Wasted time: why Hamster Kombat became the disappointment of the year

​Tapping the hamster? Not long ago, this was one of the most common questions in the crypto community. On the street, in public transport, at work—everywhere you looked, people were playing Hamster Kombat. But the project’s success was short-lived, and by 2025, it began fading into obscurity. So, what went wrong with the world’s most popular clicker game?

Why Hamster Kombat became popular

Hamster Kombat is a cryptocurrency-based clicker game launched in March 2024 as a mini-application on Telegram. The project was developed by a small team of creators inspired by the popularity of memes and the gamification trend in the crypto industry.

The gameplay was simple and straightforward—players tapped the screen to train their hamsters and earn in-game tokens. The game’s humor and simplicity quickly attracted a large audience. At its peak, Hamster Kombat had over 3 million concurrent players worldwide.

But why were people so drawn to this clicker game? The answer was, of course, the rewards. In addition to in-game tokens, the developers introduced a cryptocurrency, HMSTR, as the ecosystem’s main token, allowing players to withdraw their earnings.

Listing and disappointment

However, problems arose when it came to cashing out. For a long time, HMSTR was not listed on any exchange, and the development team remained vague about the listing date. This led to growing frustration within the community, with many accusing the project of being a scam.

Realizing the growing unrest, the developers announced in September 2024 that HMSTR would be listed on several trading platforms. On September 26, major crypto exchanges, including Binance, OKX, and Bybit, launched spot trading for the token.

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Initially, HMSTR traded at $0.011, with a market cap of $758 million. However, as millions of players rushed to cash out their tokens, the value quickly plummeted.

HMSTR Price Dynamics. Source: CoinMarketCap

The depreciation of HMSTR and a poorly received airdrop led to a mass exodus of players. By November, the game had just over 40 million monthly players, a sharp drop from the previous 300 million. The token's value also fell to $0.002431.

How much did players earn?

How much did players actually earn from "tapping the hamster"? Due to the token's low value, most players earned far less than they had hoped. 

While some top-tier accounts managed to cash out around $700, the majority of players earned between a few dollars and $50. For many, months of playing several hours a day were not worth such modest returns, leading to a mass departure from the game.

"Ambitious" plans

What is happening with Hamster Kombat now? Reports suggest the game still has about 30 million active players. The development team aims to "re-engage" first-season participants while attracting new players.

The developers do not view the player exodus as a failure, claiming it was "expected" as interest in the game "ebbs and flows." 

According to a project representative, "Since our project operates in seasons, this is entirely predictable. We are currently in an interim phase preparing for the launch of Season Two. Even now, our MAU remains above 30 million, reflecting sustained interest."

The team also announced plans to implement a Layer-2 network based on The Open Network (TON) blockchain, a decision supported by the majority of the community. The developers believe this upgrade will expand HMSTR’s use cases.

Are there any prospects for Hamster Kombat?

Recently, Bybit announced its decision to delist HMSTR due to low liquidity. The HMSTR/EUR trading pair will be removed on January 24.

The delisting is not surprising, and other exchanges are likely to follow suit. While Hamster Kombat initially attracted a massive audience with its simplicity and promise of "free money," it ultimately disappointed everyone. Players who spent months leveling up their characters earned only a few dollars, and exchanges lacked the liquidity to support the token.

By 2025, Hamster Kombat is mostly forgotten. Those who remain are likely playing out of habit rather than genuine interest. Despite promises of "new seasons" and "blockchain upgrades," the project's future looks bleak. HMSTR’s price continues to fall, players are leaving, and it’s unlikely Hamster Kombat will ever reclaim its former glory.