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It’s been a wild year for crypto gaming, with some real surprises in the mix.
At the start of the year, who would’ve thought that tap-to-earn gaming—a super-streamlined riff on the play-to-earn model—would become the biggest story of the year? And who thought we’d end the year with a huge crypto game making serious inroads with mainstream gamers?
That’s just the tip of the iceberg for the interesting twists we saw this year, so with 2025 right around the corner, here’s a look back at seven games that really defined crypto gaming over the last 12 months. And stay tuned, as Decrypt’s GG will continue to report on the next big games to shake up this exciting space.
Notcoin
Notcoin might have taken obvious inspiration from earlier “clicker” games like Cookie Clicker, but it undoubtedly created the Telegram tap-to-earn craze—and actually delivered, too.
Screenshots from Notcoin. Image: Notcoin
Billions of dollars worth of crypto (at NOT’s peak value) was ultimately given out to players, spawning a surge of clones in the process. None of them lived up to the impact of the original, even if some ultimately pulled in more players, but that shouldn’t diminish Notcoin’s immense impact.
Off the Grid
It should be no surprise that GG’s pick for the 2024 game of the year is on this list, and when it comes to pure gameplay, nothing else comes close. Off the Grid delivers a strong riff on the familiar battle royale shooter gameplay of Apex Legends or Call of Duty Warzone, adding exciting twists such as cybernetic limbs that provide special abilities.
That yielded many viral moments when the game launched in early access in October—but what many players may not realize is that there’s a blockchain behind the scenes, with an upcoming token launch and tradable item NFTs sure to shift the narrative around the game.
Pixels
Social farming game Pixels gained a fair bit of attention when it migrated over to Ethereum gaming network Ronin in late 2023, but it became a breakout crypto hit early this year when it launched its PIXEL token, offering substantial rewards to early players.
Pixels didn’t fizzle out once the crypto funds were handed out, however, as the game has only expanded and evolved since, keeping players plugged in as the developers explore spinoff games—like Pixel Dungeons and an early access Telegram game—plus further enhancements ahead.
Hamster Kombat
For a buzzy moment this summer, Hamster Kombat briefly became one of the most-talked-about games on the planet, with the Telegram tap-to-earn game attracting 300 million total players.
Image: Decrypt
It reached a vastly larger audience than Notcoin with expanded gameplay elements, tasking players with running their own crypto exchange. However, many players considered the airdrop to be underwhelming, and a planned second season of gameplay is still MIA.
Fantasy Top
Fantasy Top felt like the hottest thing in all of crypto for about two weeks earlier this year, at least for those immersed in Crypto Twitter. Designed like an NFT fantasy sports game built around real Twitter influencers, Fantasy Top on Ethereum layer-2 network Blast was a roaring engagement machine for that brief moment. The buzz cooled relatively quickly, but with fresh funding raised recently, we’re curious to see if Fantasy Top can regain momentum.
Parallel
Parallel was GG’s pick for last year’s top crypto game, but 2024 is when it started to make substantial inroads with players. This year, Parallel entered open beta, launched to a much wider audience via the Epic Games Store, and debuted its esports series with a big championship set for Las Vegas in March 2025.
And for the cherry on top, popular F1 driver Fernando Alonso endorsed the game. It’s still one of the finest blockchain games you can play, and it only appears to be growing.
Crypto: The Game
Crypto: The Game is indeed a game built around crypto, but it’s not a video game—well, mostly. It’s a multimedia experience inspired by the TV show “Survivor,” blending real-world and online events and a little bit of video gaming, not to mention social maneuvering.
The first two seasons ran early this year and were widely hailed by many players as some of the most fun they’ve ever had in this industry. After being acquired by Uniswap Labs, an upcoming third season aims to be bigger and better while keeping the compelling vibe of the initial efforts.
Edited by Stephen Graves
