The 7 Best Metaverse Games to Play in Recent Years

What Is the Metaverse?

The excitement, anticipation, and confusion surrounding the metaverse mirror the early days of the Internet, which revolutionized information exchange and communication. Neal Stephenson first coined the term "metaverse" in his 1992 science fiction novel, envisioning it as a complete virtual world parallel to reality.

The metaverse primarily encompasses gaming, but it promises to expand far beyond games alone. The metaverse is a virtual world that offers simulated and shared experiences where users interact in real-time. It represents existing and future digital platforms that leverage Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to create immersive and interactive digital experiences. As technology continues to advance, the metaverse is evolving into a comprehensive ecosystem where users can work, play, socialize, and conduct business in virtual environments. This digital frontier combines blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs to create truly decentralized and user-owned virtual spaces.

What Are the Best Metaverse Games?

The metaverse gaming landscape has grown exponentially in recent years, offering diverse experiences that blend entertainment with economic opportunities. These games represent the cutting edge of blockchain gaming, where players can truly own their in-game assets and earn rewards through gameplay. The following games have established themselves as leaders in the metaverse space, each offering unique features and experiences that attract millions of users worldwide.

1. Axie Infinity

Launched in 2018, Axie Infinity has become one of the most popular metaverse games, pioneering the play-to-earn model that has inspired countless other projects. The gameplay is similar to Pokémon and requires players to collect, breed, grow, battle, and trade creatures called "Axies." These Axies are small creatures that function as NFTs, making them indivisible and unique digital assets with real-world value.

The game's economy is built around strategic gameplay and asset management. Players earn rewards in the form of NFTs or the platform's native tokens through various activities. Trainers can earn Smooth Love Potion (SLP) by achieving victories in the game's ranked Arena mode, which can then be traded or used for breeding new Axies. The game also features land gameplay, where players can acquire and develop virtual land plots. Axie Infinity has created a thriving ecosystem with millions of daily active users, particularly in developing countries where the play-to-earn model has provided significant economic opportunities. The game continues to evolve with regular updates and new features, maintaining its position as a leader in the blockchain gaming space.

2. The Sandbox

The Sandbox, originally a mobile game, was launched in 2010 and has undergone a remarkable transformation. In 2018, Animoca Brands acquired the platform and transformed it into a play-to-earn platform based on blockchain technology, revolutionizing the concept of user-generated content in gaming.

Players can buy and sell virtual real estate, organize events, and trade NFTs within the platform's expansive virtual world. The platform offers powerful creation tools including the Sandbox Game Maker and VoxEdit for creating NFTs and 3D models, empowering users to become content creators without requiring extensive technical knowledge. This democratization of content creation has led to a vibrant ecosystem where artists, game developers, and brands can showcase their creativity.

The platform has attracted major partnerships with brands and celebrities, who have purchased virtual land to create unique experiences for their communities. Users can monetize their creations by selling them as NFTs or by charging admission to experiences they build on their land. The Sandbox has successfully bridged the gap between traditional gaming and blockchain technology, making it accessible to both crypto-natives and mainstream gamers.

What Is SAND?

The SAND token is the primary currency and ERC-20 token used for purchasing virtual land, trading NFTs, and customizing avatars within The Sandbox ecosystem. It serves as the backbone of the platform's economy, facilitating all transactions and interactions.

SAND holders can participate in decision-making processes through a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO), giving them a voice in the platform's future development and governance. This includes voting on platform upgrades, content moderation policies, and fund allocation for ecosystem growth. The token also serves as a staking mechanism, where holders can stake their SAND to earn rewards and gain additional benefits within the platform. The utility and governance features of SAND make it more than just a currency; it represents true ownership and participation in the platform's success.

3. Decentraland

Decentraland is a pioneering virtual reality platform where users can purchase in-game items and plots of virtual land known as "LAND." Purchasing a plot grants an ERC-721 token (NFT) that indicates unique ownership, recorded permanently on the blockchain.

The platform offers unprecedented creative freedom, allowing landowners to build virtually anything on their parcels. Users can rent out spaces for advertising, develop them into venues such as concert stadiums, art galleries, or virtual stores, or create interactive experiences for other users to enjoy. The ecosystem is limited to 90,601 plots of LAND, creating scarcity and value for property owners.

Decentraland has become a hub for virtual events, with major brands and artists hosting product launches, concerts, and exhibitions. The platform's open-source nature allows developers to create custom applications and experiences, fostering innovation and diversity in content. Users can explore the vast virtual world, attend events, play games, and socialize with others from around the globe, all while potentially earning income from their virtual properties.

MANA, the platform's native token, has two primary roles: it can be used to purchase LAND and other items within the ecosystem, and holders can participate in platform governance decisions through a DAO. This dual utility ensures that MANA remains central to the Decentraland experience, driving both economic activity and community involvement.

4. Illuvium

Illuvium is an "AAA, 3D blockchain" game with an alien theme that pushes the boundaries of what blockchain gaming can achieve. Players track and capture mystical creatures called Illuvials, which inhabit a beautifully rendered alien world filled with diverse biomes and landscapes.

As tradeable NFTs, the value of Illuvials increases with their rarity and strength level, creating a dynamic marketplace where strategic collection and development can yield significant returns. Players can discover equipment such as armor and weapons to enhance their Illuvials' combat capabilities, and win the game's cryptocurrency, ILV, by competing in battles and completing challenges. This earned ILV can be traded on IlluviDEX, the platform's decentralized exchange.

The game features stunning graphics that rival traditional AAA titles, demonstrating that blockchain games can compete with mainstream gaming in terms of visual quality and gameplay depth. Illuvium combines elements of open-world exploration, auto-battler combat, and strategic collection, appealing to both hardcore gamers and crypto enthusiasts. The game's economy is carefully designed to balance earning potential with engaging gameplay, ensuring long-term sustainability and player retention.

5. My Neighbor Alice

My Neighbor Alice stands out by welcoming players without prior experience in cryptocurrencies, blockchain, or NFTs, making it an ideal entry point for newcomers to the metaverse. Set in the Lummelunda archipelago, the game offers a peaceful environment for community interaction and virtual land ownership, reminiscent of popular life simulation games but with blockchain integration.

Players contribute to the ecosystem through various activities such as fishing, beekeeping, and insect catching, earning rewards while enjoying a relaxing gaming experience. The game emphasizes social interaction and creativity, allowing players to customize their islands, participate in community events, and collaborate with neighbors on shared projects.

The native cryptocurrency is the ALICE token, which is used for purchasing land, items, and in-game assets. The game's approachable design and gentle learning curve make blockchain technology accessible to mainstream audiences, potentially accelerating adoption of metaverse gaming. My Neighbor Alice demonstrates that blockchain games can be both fun and financially rewarding without requiring deep technical knowledge or significant upfront investment.

6. Alien Worlds

Alien Worlds is a free-to-play play-to-earn metaverse based on traveling to alien worlds and mining Trilium (TLM) or NFTs. The game features a vast universe with multiple planets, each with unique characteristics and mining opportunities. There are more than 300 different NFTs to collect, ranging from tools and weapons to land and avatars, each with varying rarity and utility.

The game's objectives include multiple engaging activities that keep players invested in the ecosystem. Players can mine or acquire more than 300 NFTs by exploring different planets and participating in various activities. They can participate in planetary governance through DAOs, influencing the rules and reward structures of individual planets. Players can rent spaceships to travel to distant planets with better mining opportunities, compete against other players in battles and missions to win rewards, and contribute to the governance system of Alien Worlds by staking TLM and voting on proposals.

The game's economy is built on a multi-planetary system where each planet operates semi-independently, creating diverse opportunities and strategies for players. This complexity adds depth to the gameplay while maintaining accessibility for new users. Alien Worlds has built a strong community of players who actively participate in both gameplay and governance, demonstrating the potential of decentralized gaming ecosystems.

7. Bloktopia

Bloktopia is a major decentralized metaverse built on the Polygon network, offering an immersive VR experience that stands out for its unique architectural concept. The platform is designed as a decentralized VR skyscraper with 21 floors, a number chosen to honor the 21 million maximum supply of certain major cryptocurrencies.

It serves as an educational and entertainment hub, offering interactive spaces such as gaming areas, conference rooms, and areas for brands to establish their presence. Each floor can be customized and developed by landowners, creating a vertical city of diverse experiences and opportunities. The platform combines education with entertainment, hosting tutorials, workshops, and events that help users learn about blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies while having fun.

The native token is $BLOK, which is used for in-game transactions, purchasing virtual real estate (REBLOK), and acquiring advertising rights (ADBLOK). REBLOK holders can generate passive income by renting out their spaces or selling advertising opportunities. ADBLOK holders can display advertisements throughout the skyscraper, reaching the platform's growing user base. This multi-layered economy creates various revenue streams for participants, from content creators to investors and advertisers.

Bloktopia has attracted partnerships with major cryptocurrency projects and brands, who use the platform to engage with the crypto community in innovative ways. The VR experience is optimized for both VR headsets and traditional screens, ensuring accessibility for all users regardless of their hardware capabilities.

The Metaverse: The Next Frontier of Crypto Gaming

The metaverse has already begun its impressive journey, driven by technological advances and innovative concepts that continue to push the boundaries of what's possible in digital spaces. The integration of blockchain technology, NFTs, and cryptocurrencies has created new paradigms for digital ownership and economic participation, fundamentally changing how we think about virtual worlds.

In the coming years, the metaverse is destined to become a major player in the digital entertainment industry, potentially reshaping how we interact with technology and with each other in virtual spaces. As VR and AR technologies become more accessible and affordable, the barrier to entry for metaverse experiences will continue to decrease, driving mainstream adoption. The play-to-earn model pioneered by these games has demonstrated that virtual activities can have real-world economic value, creating opportunities for users worldwide to participate in the digital economy.

The convergence of gaming, social interaction, commerce, and finance within metaverse platforms represents a fundamental shift in how we conceive of digital spaces. These platforms are not just games; they are evolving into complete virtual societies with their own economies, governance systems, and cultural norms. As technology continues to advance and more users embrace these virtual worlds, the metaverse will likely become an integral part of daily life for millions of people, blurring the lines between physical and digital reality.

FAQ

What are metaverse games and how do they differ from traditional games?

Metaverse games offer immersive experiences through VR/AR devices, enabling players to inhabit virtual worlds with true digital ownership via blockchain. Unlike traditional games confined to screens, metaverse games feature persistent environments, player-owned assets, and real economic value through tokenization and NFTs.

2024年最受欢迎的元宇宙游戏有哪些？

2024年最受欢迎的元宇宙游戏包括Otherside、Pudgy World、Decentraland、Illuvium和The Sandbox。这些游戏凭借独特的游戏体验和强大的社区参与度吸引了大量玩家。

How do I start playing metaverse games? What preparation do I need?

To begin, choose a compatible device, create a gaming account, and download your preferred metaverse game. Most popular options like Roblox require minimal setup. You may optionally acquire in-game currency for enhanced experiences. Start with free-to-play titles to explore before investing further.

Can metaverse games make money? What are the revenue models?

Yes, metaverse games generate revenue through multiple channels: in-game asset sales, virtual real estate transactions, play-to-earn tokens, sponsorships, advertising, and virtual services. Players can earn through gameplay rewards, trading digital assets, and creating content.

Do I need to purchase NFTs to play metaverse games? What is the approximate cost?

Playing metaverse games doesn't necessarily require NFT purchases, but participation costs typically range from tens to hundreds of yuan depending on the specific game. Most games allow free entry with optional NFT purchases for enhanced features.

What are the risks of metaverse games and what should I pay attention to?

Metaverse games carry risks including motion sickness, nausea, dizziness, eye strain, and neck fatigue from prolonged immersion. Distracted attention while playing may endanger yourself or others nearby. Ensure proper breaks, maintain awareness of surroundings, and moderate usage time.

Axie Infinity、Decentraland等热门游戏各有什么特色？

Axie Infinity focuses on pet collection and battle gameplay with earning rewards. Decentraland emphasizes virtual land ownership and social interaction. The Sandbox offers strong game creation tools and user-generated content, allowing players to build and monetize custom games and assets.

What are the computer configuration and network requirements for metaverse games?

Metaverse games require high-performance computers with advanced graphics cards and multi-core processors, plus stable high-speed internet with low latency to support large data transmission and immersive experiences.