Tap-to-earn games are the new sensation in the blockchain gaming ecosystem. According to the latest data, this nascent crypto sector enjoys a market capitalization of $1.4 billion which is quite impressive given that most of the projects have only launched within the past year.
So, what’s the hype all about? The simplicity of tap-to-earn games coupled with the fact that players can easily generate a passive income is perhaps the most appealing factor and a big driver of this trend.
This genre of blockchain-based games rewards players with crypto tokens for simply engaging in activities such as tapping on their screen or completing missions that could range from inviting friends to more engaging gameplays.
It is also worth highlighting that the rise of Telegram’s blockchain gaming ecosystem has played a major role in the adoption of tap-to-earn games. Most of the innovations built in this niche have been deployed on the Telegram Open Network (TON) or as compatible mini apps such that players can seamlessly launch a game within their Telegram interface.
Imagine just tapping on Telegram to earn tokens whose value could skyrocket; that’s the allure of tap-to-earn games. Now, let’s dive into some of the promising projects in this space.
Launched in March 2024, this tap-to-earn game combines a mixture of fun and strategy. The gameplay involves tapping on a digital hamster to earn in-game rewards in the form of digital tokens. Simple, right? That’s just the fun or rather ‘mindless’ part of it, Hamster Kombat’s fundamental gaming model involves a virtual aspect where gamers step into the shoes of a crypto exchange CEO. The goal is to turn the virtual exchange into a tier-1 platform.
By continuously clicking on the Hamster, players earn in-game rewards that can be used to purchase unique mine cards. With these in-game assets, the players can increase their passive earnings by performing strategic functions such as issuing their own token, creating a copy trading system, project crowdfunding, and launching a stablecoin.
In addition, Hamster Kombat’s tap-to-earn ecosystem includes diamond reward points for simple social activities, including following the project’s social channels and inviting more friends. This tap-to-earn game has already attracted over 300 million players with an average of 51 million monthly users since its debut.
This another interesting tap-to-earn game, players earn an in-game currency dubbed FUNZ for simply tapping on their screens. The gameplay is simple; new players are awarded with 500 units worth of energy, each tap uses a single unit and in turn generates 3 FUNZ. More importantly, the 500 energy units are replenished after every 5 minutes which means that players can endlessly be tapping to earn the in-game rewards.
Other notable in-game features include temporary and permanent boosters that players can leverage to perform unique functions such as instantly refilling one’s energy bar, multi-taps and double energy regeneration rates. However, the ultimate gold bar for increasing one’s rewards is not just accumulating more FUNZ, but aiming to collect as many Jokers as possible. These are the gateway to the big giveaways held by Lucky Funatic.
Although a relatively new tap-to-earn game, this project has already attracted over 40k monthly users. It is also worth mentioning that it is part of the larger Funtico Telegram entertainment hub. For context, Functico is a leading web 3.0 gaming platform that supports other popular reward-oriented games such as Formula Functico and Heroes of the Citadel (currently in demo).
Built on the Telegram Open Network (TON) ecosystem, Notcoin is one of the pioneer tap-to-earn games. According to real-time data from Coinmarketcap, the game’s native token currently leads the tap-to-earn space with a market cap of over 700 million while the 24-hour trading volume stands at a cool $75 million.
So, how is this particular game played? The gameplay is pretty much similar to the aforementioned projects, only that in the case of Notcoin, players earn the native $NOT rewards by tapping on a virtual coin. While it may seem like a boring endeavor, the gameplay is very addictive, compounded by other activities like joining leaderboards, completing quests and leveraging available boosts to enhance one’s earnings.
Some of Notcoin’s notable milestones include hitting over 4.1 million players within the first week of launching. The project has also partnered with another mini app Telegram game, Lost Dogs, to introduce a dog-driven theme or gameplay narrative where players can earn both $NOT and $WOOF for engaging in more interactive quests.
Looking Into the Future
Tap-to-earn games are just getting started; unlike their play-to-earn counterparts, this novel area of blockchain gaming innovation does not require one to have technical knowledge to be able to participate. The process is as simple as launching the mini apps through one’s telegram account, after which they can click-to-earn as many times as possible depending on the specific limit set for each game.
This simplicity alone is enough motivation for more people to engage in a tap-to-earn game, either as an activity to pass time, chase some passive income or both. The future of crypto is slowly moving away from hardcore principles such as the utility of the tech to a more community or reward centered ecosystem. This is why unconventional niches such as the tap-to-earn ecosystem and memecoins have been performing well recently.
