eliminate ad fraud and bring authenticity to digital advertising.
Its native token, $VRA, plays a central role in facilitating value exchange within the global esports, gaming, NFTs, and video economy. Beyond that, $VRA is instrumental in funding advertising campaigns, participating in staking through VeraWallet, conducting payments via VeraPay, and distributing rewards through Watch & Earn.
DeRace
DeRace ingeniously combines three massive markets—video gaming, gambling, and horse racing—to forge an extraordinary path. It stands as a Play-to-Earn (P2E) NFT horse racing game that operates on the Ethereum blockchain, and it revolves around its utility token, $DERC.
Within this ecosystem, users can experience the thrill of horse racing, buy and breed unique NFT horses, indulge in real-time betting and gambling on NFT horse races, and, most importantly, earn $DERC in the process. Simply put, as an ERC-20 token with a total supply of 120 million tokens, $DERC forms the cornerstone of all transactions within the DeRace metaverse.
PLAYA3ULL GAMES
PLAYA3ULL GAMES is a game development company that focuses on creating PC-based games in partnership with professional game developers. The company’s mission is to internally develop and externally sponsor games crafted by highly experienced developers worldwide. To realize this vision, they have implemented the 3ULL blockchain, introduced Nodes, and established the $3ULL Coin as the core of the entire PLAYA3ULL GAMES ecosystem. Notably, the $3ULL coin is deployed on the Avalanche blockchain, with a total supply of 50 billion coins.
Final Thoughts
As the crypto space gears up for the anticipated bull run, these GameFi projects are not merely trends but transformative forces shaping the future of blockchain gaming, each contributing a unique chapter to the evolving narrative of GameFi. Thus, it might be worth keeping an eye on these projects as they pave the way for the next era of gaming.
BREAKING: Here is a list of 15 top gaming cryptos for the upcoming bull run 👇
1. Market Heavyweights
2. Mid-Cap Projects
3. Up-and-Coming Projects
1. Market Heavyweights
🟢 Immutable X (@Immutable)
– Layer-2 scaling solution tailored for game studios and developers
– Offers fee-free structure and utilizes its native $IMX token
– $IMX token distribution includes ecosystem and project development and foundation reserve.
🟢 The Sandbox (@TheSandboxGame)
– A virtual metaverse using NFTs for true ownership and monetization
– Employs $SAND token for transactions within the platform
– Total supply of 3 billion $SAND tokens.
🟢 Beam (@MeritCircle_IO)
– Gaming network powered by Merit Circle DAO on Avalanche network
– Features include Beam AMM Swap, Beam LayerZero Bridge, and Sphere NFT marketplace
– Uses $BEAM token for transactions within the network
🟢 Axie Infinity (@AxieInfinity)
– Online game universe featuring creatures called Axies for collect, battle, and breed
– Operates on Ethereum blockchain with Ronin sidechain
– Utilizes Axie Infinity Shards ($AXS) as governance token.
🟢 ApeCoin (@apecoin)
– ERC-20 token with a fixed supply of 1 billion, introduced by Yuga Labs
– Functions as governance and utility token within the APE ecosystem
– Holders automatically become members of ApeCoin DAO.
2. Mid-Cap Projects
🟢 Ronin (@Ronin_Network)
– EVM blockchain developed by Sky Mavis, focused on game developers
– Hosts $RON token with a fixed supply of 1 billion for transactions and gas fees
– Serves Axie Infinity and future games/products built on Ronin.
🟢 Illuvium (@illuviumio)
– Sci-fi fantasy battle game on Ethereum blockchain, using Immutable X for scaling
– Employs $ILV token for governance, participation rewards, and in-game purchases
– Total supply of 10 million $ILV tokens.
🟢 Echelon Prime (@EchelonFND)
– Web3 ecosystem on Ethereum blockchain for gaming evolution
– $PRIME token fuels token-gated products and experiences
– Total supply of 111,111,111 $PRIME tokens.
🟢 Vulcan Forged (@VulcanForged)
– Blockchain game studio and NFT marketplace
-Utilizes $PYR token as cross-platform currency in integrated games
🟢 Star Atlas (@staratlas)
– Space exploration-themed RPG on the Solana network
– Awards players with $ATLAS tokens for in-game acquisitions.
3. Up-and-Coming Projects
🟢 Ultra (@ultra_io)
– Blockchain-driven publishing platform for games, built on EOS technology
– Uses $UOS token for all transactions on the platform.
🟢 Shrapnel (@playSHRAPNEL)
– FPS game by NEON Media on Avalanche blockchain
– Features $SHRAP token with a 3 billion supply for marketplace transactions and rewards
🟢 Verasity (@verasitytech)
– Ad tech provider with Proof of View technology to combat ad fraud
– $VRA token underpins esports, gaming, and video economy.
🟢 DeRace (@DeRaceNFT)
– P2E NFT horse racing game on the Ethereum blockchain
– $DERC token for transactions within the DeRace metaverse
🟢 PLAYA3ULL GAMES (@PLAYA3ULL_GAMES)
– Develop PC-based games using 3ULL blockchain.
– $3ULL Coin on Avalanche blockchain with 50 billion total supply.