16 Best Metaverse play-to-earn games

Metaverse games are exploding in popularity worldwide, and we compiled the best Metaverse worlds for you to earn while playing.

The new virtual world backed by the blockchain and powered by crypto is set to transform the gaming industry faster than expected.

The Metaverse gaming ecosystem is registering record sales of digital land and in-game collectibles, attracting the attention of investors and gamers.

Let’s discover the best play-to-earn Metaverse games in 2022.

Can you play games in the Metaverse?

Yes, you can play games with play-to-earn features in the Metaverse, unique virtual world experiences with crypto-economics.

Gaming has always been an enormous industry, but with the Metaverse, players can play to earn instead of paying to play, completely transforming the potential of gaming.

The connection between the virtual and the physical (monetary) world is leading Metaverse projects, incorporating tokenizations (NFTs) and gaming, to new highs.

What is play to earn in Metaverse?

Play-to-earn games in the Metaverse enable people to play while earning rewards in the form of crypto, mainly from creating and trading Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) or by staking.

Each Metaverse has its unique features and models, enabling players to earn income from creating and selling NFTs, trading digital land to selling collectibles.

What are the most popular Metaverse worlds?

Here are the most popular Metaverse worlds in 2022:

• The Sandbox
• Axie Infinity
• Decentraland
• Gala Games
• Sorare
• Minecraft
• Fortnite
• My Neighbor Alice
• Ethlas
• Aavegotchi
• STARL Universe
• Vulcan Forged
• Illuvium
• AlienWorlds
• MOBOX
• UFO Gaming

What Metaverse is the best?

The best Metaverse is the one you enjoy the most interacting with, but our list of the most popular Metaverse games, covering every gaming genre, will help you choose.

1. The Sandbox

The Sandbox is a full gaming experience built under the Ethereum blockchain, allowing you to create your own experience and monetize it in an immersive digital ecosystem. With The Sandbox, you can trade land/assets, create NFTs or import some of your favorites (e.g., CryptoKitties) into The Sandbox game and create an entirely new gaming experience.

Recently, a plot of land in the Sandbox game became the most expensive Metaverse land purchase at $4.3 million. The company has attracted $90M+ in VC funding and has gained immense popularity among the gaming community.

2. Axie Infinity

Axie Infinity is one of the most popular Metaverse games, with 2.8 million active users on the platform and $3.6 billion worth of assets traded in their marketplace.

Axie Infinity is a battle game based on in-game avatars, Axis, that you can breed, collect, and battle against other players. You can earn AXS tokens (Axie’s native token) by playing, while you can also build your land with more resources and “start your own kingdom.”

3. Decentraland

Decentraland is a virtual reality game where you can create your own virtual world.

Decentraland is based on the Ethereum blockchain, allowing for the creation, trade, and collection of virtual assets like NFTs, which make the in-game experience part of the Metaverse.

You can create in-game assets and trade land, avatars, or wearables inside the game. Recently, a plot of land in Decentraland was sold for $2.43M, one of the most expensive Metaverse land sales ever.

4. Gala Games

Gala is a studio developing blockchain-based games where you can control the gaming experience beyond monetization opportunities.

You can try their “Town Star” game, currently in beta version, with more games in development across genres (e.g., battle, RPG, business sim).

Legacy (business sim) is their upcoming gaming, registering immense interest from their private land sale. Galas has over 1 million active users and 25K+ NFTs sold across games.

5. Sorare

Sorare is more than a digital collection of football player cards, but a fully-fledged game where you can create your squad of favorite players based on digital collectibles and play with other people to win tournaments. The in-game rewards are also linked to the player’s real performance on the football field.

The game has partnerships with 250 clubs worldwide to guarantee that you have a wide range of choices for licensed player cards while becoming a key NFT marketplace worldwide, with backing from leading VCs and famous football players. Last year, a Cristiano Ronaldo card was sold for over $280,000 on its marketplace.

6. Minecraft

Minecraft is the most popular game worldwide, with over 238 million copies sold since its inception.

It was one of the first games to introduce a virtual economy where each player creates their one Metaverse. Since then, it has incorporated more features, including decentralization, to become one of the top Metaverse games available.

7. Fortnite

Fortnite is one of the most popular games in the market, with over 350 million users and 24 million daily players.

Even though it is not 100% a Metaverse yet, the concept and features of the games are evolving to fit the “play-to-earn” model and move into this new trend.

8. My Neighbor Alice

On My Neighbor Alice, players can create their own avatars, communicate with each other, create/buy virtual islands, purchase and trade in-game assets, and more.

The My Neighbor Alice ecosystem is based on the ALICE token, enabling players to conduct transactions in the game, from virtual land to NFTs. My Neighbor Alice is a free-to-play game and one of the most popular Metaverse worlds.

9. Ethlas

Ethlas is a growing Metaverse ecosystem, with funding from venture capital firms like Sequoia Capital.

Ethlas has over 310K gamers, and it is the most popular Metaverse game in the Polygon blockchain, with a variety of games enabling players to earn crypto.

10. Aavegotchi

Aavegotchi is a digital pet inspired by Tamagotchis but designed as yield-generating NFT. Gamers can “explore, battle, craft exclusive NFTs and play-to-earn via their Aavegotchis.”

The company launched its Metaverse, Gotchiverse, in March 2022, enabling all these earning features based on NFTs under the Polygon blockchain.

11. STARL Universe

Do you enjoy space exploration games? The STARL Metaverse is for you.

STARL is a Metaverse set in space where players can explore, discover, and create virtual space land or create NFTs representing satellites. The STARL token enables this virtual world with many other capabilities in its quest to become one of the most popular Metaverse tokens.

12. Vulcan Forged

The Vulcan Forged ecosystem has a wide range of games, an NFT marketplace, digital wallets, a decentralized exchange for gaming tokens, and more.

Some of their games include Vulcan Verse, Forge Arena, Vulcan Chess, and others. The PYR token is the central economic unit of the Vulcan Forged virtual world.

13. Illuvium

Illuvium is one of the most popular Metaverse games, available on PC and Mac, where gamers can explore sci-fi lands, battle, earn NFTs based on in-game creatures (Illuvials), and more.

Players can earn ILV tokens for completing quests and reaching in-game achievements.

14. AlienWorlds

AlienWorlds is a popular play-to-earn Metaverse game in the WAX blockchain and set in space.

Players can trade NFTs, get virtual land (500 plots), play across six worlds, fulfill missions in the Metaverse, earn while playing, and even have governance power over Planet DAOs.

15. MOBOX

MOBOX is a Metaverse ecosystem enabling people to earn while playing across different games.

MOMOverse has a variety of games and has reached massive popularity, with roughly 3.5 million users and 350+ million in traded NFT volume.

16. UFO Gaming

UFO Gaming debut game, Super Galactic, enables people to earn while playing on this Metaverse, designed to explore other galaxies and dimensions.

You can earn by minting new NFTs or staking while enjoying a new gaming experience across tournaments.

Learn how to import NFTs from Metaverse games into CoinTracking:

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Disclaimer: All the information provided above is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional investment, legal, or tax advice. You should conduct your own research or consult with a professional financial advisor when investing.