2021 is undoubtedly the year of NFTs. One particular sector pushing the technology’s phenomenal growth is the gaming industry. Recently, games built on the blockchain are giving rise to a new type of gameplay called ‘Play to Earn’ where players are rewarded with the time they invested playing these games.

As specialized website NFTEvening describes it, the players fully own their in-game characters or items, and they can do what they want with it. They can sell it, earn from it, or use it, compared to 99% of the games today where digital items you purchased in-game can’t be sold anywhere else without running into some terms of service violations.

In this regard, we are giving you a rundown of all the games you should play to earn Crypto.

1. Axie Infinity

Of course, first on the list is the biggest play-to-earn game Axie Infinity. It is a Pokémon-inspired universe where anyone can earn tokens through skilled gameplay and contributions to the ecosystem. In this online game, players duel by pitting a trio of NFT collectible creatures against each other.

There are three elements governing the game’s ecosystem: Axis, SLP and AXS. Firstly, Axie Infinity is a battle game between Axies. Each Axie is unique and exists as an ERC-721 Non-Fungible Token (NFT). Meanwhile, Smooth Love Potions (SLPs) are earned by playing the game and can be used to breed new Axies. Lastly, AXS is the platform’s native governance token. So AXS holders have the power to vote on key decisions like game functionalities and how treasury funds should be spent.

Two weeks ago, Sky Mavis officially launched the long-awaited AXS Staking feature of Axie Infinity. Basically, staking allows users to lock up the AXS they moved to the Ronin sidechain in order to earn AXS rewards. One week post-launch of the AXS Staking, Axie Infinity’s active wallet interactions got a major boost! The dominant play-to-earn attracted 92% more user wallets. AXS was initially just a governance token but with the staking option available, users can now earn passive income as well from these tokens.

With how things are going, Axie Infinity is in good shape to maintain its dominance as the biggest P2E success story in the space. Additionally, the new investment revalues SkyMavis at close to $3 Billion. To put things into perspective, the gaming studio is now about half the value of Square Enix (makers of Final Fantasy) or Ubisoft (Assassin’s Creed). And they did it with a single game that isn’t even in beta yet.

Additionally, the Axie NFT marketplace generated over $1B in revenue over the last quarter. This places them ahead of the total sales volume of Take Two Interactive (NBA2K, Grand Theft Auto). Then, in the same ballpark as the entirety of Electronic Arts (FIFA, Battlefield, Apex Legends).

2. Gods Unchained

Gods Unchained NFT card game is the biggest trading card on the blockchain following a play-to-earn model. The free-to-play tactical game is built on Immutable X, the layer-2 blockchain solution developed by game studio Immutable.

Gods Unchained describes itself as the ‘trading card game that pays to play’. One of the major aspects of the game is that it gives players complete ownership of their in-game items. This means that the assets have real-world value and can be sold or traded. Since its launch in 2018, the game has facilitated the exchange of cards worth over $7 million.

To start playing, you have to set up an account and create a deck of cards. Each card is an NFT and comes with various powers: attacking, supporting, disrupting, or defensive. Once your deck is ready, you have to use these cards to battle others. A player who has a deck that tactically combines all the powers will have the upper hand during a battle. Once you starting leveling up, you will receive card packs. In these packs, you may receive rare cards, which are more valuable. You can sell these on the marketplace.

3. Lost Relics

Lost Relics is a Diablo-inspired play-to-earn action-adventure role-playing game powered by Enjin Blockchain. The game challenges players to travel through dungeons, vanquish monsters and discover some of the rarest items.

In Lost Relics, there are two types of items: virtual and blockchain items. Virtual Items can be traded on the Royal Emporium, which is the game’s marketplace.  Plus, they can be purchased with in-game gold. Some items have a limited number of issues, while others have no limit. However in Lost Relics, If you die while holding an item, it will be lost.

Meanwhile, in-game blockchain items are managed by the Ethereum blockchain. They can be dropped from monsters, treasure chests, and high-level dungeons. They can be traded as NFTs on Opensea and Enjin’s open market and will not be lost if you die in a dungeon with the item. Instead, these are returned to your inventory.

4. Splinterlands

Splinterlands is a trading card and top NFT game that runs on the Hive Blockchain. The gameplay is similar to Magic the Gathering and Hearthstone, where players build up a collection of cards with various statistics and use them to battle other players. All cards in Splinterlands are player-owned NFT assets.

The game starts with players choosing the cards then the system will match them with an opponent with a similar ranking. They can also collect cards and other items such as potions and skins to improve the look of their deck. As for rewards, it is awarded to players during tournaments, matches and missions.

5. Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms combines a piece of history with modern technology because it is the first play-to-earn metaverse and NFT project based on the ancient Chinese classic. The website description is straight as an arrow: build the best kingdom, battle and siege with enemies.

The Three Kingdoms is a third-generation NFT game. The team asserts that first-generation NFTs provide idle gaming experiences that focus on digital collectibles. Meanwhile, second-generation NFTs are successful play-to-earn concepts that GameFi often adopts. However, it only offers limited ways to earn NFTs.

The Three Kingdoms just secured $3.2 Million in funding, which brings it a step close to its promise of ushering in a “New Era of Play-to-Earn Gaming.”