Is it still worth playing NFT games in 2024? These 10 titles will give you the answer.

Core Issue: What exactly happened to NFT games from the glory of CryptoKitties in 2017 to the current silence? Which projects are still doing well in 2024?

Let's talk about the current situation

The NFT gaming sector is a bit awkward. The early Axie Infinity was all the rage in Southeast Asia, attracting millions of players to earn while playing. But the problem is—many projects are born just to fleece investors. The economic models are poorly designed, and after the price of the coins plummets, players' accounts evaporate, and the games cool down as well.

Three Major Flaws of NFT Games

1. Short lifespan: When the project loses popularity and shuts down, your NFT assets instantly become worthless.
2. Player mentality deterioration: from “I want to play” to “I want to earn”, the game has become a Ponzi scheme.
3. Value Fluctuations are Severe: Rarity, community enthusiasm, and the rise and fall of coin prices can all affect NFT prices, making investment risks extremely high.

Projects Still Active in 2024

First Tier (with AAA level investment)

Axie Infinity — Although it has lost some of its luster, it still has fans. The official team continues to iterate and has launched a mobile version (Android/iOS) to expand its user base. The Play-to-Earn model may have faced criticism, but the team has not given up.

Illuvium — Developed since 2020, it is still in the works. Built on Immutable X (with near-zero gas fees), the graphics and settings are indeed of high quality. However, the entry barrier is high: capital is needed to purchase land NFTs and monsters.

Shrapnel — A sci-fi FPS title, launched on Epic Games. Free to enter, earn NFTs and tokens through missions. The goal is to create a “AAA-level shooting game on the blockchain,” which is a relatively fresh positioning.

Rising Star

Pixels (Ronin Chain) - A farming game with over 900,000 active players. The dual-token model ($BERRY/$PIXEL) is designed reasonably well. The key point is that there is an additional way to earn money: renting NFTs to others to share profits.

Big Time — An RPG action game with $21 million in funding behind it. The official team is wealthy and patient in refining the game. It features a rich system of six professions, and players can earn $BIGTIME tokens by completing dungeons.

Life Beyond — a blend of MMORPG and FPS, presented in a third-person perspective. The setting is the colonization of the alien planet Dolos. The game features construction, trading, and social systems, with a relatively complete economic model.

The Beacon (Arbitrum ecosystem) - Under Treasure DAO, a pixel-style RPG. Since the end of 2022, its activity has been decent, regularly hosting competitions with NFT rewards. The focus is on social + NFT integration, rather than just a pure profit-making mechanism.

Other contestants

Mavia — Tower defense strategy game (similar to Clash of Clans), with millions of downloads. It has maintained its popularity since its launch in February.

Wreck League — A fighting game supported by Animoca and Yuga Labs. The clever part is the dual version design: Web3 version (requires NFT) + Web2 version (free). It appeals to both veteran players and does not abandon cryptocurrency users.

Crazy Defense Heroes — A tower defense card game launched by Animoca. It features a dual mechanism of cards + defense, is friendly for Android/iOS, and has a low entry barrier.

Cold Thoughts Before Playing NFT Games in 2024

Reasons to Play:

• Truly enjoy the game genre (not just in it for the money)
• Able to withstand the complete loss of NFT assets
• Only invest idle funds that you can afford to lose.

Signal Not to Touch:

• The project team immediately stops updates after financing.
• The community is full of “when will it skyrocket”
• The economic model is incomprehensible or clearly unsustainable.
• Those who promise “stable returns” are most likely scammers.

Summary

NFT games are not nonexistent in 2024, but they have completely de-bubbled. Most of the surviving projects have real financial investment, possess gaming genetics, and are willing to refine over the long term. Those projects that purely aimed to exploit investors and relied on token prices have long since perished.

The core logic has changed: from “play-to-earn to get rich” to “good game experience and reasonable economic model to survive.” If you still want to enter, ask yourself: If it's not profitable, do I still want to play this game? If the answer is yes, then you can give it a try.