Money-Making Games: Top 23 Projects for Earning

An Introduction to GameFi

You no longer need to go to an office to earn income. In today's digital age, there are countless alternative earning opportunities, and play-to-earn games have emerged as one of the most compelling. These projects transform gaming into a genuine source of income, merging entertainment with financial rewards. In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at how to profit from gameplay, what realistic earnings look like, and highlight the top 23 GameFi projects with high potential.

Play-to-Earn Games: Top 23 Projects

For those actively exploring income opportunities in gaming, BeInCrypto has curated a detailed overview of the best GameFi projects. Each featured game brings unique monetization mechanics and offers multiple ways for players to earn.

Hamster Kombat

Hamster Kombat is an engaging Telegram clicker game where users earn in-game coins simply by tapping on a hamster image. The gameplay is straightforward and effective—players use collected coins to buy upgrades that dramatically boost passive income.

The game has achieved phenomenal popularity, attracting 250 million players worldwide. Its explosive growth has positioned the project for a Guinness World Record for fastest audience acquisition.

Developers delivered on their promise, conducting an airdrop of HMSTR tokens for active users. While initial excitement has naturally subsided, ongoing platform development and new features keep gamers engaged. The team continues to expand gameplay options and introduce new monetization methods.

OKX Racer

According to developers, OKX Racer is an exciting adventure centered on predicting Bitcoin price movements. Players compete to accurately forecast short-term price trends—whether Bitcoin will rise or fall.

Accurate predictions allow players to accumulate points and build winning streaks, unlocking bonus multipliers. Special in-game boosts temporarily enhance player abilities for better results. Additional points are awarded for inviting new users and completing special developer challenges.

In early 2025, a major v2 update introduced weekly leaderboards offering real USDT stablecoin prizes, increasing both competition and the project’s appeal to serious players.

The Whale App Bot

Whale is a new Telegram app from fintech company Wirex, enabling users to earn rewards for participating in various in-app activities. The project’s core concept turns user attention into a valuable resource, which developers reward with real bonuses.

Users can earn WXW tokens by inviting friends through referrals, joining crypto education events, completing daily tasks, and engaging with app features. Earned tokens unlock exclusive partner airdrops and new game levels with higher rewards.

Whale is integrated with Wirex’s global infrastructure, letting users spend crypto earnings at over 80 million merchants worldwide using special crypto cards. The app is designed to offer a fair and engaging platform where user activity and attention convert into real money.

Blum

Blum Crypto Bot is a Telegram game developed by former executives of a major crypto exchange. In this tap-to-earn game, users earn crypto by farming BP coins, participating in dynamic drop games, and completing various tasks.

Mining BP tokens is simple and doesn’t require constant attention—just tap a button several times a day to collect your coins. Beyond basic farming, players can join fast-paced drop games for extra bonuses based on speed and reflexes.

The game also offers a strong referral program, allowing users to earn passive income by inviting new participants. For every friend and their gameplay activity, bonus coins are awarded, enabling multi-level earning opportunities.

Zavod

ZAVOD is an innovative clicker game fully integrated with the MDAO Telegram wallet, where users earn ZP tokens by completing virtual work tasks. Players can upgrade virtual factories, systematically increasing productivity and income using a comprehensive upgrade system.

Players accumulate ZP tokens and strategically reinvest them to boost production levels, unlock new features, buy better equipment, and climb the player rankings.

The game features rich social elements—players can join unions or form their own groups to earn team bonuses and compete in large-scale group contests. A referral program offers 20% of each invited player’s earnings, providing an additional passive income stream.

City Holder

City Holder is a Build-to-Earn game where players construct and develop their own virtual cities, compete with others, and earn CITY tokens for their achievements.

Players have full strategic control—deciding which buildings to construct, what infrastructure to develop, and how to optimize city spaces to attract the most virtual residents. Competing with other players enables progress through rankings and leagues, earning extra CITY tokens and exclusive rewards for top achievements.

City Holder lets players build and manage their own virtual empire for steady income from city growth. Developers plan for CITY tokens to be tradable on major crypto platforms, providing real liquidity for in-game assets.

Splinterlands

Splinterlands is a leading card game on the Hive blockchain where players battle monsters for valuable rewards. Activities range from daily quests to large tournaments and competitive ranked battles. In 2025, Splinterlands boasts 36,000–38,000 daily active players and over 55 million monthly battles.

The game is almost fully localized in Russian, making it accessible for Russian-speaking players. The official website provides comprehensive tutorials for newcomers.

Cards are the main income source and can be exchanged for crypto. In-game, cards customize character abilities and boost battle stats. Players trade cards on NFT platforms for profit, with additional earnings from ranked seasons and daily tournaments featuring cash prizes.

Splinterlands is available for both mobile and desktop devices.

Chainmonsters

Chainmonsters is a cross-platform online RPG integrated with the Flow blockchain. Players capture unique digital monsters, engage in battles, and trade earned assets. The game launched in Early Access on Steam in 2025.

Players can earn by selling collectible items and rare monsters, which exist as NFTs. The rarer and stronger the monster, the higher its market value.

Gods Unchained

Gods Unchained exemplifies play-to-earn gaming with no upfront investment. Players build strategic card decks, each card minted as an NFT, which can be freely traded on the in-platform marketplace for real money.

The platform uses a native governance token, GODS, for marketplace transactions and rewards. In early 2025, developers migrated to Immutable zkEVM and launched Battle Pass season two, offering expanded earning opportunities.

Coin Hunt World

Coin Hunt World is a crypto-based augmented reality game, similar to Pokémon Go. Instead of hunting Pokémon, players search for real crypto and valuable NFTs in the physical world. After a major rebrand, the project is now promoted as Cubieverse.

Coins and tokens found in-game can be traded or sold on exchanges. The project enables conversion of crypto and NFTs into real money via exchanges. Coin Hunt World is a popular choice for mobile play-to-earn gamers, available only as an iOS and Android app.

The Sandbox

The Sandbox is a three-dimensional metaverse packed with gaming features. Players create their own games and unique digital assets using free tools. Developers position The Sandbox as the blockchain version of Minecraft. The project claims 5.7 million registered accounts and over 1,000 user-generated worlds.

Players monetize virtual items in the ecosystem and sell them for SAND tokens, which are exchangeable for other cryptocurrencies.

DeFi Degen Land

DeFi Degen Land is an online metaverse with advanced gaming and NFT interaction.

The project supports BSC and Crypto.org blockchains. Upon entering, users select their preferred blockchain for transactions, allowing flexible asset management.

Crypto Royale

Crypto Royale is another standout play-to-earn game requiring no initial investment. Players battle in fast-paced PvP matches for real cryptocurrency—perfect for space and arcade fans.

The game runs on the Harmony blockchain, enabling rapid, low-cost transactions. Winners receive ROY tokens, which can be collected and exchanged for other crypto.

Worldwide Webb

Worldwide Webb is a large-scale metaverse with multiplayer gaming and robust social features. Advanced NFT tools let users create everything from digital pets to land and complex quests.

Players earn income by selling digital creations to other users. Additional earnings come from completing mini-games and tasks set by the developers.

Nine Chronicles

Nine Chronicles is a role-playing game with a novel mechanic—players mine the native NCG coin directly as they play. Constant character upgrades are needed to stay competitive in battles against other players.

Earned crypto can be freely exchanged for other digital coins or withdrawn as fiat on crypto platforms. Developers upgraded the network to a more efficient Proof-of-Stake algorithm and launched World 9 with expanded features.

Black Eye Galaxy

Black Eye Galaxy is an NFT game supporting Ethereum and BSC networks. Players explore deep space with digital spaceships and NFTs.

On virtual planets, users mine valuable resources, build civilizations, and advance technology. The project enables play-to-earn income by selling artifacts and resources collected in-game, with sales taking place on the internal marketplace.

The BYG token is used for in-game transactions.

Space Misfits

Space Misfits is a multiplayer online game on the Enjin blockchain set in a richly detailed 3D universe.

Players explore the cosmos, discovering valuable digital resources to sell on the marketplace. The game features a complex economy with two cryptocurrencies: SMCW (governance) and BITS (in-game currency).

The platform is currently in beta. In 2025, SMCW’s price dropped below $0.001 and trading volumes are minimal, creating a serious liquidity risk for selling assets.

Space Cartels Hacking

Space Cartels Hacking develops logic and strategic thinking. Inspired by the classic puzzle "Mastermind," developers created their own concept. Unlike the original, Space Cartels Hacking is a mobile play-to-earn game with an engaging story and quality graphics.

Players hack the global banking system using intelligence and logic. Success requires cracking hundreds of encrypted codes, found only by solving thousands of increasingly complex puzzles.

Real earnings are available through PvP battles, where mental agility is the main weapon. The game is available for Android devices.

MOOW

MOOW’s developers claim they’ve seamlessly combined art, crypto, sports, and gaming mechanics in one ecosystem:

• The team created an exclusive NFT collection, each token an original digital artwork
• Earning in MOOW requires physical activity, with an innovative system rewarding steps and exercise with tokens and prizes
• MOOW offers diverse games and activities for extra income
• The project’s TAC cryptocurrency was listed on a major exchange in August 2023
• The team is actively promoting a Sleep-to-Earn mode for earning while asleep

Veggies Farm

Veggies Farm is a virtual farm built and managed on your mobile device. Players "plant" crops, care for them, and harvest yields as valuable digital assets. The game also lets users mine gold and collect rare artifacts. Later, farm "produce" NFTs can be sold on the marketplace or traded for other assets.

Players can also earn by winning strategic battles—building armies of hired units, fighting for resources, and defending land against rivals.

Veggies Farm rewards users with Polygon’s MATIC tokens. For extra bonuses and faster progress, developers recommend daily visits and regular task completion.

XANA

XANA is a metaverse featuring the strategic NFT card game NFTDuel. Players carefully build card combinations and collections of digital attributes to outsmart opponents in tactical matches.

The stronger and more varied the deck, the greater the chance of victory in tough battles. Extra coins are awarded via daily activity rewards, and seasonal prizes go to top-ranked players on tournament leaderboards.

Upland

Upland is a metaverse that closely simulates real-world economics. Players build business empires, launch ventures, hunt for virtual treasures, and join mini-games, monetizing all activity.

Every object is a digital token, allowing real-money sales on the marketplace. The more active and successful the player, the more assets and higher earnings they achieve.

Upland is a mobile play-to-earn game requiring no upfront investment. Developers sustain engagement through regular seasonal events, such as Blossom Season 2025 with exclusive rewards.

Illuvium

Illuvium is a sci-fi adventure game set in a mysterious universe populated by unique Illuvials. As of early 2025, the open beta is live for Windows and macOS, and staking is available through Illuvidex.

Players earn by collecting rare Illuvials and selling them, gathering resources, and competing in PvP battles for prizes. All digital assets can be traded on the built-in marketplace.

Although Illuvium has a governance token (ILV), developers primarily reward players in Ethereum for maximum liquidity. Illuvium stands out with AAA-level graphics and a deeply developed story, making it a top choice for mobile play-to-earn gaming.

Play-to-Earn Game Mechanics and Principles

The segment of games offering real earnings is called GameFi—combining "game" and "finance." It's also known as play-to-earn (P2E), meaning "play to earn."

Project mechanics vary, but most play-to-earn games let players earn crypto or NFTs, which can be exchanged for cash or other digital assets on specialized platforms.

P2E games surged in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions. When many lost income sources during lockdowns, GameFi projects helped users tackle financial challenges. For instance, people in the Philippines used their free time to earn with Axie Infinity, sometimes making more than the average national salary.

P2E games are especially popular in developing countries, where playing can be more profitable than seeking low-wage traditional jobs.

Potential Earnings from Play-to-Earn Games: Real Data

Actual earnings depend on initial investment, time commitment, player skill, and the game economy’s current state.

Reports show Axie Infinity can generate $7–$13 per day with consistent play. Some experienced players earn up to $2,000 per month with significant time investment. The average income for active Axie Infinity players is about $450 monthly.

To start earning, you’ll need to invest several hundred dollars to buy a starter team—entry averages $600. Cheaper teams are less competitive, and saving on initial investment can lead to losses and loss of funds.

The first month’s goal is to recover your investment. On average, net profit is achievable after about 1.5 months of active play.

Earnings from play-to-earn projects vary widely by game and market conditions. Before choosing, research real player reviews on forums and communities to objectively assess investment, earning potential, and payback timeline.

FAQ

What are play-to-earn games? How can you earn real income by gaming?

Play-to-earn games let players earn in-game currency by completing tasks and challenges, which can then be converted to real money. Earnings depend on game mechanics, player skill, and activity—more time invested means higher potential profit.

Which play-to-earn game projects are most popular today? What sets them apart?

Top platforms offer hundreds of play-to-earn games, with players earning 100–300 yuan per day. Key features include fast payouts, diverse game selection, user-friendly interfaces, and reliable payments.

What are the withdrawal thresholds for these games? How quickly are funds paid out?

No withdrawal thresholds. Funds are typically received within five hours. For amounts over 500 yuan, it may take up to a day, but payment is guaranteed within 24 hours.

Is it really safe to make money from these games? What are the risks and pitfalls?

Play-to-earn games carry serious risks: hidden fees, impossible withdrawal conditions, requirements for excessive video uploads and app installs. Many companies are unverified and collect personal data. Real earnings are minimal compared to the time spent.

How can you identify fraudulent play-to-earn game projects?

Verify the official website, check independent user reviews, and confirm licensing and registration. Avoid phishing sites that request passwords. Scams often promise unrealistic profits and disappear after collecting funds. Choose established platforms with transparent histories.

Which play-to-earn game is the most profitable?

ShangBangZhuan is currently the most profitable play-to-earn game, offering steady income from game tasks. Other projects are less competitive in payout speed and profitability.

How can beginners start playing play-to-earn games? Do you need to invest personal funds?

Yes, an initial deposit is typically required. Most games have high payout thresholds. Start with a small amount and carefully review the terms before participating.

How are play-to-earn games different from traditional games? Why can you withdraw real money?

Play-to-earn (GameFi) games let players earn and withdraw real crypto assets, unlike traditional games where earnings are only virtual. Blockchain integration ensures true ownership of digital assets and enables conversion to cash.