Best free metaverse games in 2024
Metaverse games first appeared in 2017 when CryptoKitties was released. But in fact, this concept would suit any multiplayer online game, including the legendary World of Warcraft (WoW), released in 2004. And although you can make money while playing WoW, today, metaverse video games primarily imply blockchain-based projects with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as in-game characters and objects.
The “play to earn” principle is the basis of their popularity in the NFT metaverse because, earlier, earnings were only available in ААА titles such as the aforesaid WoW or EVE, which is a space-based, persistent world “massively multiplayer online role-playing game” or MMORPG. One had to immerse deep in the game world and learn its economy. It took time and intellectual resources, whereas the contemporary games in the NFT metaverse are casual. They are technically simple and only require time. A player doesn’t have to follow the in-game market.
In this article, the Traders Union offers you a detailed review of the best metaverse games with free registration. It means that to earn on these games, you don’t need investments. The Traders Union also explains the earning mechanism and uses the example of a concrete project to give you a step-by-step description of the playing process.
What are metaverse games?
Before you learn how to play metaverse games, you need to understand what these projects are and what makes them different from ordinary multiplayer games. Yes, at first glimpse, they look exactly like MMORPGs of all genres: standard role-playing games (RPGs), simulations, and strategy and action games. The servers are international, and the players are located globally. But there is a conceptual nuance.
In metaverse games, there are NFTs or non-fungible tokens. NFTs are coins like the Bitcoin or Ether but the difference is that there are hundreds of millions of Bitcoins and Ether units, whereas each NFT is unique. That’s why it’s called non-fungible: it cannot be replaced with an analog. An NFT can be anything: a digital image, virtual avatar, land plot in Decentraland, digitized Hong Kong district, etc.
In the context of this article, it’s important that NFTs can be game characters or objects. That’s the difference between ordinary massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) and metaverse games. In the latter, players take full ownership of NFTs. And since non-fungible tokens have all the characteristics of standard cryptocurrencies, they can be bought or sold, and one can earn on them. That’s why metaverse video games drew attention immediately. But how popular are they today and what causes their popularity?
Anyone can play metaverse games to earn money. You don’t need special knowledge or skills, just the will and time. What income can you count on? It directly depends on the seriousness of your approach. You have to understand that earning on metaverse games is not “easy money”. To gain stable profit, you will have to be diligent and consistent.
Take the aforementioned game CryptoKitties as an example. The most expensive “cryptokitty” was sold in 2018 for $140,000. It is unknown how many months it took the owner to breed it, but here’s a comparison. In an online trading card game called Gods Unchained, when you reach the threshold of 25 wins in the tournament, you automatically get $175 in the in-game currency. On average, it takes 90 minutes, and the funds can be withdrawn free of charge to an external crypto wallet.
Today, many people don’t even think about playing metaverse games, although they have heard a lot about them. People assume this trend is getting old but it’s not true. According to the joint research by NewZoo and Crypto.com, published on August 2, 2023, over 40% of the players who presently play metaverse games intend to continue. The reason is that they make money.
To understand the economic prospects of this area, it’s enough to see the statistics of the market cap of metaverse games. The research by Absolute Reports shows that it currently exceeds $800 million. According to predictions, in 2028, the market of metaverse video games will be worth almost $3 billion and will be growing on average by 20% every year. That seems to remove all the doubts regarding the prospects of NFT games.
Types of metaverse games
To see what metaverse games are the best, one needs to understand the various types. There is no single classification because this field of the game industry is still being researched, and there is no special reason to create a generalized gradation of titles. Nevertheless, it’s not hard to divide metaverse video games based on formal signs. It will help you understand which games are the easiest to earn rewards or money.
Free and paid
The “play to earn” principle is fundamental in metaverse games. But because you can earn on a game doesn’t mean that you don’t need to invest anything at the start. All NFT games can be divided into two categories: free and paid.
For instance, the simulation game CryptoKitties used to be paid. To earn on breeding cryptokitties, you had to buy the first pair. In the first years, one such kitty cost at least 1 WCK (the in-game token). In different periods, the cost differed. For example, in January 2020, 1 WCK equaled 0.17 USD. The good news is that today (January 2023), the starter kitties are free. These are zero-generation kitties that have no specialties but can be bred. So, at this point, CryptoKitties is a free metaverse game.
Game genres
This is a crucially important aspect because many people don’t like strategies, and some players view action games that require a lot of grinding as boring. The best metaverse games include all genres but the Traders Union recommends choosing the most popular ones because the more popular the game, the more active its economy and the higher its earning potential.
Today, the most popular genres are the following: creatures breeding simulations (CryptoKitties), breeding simulations with PVP mechanics (Axie Infinity), trading card games (Gods Unchained), adventures with a free world exploration (Star Atlas), and RPGs (DeFi Kingdoms). These are the most significant games of the said trends. One of the reasons why other genres are less popular is that there are almost no such NFT games. For example, no metaverse games in the genre of Royal Battle have been released yet. Grit can become the first project of this kind.
Desktop, browser, and mobile
In many ways, the question of how to play metaverse games is answered by the platform. In both mobile and client-based games, the mechanics of playing can be the same but there may be differences based on the interface. In 2023, mobile games are more popular because we live in the gadget era. Only 40% of players prefer to play on PCs using a client or browser. It doesn’t mean at all that you should prefer mobile games, but they often are more convenient and advanced.
An example of a client-based metaverse game is War Riders. It’s a 3D simulation of cars in a post-apocalyptic setting. Browser games are much more numerous. Among them are the said CryptoKitties, Axie Infinity, and Ember Sword. There are cross-platform projects designed for PCs and mobile gadgets. For instance, Ember Sword is being tested in browsers now but its smartphone version will soon be released. Examples of mobile games include Gods Unchained, CropBytes, and Chainmonsters.
There are no statistics to say what games are easier to earn on. But if you always have your smartphone at hand and you like trading card games, then Gods Unchained is the obvious choice. If you spend more time on your PC and the graphics are crucial to you, then choose projects of the Star Atlas level. They should be convenient and interesting to you, otherwise, entertainment and the search for income that goes with it will become routine.
Best free metaverse games
Gods Unchained
Status: Available
Genre: Trading card game
Entry threshold: Average
Platforms: Win and Mac
Website: godsunchained.com
This is a typical trading card game, which borrowed a lot of its mechanics from Magic: The Gathering and its popular clones such as Hearthstone. A player gets free starter decks of cards and participates in battles with other players. Victories bring new cards and sets. The sets are also given when a player reaches a new level, which happens when they get enough experience points for their participation in battles.
All cards in this metaverse game are NFTs. They can be bought or sold in the in-game stores or popular marketplaces. By selling a card or set, a player gets GODS, which is the platform’s native token. It can be withdrawn to an external wallet or exchanged for fiat currency and then transferred to a bank card.
CryptoKitties
Status: Available
Genre: Pets breeding simulation
Entry threshold: Low
Platforms: Win, Android, and iOS
Website: cryptokitties.com
This is the first metaverse game of the “play-to-earn” type. At the time of its release, it had no analogs but now it has several dozens of clones. The main mechanism is breeding virtual cats. The first pair can be taken free in the in-game marketplace. Earlier, it used to be paid. Two cats can create a third one. Cats differ in generations and innate abilities that are determined by the innate abilities of their parents and some random factors.
An example of such an ability is a quick reload. A reload is the time that has to pass between a cat’s participation in the acts of producing its young. The more abilities a cat has and the higher its generation, the more original offspring it’s able to produce and the higher its price. Cats can be sold in the course of playing or in the marketplaces for Ethereum cryptocurrency that may be withdrawn to an external wallet.
Plants vs Undead
Status: Available
Genre: Farmer simulation and tower defense
Entry threshold: Low
Platform: Android
Website: plantvsundead.com
It’s a modernized analog of the legendary Plants vs Zombies. A player’s task is to manage the farm. He buys seeds, and waters and cultivates them until they become plants. The first batch of seeds is free. For growing the plants and gathering their seeds, the player gets the LE resource. LE can be used to buy new plants or traded for PVU, which is the platform’s native token, available for withdrawal to an external wallet. PVU is a full-fledged cryptocurrency, which can be traded on crypto exchanges or in exchange shops.
The trick is that, every once in a while, the player’s farm gets attacked by the undead. All the plants are warriors that can fight back and prevent the undead from attacking the farm. The plants’ location in the playing area and their synergy play a key role in defending the farm. In this mode, Plant vs Undead becomes a classic “tower defense”. There is a relatively new PvP mode, where a player gathers his army of the undead and attacks another player’s farm, and the attackers must defend themselves from the opponent’s army.
Neon District
Status: Available
Genre: RPG
Entry threshold: Low
Platforms: Any browser
Website: portal.neondistrict.io
This is the first RPG in which every character and object is an NFT. A user plays for a team of pizza delivery men in the dystopian future of cyberpunk. Players are given a free first character and 300 units of the local currency with which to buy three more characters (he must have a team of four). There are several game modes, including PvP with other players.
For completed missions and wins in battles, a player receives the in-game currency Neon, and his characters are promoted to a higher level. With Neon, you can buy stronger characters, body armor, and weapons to carry out missions at more difficult levels with higher rewards. Then, high-level characters and their gear, which are NFTs, can be sold for cryptocurrency in the OpenSea or Arkane Market.
Sorare – Fantasy football
Status: Available
Genre: Sports manager simulation
Entry threshold: Average
Platforms: Any browser, iOS, and Android
Website: sorare.com
This is a casual sports manager, which presently offers only football but the company has already signed an agreement with Major League Baseball, so one more trend is going to be added soon. The main mechanics are the following: a user collects virtual player cards, builds a team, and participates in tournaments that are based on the cards’ features and some random factors.
Sorare is special in that all the cards are dedicated to real football players, and each card is an NFT. The first 5 cards are free, and the rest can be bought for Ether in the in-game marketplace where players can also sell their cards. New cards are given for wins in tournaments and events. Ether may be withdrawn to an external wallet.
Alien Worlds
Status: Available
Genre: Strategy
Entry threshold: Low
Platforms: Any browser
Website: play.alienworlds.io
This is a rather interesting project, which differs from the others in that it essentially is a platform for staking the WAX cryptocurrency. Regarding the genre, it’s a science-fiction strategy for the exploration of other planets. At the start, a user can mine some WAX to buy the Atomic Hub equipment for field development.
Later, he discovers new planets and mines WAX from them. In exchange for WAX, the user modernizes his mining facilities. This game has many additional options but all of them are aimed at staking cryptocurrency. The earned WAX can be withdrawn to an external wallet at any time.
Coin hunt world
Status: Available
Genre: Augmented reality quest
Entry threshold: Low
Platforms: iOS and Android
Website: coinhunt.world
This is another unique project that allows you to play to earn. It’s similar to the viral Pokemon GO. Here, a player also has to walk around the city but instead of looking for Pokemon, he looks for special keys. The keys allow him to open storages, which he needs to find as well. The storages contain in-game objects, as well as Bitcoins and Ether.
There’s little cryptocurrency in each separate storage but if the player actively explores the city, he can earn a lot. Plus, there are Cubes in the game. They are virtual creatures that can be found in storage places or crafted by using the resources of those storages. The Cubes are NFTs. One can sell their NFTs for cryptocurrency and then withdraw it.
Top 10 Metaverse cryptocurrencies to buyTown Star
Status: Available
Genre: City planning simulation
Entry threshold: Average
Platforms: Any browser
Website: townstar.com
Everyone remembers Farm Frenzy. Well, Town Star was created by one of its developers. But here, you develop not a separate homestead but a whole town. This game is a full-scale strategy with an elaborate multilevel economy. And all of the buildings, equipment, and resources are NFTs.
The tokens can be bought or sold in the game for the TOWN, which is a fully valid cryptocurrency, traded on exchanges. Besides that, TOWN passively brings you certain buildings or structures, e.g., oil derricks. You can sell NFT objects both within the game and in external marketplaces such as OpenSea.
Mist
Status: Beta test
Genre: RPG
Entry threshold: Average
Platform: Windows
Website: mist.game
This classic RPG in a fantasy setting is one of the few AAA titles among the metaverse games. It’s completely free. A player creates a character, chooses a class for him, and gets into a large open world. There, he takes on quests, participates in going through dungeons with other players, and combats in PvP.
For his achievements such as getting to a higher level or defeating his boss, the player receives the MIST token, which is traded on crypto exchanges. Also, top outfit items and pets serve as NFTs. They are bought and sold while playing and in the marketplaces. This game may be supplemented with new mechanics.
Impulse
Status: Early access
Genre: First-person shooter
Entry threshold: Low
Platform: Windows
Website: ascendancegames.com
This is another ААА project, this time in the shooter game genre. Many predict that Impulse will be the best metaverse game but it’s too early to state that because the game hasn’t been released yet. To become a participant now, you need to buy an early access set, which costs $15 or more. When the game is released, it will be free.
There are two ways to earn. First, the avatars and weapons are NFTs, which can be bought or sold. Second, you can earn the AC by participating in the ranking tournaments. For each win over another player, you get 1 АС, and for each loss, you lose 1 АС. One unit of this in-game currency equals 1 USD. The currency can be withdrawn to an external wallet.
As you can see, there are a variety of metaverse games. Some of them can hardly surprise you because they are clones of well-known projects, and some are truly unique. All of these projects have one thing in common: there are NFTs in them that can be earned and sold. Plus, you can earn in-game currencies, which often are fully valid tokens, and are traded on exchanges.
How to play metaverse games?
It’s impossible to make a single checklist for all metaverse games because their genres vary widely in their playing mechanics and monetization methods. Take Gods Unchained as a concrete example. Today, it’s one of the most popular metaverse video games. One can play it on a PC (Win or Mac). It doesn’t require investments at the start. So, here is the basic procedure.
Step 1. Register a crypto wallet, e.g., MetaMask. Go to the official website of Gods Unchained and create an account. Since the game is client-based, you will need to download a distribution kit from the website and install it on your computer. To sign in to the game, use the login and password you created while registering on the website.
Step 2. When you first load the game, it will offer you a training mode. You can complete your training later but better do it at once to study the interface and basic playing mechanics. Also, when you first sign in, you will be given welcome card decks. These are free cards with which you can start playing.
Step 3. You can play against the computer or other players. Begin with the solo mode to hone your skills. Go to the “Arena” tab and select “Solo”. Upon entering this mode, you will need to choose a deck of cards out of the 6 free decks offered to you.
Note that the welcome decks are already assembled but in the “Workshop” section or you can assemble decks yourself. Further down the line, you will have to do it all the time because you won’t be given premade decks anymore. You will win and receive cards, which you can combine to build new winning strategies.
Step 4. Novice players are recommended to choose either the Nature Starter or the Light Starter deck. After choosing a deck, you can customize your loadout by selecting card backs and a game board. It doesn’t affect the playing mechanics or increase your chances of winning. The loadout serves aesthetic purposes only.
Step 5. After selecting the deck and loadout in the “Solo” mode, click the “Choose AI Deck” button. It means that you are going to play against the computer and not a person. If you have played Magic: The Gathering or Hearthstone, you will see familiar mechanics. Part of the cards from the deck will be in your hand instantly, and you will be able to play them. Other cards will be added to your hand during the course of the game.
Step 6. As in any trading card game, Gods Unchained has deck archetypes and thousands of card combinations. There is no point in telling you about them because it’s easier to understand everything while playing the game. When you get comfortable with the basics, you can choose battles with other players in the “Solo” mode. You will receive game points even for losses but for wins the points will be higher.
Step 7. Increasing your points will raise your level. Getting to a higher level gives you new sets of cards, which can be bought or sold in the in-game marketplace. Purchases and sales are made with the platform’s local cryptocurrency.
Step 8. Sell the cards you don’t need and buy the cards that can make your deck stronger. Experiment with decks and playing modes to have more wins and get new cards. Your purpose is to constantly strengthen your deck, which will allow you to battle against more dangerous opponents and get to higher levels.
Step 9. As your level rises, you will get stronger cards, which can also be sold or used in your decks. The game Gods Unchained has many modes but all of them are connected with battles between two players where the main goal is to win at any cost.
Step 10. As soon as you earn enough of the in-game currency GODS, you can withdraw them to your cryptocurrency wallet, e.g., MetaMask. This is a fully valid token, which is traded on crypto exchanges. You can trade it for any other token, such as Ether, and then sell it for fiat funds and withdraw them to your bank card through an exchange or exchange shop.
This was an example only. It doesn’t include many nuances, which the metaverse game Gods Unchained has. But explaining those nuances would be pointless. First, the game itself provides a simple and clear guide. Second, you will understand all of the truly important aspects during play.
In this section, the Traders Union wanted to clearly show you how to play to earn on metaverse games. Gods Unchained is unique in that it’s free, it has an exciting playing process, and it’s played by millions of users. Cards and loadout from this game are sold and bought in the marketplaces, including OpenSea, which is the world’s largest NFT aggregator.
Conclusions
Now you know how to play metaverse games and earn on them. The Traders Union has mentioned the best metaverse games that don’t require startup capital. You only need to register and get the starter conditions such as a set of cards, a character, or pets for breeding.
There are client- and browser-based games, and there are games for mobile gadgets. Many projects are cross-platform. Free metaverse games are available in several genres such as simulations, RPGs, strategies, etc. In other words, selecting a game to your taste won’t be difficult.
The statistics, research, and predictions show that NFT games have good prospects. From the very beginning, they have been part of the metaverse, which has become ingrained in our lives and won’t go anywhere. It’s not too late to invest in metaverse games. On the contrary, it’s high time to do it.
Investing in the Metaverse. Top 7 optionsFAQs
What are metaverse games?
Today, this concept implies multiplayer video games in which characters and/or in-game objects are non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
What types of metaverse games are there?
There are metaverse games for browsers, smartphones, and game clients, as well as for several platforms at once. NFT games are divided into paid and free and are available in most genres like RPGs, strategies, simulations, etc.
How to play to earn on metaverse games?
Each game has its own mechanics. For instance, in trading card games, you assemble decks, compete with other players, and win more expensive cards that can be sold for the in-game currency. This currency is withdrawn to an external wallet, exchanged for fiat funds, and then the profit is transferred to a bank card.
Why do metaverse video games have good prospects?
Because they have existed for over 5 years, and their popularity keeps growing. There are hundreds of such projects that areas played by millions of people. NFT games are an inalienable part of the metaverse, and the metaverse is part of contemporary life. The statistics, as well as the research and predictions of experts, confirm that the metaverse games market is going to expand.
Team that worked on the article
Andrey Mastykin is an experienced author, editor, and content strategist who has been with Traders Union since 2020. As an editor, he is meticulous about fact-checking and ensuring the accuracy of all information published on the Traders Union platform. Andrey focuses on educating readers about the potential rewards and risks involved in trading financial markets.
He firmly believes that passive investing is a more suitable strategy for most individuals. Andrey's conservative approach and focus on risk management resonate with many readers, making him a trusted source of financial information.
Dr. BJ Johnson is a PhD in English Language and an editor with over 15 years of experience. He earned his degree in English Language in the U.S and the UK. In 2020, Dr. Johnson joined the Traders Union team. Since then, he has created over 100 exclusive articles and edited over 300 articles of other authors.
The topics he covers include trading signals, cryptocurrencies, Forex brokers, stock brokers, expert advisors, binary options. He has also worked on the ratings of brokers and many other materials.
Dr. BJ Johnson’s motto: It always seems impossible until it’s done. You can do it.