The best play to earn games of 2022

The best Play to Earn Games of 2022? This article will tell you which blockchain and NFT Games did well in 2022. Will 2023 be a good year for play to earn? The first blockchain games that set a foundation for the play-to-earn phenomena launched in 2015. The industry has come a long way since then. However, despite the tough times endured by everybody in the crypto space during the last twelve months, NFT gaming still stands tall. This article will look at the best play-to-earn games of 2022.  

The Crypto-winter changed many things. Unfortunately, even NFT games were not without their heavy losses, as the total number of active daily players dropped by 45% through the year. However, 2023 still promises to be a very exciting period despite this. 

As 2023 ushers in a fresh chance and a new beginning for NFT gamers, let’s take a look backward and see which games are (and were) the best play-to-earn games of 2022.  

NFT Games Build on an Already Popular Fanbase

Mobile gaming is an enormous niche and accounts for the majority of active gamers worldwide. They take a fanbase that has already proven its willingness to offer a financial investment for nothing more than in-game progression and a boosted win chance. 

Most pre-existing mobile games offer players a range of gaming genres with a heavy focus on collectibles, crafting, and rewards in exchange for completing particular challenges or achievements. One of the reasons NFT games’ entry into the game niche was so smooth is that they stayed true to the battle-tested formula. In sticking to the basics, developers made NFTs less terrifying and more accessible to everyday gamers. As such, the best play-to-play games in 2022 were able to hit the ground running. 

What makes Play to Earn NFT mobile games so different?

The ability to see a real-world return on investment is what makes play-to-earn NFT mobile games so different. The concept of paying to get an advantage in mobile games is standard. However, NFT gaming takes the concept that leaves the profits solely in the hands of the developers and turns it on its head. 

In NFT games, investment by the player gives them a chance to reap real-world rewards for their efforts. Games are hosted on the blockchain, and many in-game items or character collectibles have a monetary value attached to them. You can uniquely sell these items in-game and outside of the game to other users for real money. Made possible by the code standard they’re built upon (NFTs). Some items in popular games have been traded for thousands of dollars already. 

The top NFT games of 2022 turned the tide on the traditional microtransaction-based play-style but, in doing so, encouraged players to invest even more. The prospect of earning based on the strength of your investment is a big appeal. 

Top 10 Best Play to Earn Games of 2022

There are three key ways to determine the top play-to-earn games. 

• You can look at the total number of users, often called the total number of active wallets. 
• You can look at the price and market cap of the games’ associated cryptocurrency on the blockchain. 
• You should also consider the overall total value of the game. As in a sum of the worth of all items in their eco-system.

Below are the top 10 web3 games from 2022 after careful analysis of the above factors.

Axie Infinity

It was a polarizing 2022 for Axie Infinity. Starting as one of the highest-grossing NFT games on the market before suffering the largest fall in popularity as the year went on.

Axie Infinity is a Pokemon-inspired crypto-infused collectibles game where you collect NFTs in the form of Axie monsters. Each Axie is a cute randomly generated  NFT. You can buy and sell on them on any viable NFT marketplace. 

You can train, breed and battle with your Axies against other players. The goal is to claim better rewards and more valuable items. The game runs on two different cryptocurrencies, AXS or Axie Infinity Shards, which you can trade on crypto exchanges. Also, Small Love Potion or SLP, which players can earn by playing the game. It’s their in-game currency.

Gods Unchained

Deck-building games have proven to be highly successful on mobile platforms. Gods Unchained is a successful amalgamation of NFT collections and deck-building battles. 

Sitting on the Ethereum blockchain, Gods Unchained follows the tried and tested system. Players must collect a powerful deck of cards and take on opponents in turn-based combat. The difference between Gods Unchained and games such as Hearthstone is that each card is fully unique and wholly owned by the players whose deck they are in.

Cards can be kept and used in battle for bigger rewards or sold on the blockchain for real-world profits. 

Alien Worlds

Alien Worlds was one of the top play-to-earn games in 2022 and has a promising outlook for the year ahead. 

It’s a detail-rich world with different worlds, each consisting of 500 land plots. Players purchase or use space on available plots and proceed to mine the land for Trilium. Trillium is the in-game currency of Alien Worlds. 

Players that own a plot of land keep all the trillium they mine. Anybody mining land owned by someone else plays the owner a percentage of their profits. 

In Alien Worlds, land plots, mining equipment, minions, weapons, and avatars are all NFTs that you can trade in the in-game marketplace. Alien Worlds offers two key ways to earn: either utilizing better equipment for more lucrative mining purposes or selling them to others for instant real-world profits.  

The Sandbox

The Sandbox is an NFT game that predates NFT gaming. Initially released in 2011, The Sandbox was updated, turning it into a powerful NFT game that works using a concept similar to Minecraft.

Players are given a 3d plot and can purchase land to then use that to start building their pixel block-based creations. Its three-system approach to gaming sets The Sandbox apart from other NFT games. Here’s how:

Players own land and can build and decorate it as they see fit using animated models they create using VoxEdit. A powerful editing tool that allows you to create anything in 3D!

Each piece of land is an NFT that you can trade. VoxEdit allows users to create 3D models and import them into the game as NFTs. You can use models to decorate land or sell it through the Sandbox marketplace for profit. Additionally, users have recently started combining their assets into playable games made using the Game Maker platform. 

The Sandbox is a clever game that offers users a range of ways and styles to play the game. All in all, it’s a driving reason why it is considered one of the best play-to-earn games of 2022. 

Splinterlands

Another card-based play-to-earn game that sees gamers build their deck and take each other on in PvP battles is Splinterlands.

Splinterlands consists of cards that are available across four different rarities. The rarer a card, the better it is and the more it is worth. Each card is unique based on its combination of stats, elements, and abilities. Additionally, players can combine cards to climb through the levels for added skills and power. 

Each card is a tradeable NFT. Players can either keep their best cards and compete in battles and tournaments for real prizes or sell them on the marketplace. Striking a balance between the two is critical to getting the maximum return on investment. 

Valhalla

A turn-based Viking simulator that sees you take on the world and grow your empire called Valhalla.

Valhalla offers players a wealth of gameplay options. Explore the world and raid villages that you come across. Collect resources and use these to craft bigger and stronger magical abilities. 

Battle other players and claim big rewards. The game also contains a more relaxed farming element that sees players cultivate the land as part of the resource mining aspect. 

Every crafted item requires specific ingredients and becomes a fully tokenized NFT. In addition, as you explore, you encounter various Vera, which serve as your battle companions. Collect, train, and grow your Vera for battle domination, or sell them in the marketplace for additional profits. 

Age of Holders

Age of Holders is a city-building simulator that sits on the Binance blockchain. Taking inspiration from the Sid Meier Civilization games, Age of Holders sees players build up their city and oversee its growth. 

Gamers must grow and improve their city while maintaining a healthy military force. Each day, players will attack and be attacked by other cities. The bigger the city and the better the army, the more rewards a player can earn. 

Age of Holders also has a clan mechanic that opens up additional group battle options. Age of Holders is one of the newer titles in the list and still managed to do enough to be considered one of the top play-to-earn games of 2022. 

Decentraland

Decentraland is another sandbox-style game similar to Roblox and Minecraft that allows users to buy land and explore land owned by others. The large digital world of Decentraland is fully explorable and offers gamers the chance to build their own tokenized items. 

Hosted on the Ethereum blockchain, players can use the in-game builder tool to create intricate worlds and interactive scenes for others players to explore. 

Players can enter competitions and sell their creations through in-world shops. Scenes and created lands can also be sold for larger profits. While the NFT play-to-earn aspect is a driver behind Decentraland, more than that, it offers gamers a vastly creative outlet. 

Eternal Brawl

Eternal brawl is a cleverly thought-out card battling game where every card is a creature or person from history or mythology. Every card contains real information about that character, whether Odin, Elon Musk, Frankenstein, or Donald Trump. 

The depth of cards is such that players the world over will be able to find cards relating to their country. In addition, every card has a unique battle skill that directly relates to its character. 

Gamers can build up their deck to compete at higher levels, or they can sell their better cards for real-world profits. 

Zed Run

Zed Run is a blockchain-based horse racing game that allows games to collect, breed and race horses for real-world profits.

Each horse in the game is fully tokenized. You can buy and sell them within the in-game marketplace. In addition, there are various racing tournaments for users to enter; some are free, while others come with an entry cost. Winning the race equals real-world payments. 

The game features a breeding market, where players put their horses to stud. For a fee, other gamers can breed with top-quality horses. To keep the in-game currency stable, horses’ breeding ability reduces each time to ensure everything remains capped for a maximum return on investment. 

Bit Hotel

Bit Hotel is a social NFT game in a metaverse hotel. Users can compete in a list of mini-games to earn themselves a leaderboard spot and real-world rewards. Next to that users can have their own rooms and host events, mini-games, and more there. 

Bit Hotel is growing to be one of the most popular games on the Binance smart chain in 2023. With its mobile version releasing and new mini-games dropping many users are eagerly awaiting the next updates.

Check out the platform for yourself and we’ll see you around the hotel.

Which blockchains were the most popular for play to earn? 

There are several different blockchains in existence, but not all of them are directly suited or intended for NFT and crypto gaming. 

Below are the five best blockchains for NFT and blockchain gaming in 2022.

• Ethereum: Ethereum is the premier blockchain platform and the unequivocal market leader. Ethereum surpassed Bitcoin for the number of transactions during 2021 and has held on strong despite the crypto-winter. The Ethereum blockchain hosts games such as Gods Unchained and The Sandbox.
• Flow: Flow saw a surge in popularity with its basketball card collection platform NBA Top Shot. While popularity has waned as their key platform has fallen in popularity, they have proven themselves to be a solid base. They will surely be adding some new but similar titles in 2023. 
• Wax: With over 500,000 daily visitors, Wax is one of the most popular blockchain platforms for mobile gamers. Two of the best play-to-earn games of 2022, Alien Worlds and Splinterlands, run on the Wax platform.
• BNB Chain: The Binance blockchain is one of the premier hosting platforms, and while it does not have any singular standout titles, it has many well-received games. The BNB Chain also offers a bridge to several other popular platforms, including WAX. Many great titles such as Bit Hotel and Thetan Arena are on this platform.
• Ronin: The Ronin blockchain found success with a single title, Axie Infinity, which dominated the NFT gaming space. While Axie Infinity was one of the best play-to-earn games in 2022, currently it fell from its pedestal. However, the Ronin Network suffered a series of scandals in 2022 that saw its popularity plummet. 

Check all of the statistics per blockchain on Dappradar or on our NFT Game stats article.

Concluding the Best Play to Earn Games of 2022

While 2022 will long be remembered as the toughest year in the crypto space, it should also be regarded as one of the most influential. The lessons learned before, during, and after the crypto winter have helped change the face of an entire industry. 

While the prognosis for 2023 might not be as bright right now as many forecast a year ago, times change, and as the industry starts its climb back up the mountain, things will be looking good. 

In conclusion, if you’re looking to find your way into NFT gaming, bit hotel is a great place to start. So check it out and start playing and earning today.

Read more articles about the best play-to-earn games on the official Bit Hotel blog.