The emergence of ‘play-to-earn’ (P2E) games, in which players can truly own their in-game assets in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), has heralded a new era of gaming. With the help of this revolutionary change, players can now trade or sell their digital assets to obtain rewards in the real world in addition to customizing their gaming experience. We examine the operation of NFT games, their effect on the gaming industry, and significant projects influencing the future in this comprehensive review.

How NFT Games Work

NFT games differ from traditional ones in that these NFTs can be used to improve the gaming experience or traded for real money. In classic games, assets that are purchased only serve to improve the gameplay; they have no real-world value or tangible ownership. On the other hand, NFT games tokenize assets so that, depending on the corresponding cryptocurrency, players can trade them for other digital assets or even fiat money.

Native in-game cryptocurrency is introduced in NFT games as a way to reward players for their involvement. For example, in the game Tamadoge, players who win battles are rewarded with TAMA. In addition to playing the game, non-gamers can profit from the popularity and success of the game by investing in these in-game cryptocurrencies.

Projects Changing the Face of NFT Gaming:

Parallel

The trading card game of interplanetary science fiction Without a doubt, Parallel is one of the games that will have the greatest impact on blockchain gaming in 2023. Parallel raises the bar even higher with its closed beta launch, beautiful card art, and deep strategic gameplay which makes it not only one of the most popular Web3 games of the year but also the 2023 GG Game of the Year.

While many TCGs can come across as little more than Hearthstone clones, Parallel stands out from the competition thanks to its totally different groups, or “parallels,” that provide special powers like Kathari’s cloning abilities and Augencore’s capacity to “upgrade” cards. Furthermore, Parallel has already broadened its universe with the creation of a different “Colony” game that will employ AI-powered characters that communicate with the blockchain.

Link of the Game: Parallel

Illuvium

Illuvium is a large-scale science fiction and fantasy project that consists of four games and a ton of NFTs. While Overworld is still in beta, it offers stunning, immersive environments and some incredibly entertaining flight mechanics for an open-world role-playing game with pet collecting elements. Arena, its pet battle arena mode, appears to be very promising as well because esports powerhouse Team Liquid has committed to assisting and advising the Illuvium team during the Arena’s development.

Link of the Game: Illuvium

Pixels

One of the few fully released games on this list is this pixelated browser game. After moving to Axie Infinity’s Ronin blockchain, Pixels generated a lot of buzz on social media, and supporters are eager for the project’s planned second token launch and airdrop.

While browser games frequently fall short of expectations, Pixels is one of the most popular blockchain games of 2023 thanks to its retro 2D aesthetic, chatty community, and exponential growth this year.

Link of the Game: Pixels

Shrapnel

A first-person extraction shooter with great potential is called Shrapnel. This includes 6% of blockchain games, one of which recently raised an additional $20 million to continue developing its game back in October after receiving funding at the AAA level. The sci-fi dystopian setting of the game has a more varied color scheme and atmosphere than other Call of Duty games, giving it a cinematic appearance.

To support its NFT operations, the Shrapnel team is also developing its own blockchain technology, called GameBridge. This shows that they are fully committed to the high-stakes cryptocurrency market. Shrapnel is positioned to take on shooters with a higher budget, such as Escape from Tarkov, with an early access rollout scheduled for January.

Link of the Game: Shrapnel

Off the Grid

The chief creative officer of the upcoming cryptocurrency-powered battle royale shooter Off the Grid is Neill Blomkamp, the director of the dystopian “District 9” movie. All cryptocurrency transactions in the next game will be powered by the Off the Grid studio’s own Avalanche-based blockchain subnet, which was launched as a test network this year. A companion mobile game has also been released, allowing users to race drones through virtual industrial spaces in order to gather treasure that can be utilized in the main game.

Even though it’s still in development, Off the Grid is unquestionably one of the biggest blockchain games of the year thanks to its visionary CCO, ongoing development, and ambitious battle royale plans. advancement.

Link of the Game: Off the Grid

Deaddrop

This year, players can access multiple playable early access builds of the upcoming first-person shooter Deaddrop. The game was made by former Halo developers and YouTuber Dr. Disrespect, who has already promoted a passionate follower base for it. Fans attended a Deaddrop-themed cosplay event in Las Vegas, and the most recent game build revealed car races, adding a fresh take on the extraction shooter genre.

Link of the Game: Deaddrop

My Pet Hooligan

This year, the colorful and distinctive battle royale shooter My Pet Hooligan (MPH) was released on the Epic Games Store. In addition to its gameplay, MPH offers optional NFTs and tokens. Similar to numerous other games on this list, MPH has an enthusiastic following on social media, where users enjoy sharing their edgy rabbit avatars in Twitter’s reply sections. The game itself is also a lot of fun, featuring a cartoonish map that feels like a cross between Futurama and Fortnite, and weapons like paintball and water guns.

Link of the Game: My Pet Hooligan

Conclusion

While this year has been a significant improvement for the industry overall, many of the most alluring games are still in the development phase and lack full features. Many of this year’s games still feel unfinished or are too pay-to-win to be enjoyable for an extended period of time. However, there are plenty of good places to start.

Will 2024, as some industry supporters hope, finally see the release of a blockbuster game that makes blockchain available to a wider audience? As we continue to closely monitor this expanding industry, beware of GG.