Metaversal is a Bankless newsletter for weekly level-ups on NFTs, virtual worlds, & beyond
Dear Bankless Nation,
At the start of 2023, I wrote a wishlist of things I wanted to see more of for better crypto games going forward.
Since then, I’ve been really impressed with the advances we’ve seen around this space, and there’s now plenty of titles that have me really intrigued here.
That said, for today’s post let’s go over some of the rising crypto games that have me most excited right now so you can put them on your radar and try ‘em when ready!
-WMP
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8 Crypto Games You Should Know About
1) Capsule Heroes
Chain: Not yet announced
Style: PvP brawler
Overview: Described as like the “Overwatch of mobile,” Capsule Heroes is a multiplayer mobile brawler game by the Endless Clouds studio, which is also notably working on the Treeverse MMORPG. Some early playtests have already been conducted, and more are coming, so keep an eye out because the preview footage of this one has looked downright fun, sort of like a cross between Fall Guys and Overwatch. The project hasn’t decided on a chain/NFT implementation yet, so look for more on that later.
2) Duel Arena
Chain: Base
Style: 1v1 duels for ETH prizes
Overview: Duel Arena is a game within a game, as it’s actually a mini-game within Cambria, a “Runescape-inspired game with onchain stakes.” The gist is straightforward: players stake ETH on Base in an onchain escrow system, and then duke it out 1-on-1 in an arena in a virtual fight to the death for that staked ETH. The game is live and playable today, and it’s seen a good bit of traction, as it’s already facilitated over $1M USD worth of ETH staked to back its duels.
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3) Fren Pets
Chain: Base
Style: Onchain virtual pet simulator
Description: Fren Pets is a Tamagotchi-like game where you can raise and battle virtual pets to claim ETH rewards. I first tried the game when its V1 system was live, and I really enjoyed it. Now things have been kicked up a notch as its V2 was recently released, which expanded and optimized the game’s features. If you’re looking for more things to do on Base, Fren Pet’s certainly an addictive and charming option to consider. The title’s in invite-only mode right now so you can use my invite code, fp-svpbq0p, if you want to try playing.
4) Gaul
Chain: Redstone
Style: Onchain roadbuilder
Description: Gaul is one of the earliest games to have experimented with Lattice’s onchain game engine, MUD. Players are tasked with “building an eternal road into a wild land [to] get equipment, dig, slash, and pave mile after mile of treacherous terrain.” The title looks fun, and it’s an innovator as its team is already developing the game on the testnet of Lattice’s new game-centric Redstone L2. The future of onchain gaming will be inspired by efforts like this, so keep it on your radar.
5) Illuvium: Arena
Chain: Immutable
Style: PvP auto battler
Description: Illuvium is an ecosystem of games, one of which is Illuvium: Arena, an auto battler title that actually just arrived on the Epic Games store. You don’t need any specific NFTs to get started with playing the game, which is still in Beta, though the parts of the Illuvium ecosystem that do touch a chain are underpinned by the Immutable L2. If you’re like me and enjoy going head to head with other people in competitive ranked matches, this is one to check out.
6) Kamigotchi
Chain: Optimism
Style: Onchain pet RPG
Description: Originally developed on Canto, Kamigotchi is an idle-pet RPG that’s now being prepared for launch on the Optimism L2. The Pokémon-like game has some pretty interesting mechanics, like an onchain rooms system, so I’m excited to get my hands on it once it’s out. There’s no exact release date set yet, but I assume it’ll be at some point in the first half of 2024.
7) Battle for Blockchain
Chain: Arbitrum
Style: Onchain auto battler
Description: Created by the Minters team, Battle for Blockchain is an auto battler title built on Arbitrum. It’s fair to call this one an experiment, as it’s far from a fully polished game at this point, but I think that the devs are definitely onto something and that there’s a lot of potential here. More playtests are coming soon, so get ready if this one looks cool to you.
8) Pixels
Chain: Ronin
Style: Casual farming
Description: Pixels is a game that’s been attracting many thousands of players on the Axie Infinity ecosystem’s Ronin chain lately. The big idea? Gather resources, farm your land, and invite others to your homestead. With daily active user (DAU) numbers as high as ~100k in recent weeks, Pixels is already showing signs that it has the potential to be a breakout game. It’s simple, it’s pretty, and it’s showing that Ronin can be much more than just the homebase of Axie Infinity’s universe.
Action steps:
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🤝 Catch up on my previous write-up: Ethereum Follow Protocol
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📚 Collect this post: Mint it on Mirror
Author bio
William M. Peaster is the creator of Metaversal — a Bankless newsletter focused on the emergence of NFTs in the cryptoeconomy. He also serves as a senior writer for the main Bankless newsletter.
A Bankless Citizen ⚑ turned $264 into $6,077 last year. A 22x ROI 🚀 in a bear market!
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Not financial or tax advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This newsletter is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.
Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here.