The crypto community has a direct interest in this particular domain because many projects are using blockchain technology and offer unique experiences coupled with an opportunity to profit from playing these games and participating in world-building. While some of these metaverses have demonstrated nothing but disappointment (Earth 2, for example), there is a handful of really interesting concepts that are in active development right now. Several of them already generate value and offer interesting products to their players.
We decided to take a closer look at how crypto used in metaverse projects can become valuable due to the rising popularity of these digital worlds. Promising ventures in the gaming industry and advanced concepts that are based on building a virtual economy are quite appealing for any avid crypto enthusiast to explore.
What is metaverse crypto development?
If you are looking for metaverse crypto to buy, you will be more than interested in blockchain-based games and projects that are being developed right now. In 2022, some of these companies are focusing on introducing new features and improving despite the so-called “crypto winter”. While some naysayers believe that investors should look away, we believe that the current situation in the market creates a perfect opportunity to start investing in some metaverse tokens on Coinbase and Binance.
If you are interested in where to buy metaverse crypto, the answer is quite simple: look for tokens on CEX platforms. Here are some places where you can find them:
- Coinbase — a US-based crypto exchange that focuses on providing retail traders access to all sorts of digital assets including tokens issued by gaming projects.
- Binance — an international exchange with the largest market share (over 17%) and a huge selection of NFTs, tokens, and derivatives based on crypto.
- OKX — an international exchange with some controversies on its track record but still used by millions across the globe.
Additionally, you can simply become a player on a platform and start earning coins by simply trying out a game.
Not sure which projects to check out? We’ve got you covered. Our list of 10 best metaverse crypto projects in 2024 will help you find games that are issuing tokens!
#1. Decentraland.
Started in 2018 and presented to the public in 2020, Decentraland has been one of the most talked about metaverse projects thanks to its immense potential demonstrated through already implemented features, polished visual presentation, and a solid road map that includes very interesting developments along the line. The main idea behind Decentraland is to create a virtual 3D space where users could generate content, trade, own land, and monetize their gameplay experience. The game is focused on foundational principles of web 2.0 with a healthy helping of new ideas from the web 3.0 philosophy.
The biggest selling point of the project is that users presumably have total ownership of anything that they create on the platform. You can build artwork and in-game items using the builder tool. There are already hundreds of creators who are using their skills to expand the currently existing metaverse by producing unique items that can be monetized at a moment’s notice. The platform also allows for the integration of different add-ons like multimedia applications.
One of the most valuable things that you can own in Decentraland is a parcel (or several) of land. These parcels are distributed as NFTs and can be traded on the marketplace and multiple third-party exchange platforms. Decentraland is not only for creators of digital art and interactive experiences, the metaverse regularly hosts interesting entertainment events where users can meet celebrities or simply hang out. How to buy metaverse crypto from this project? You can check out Opensea.io to look for NFTs and go to Binance to buy some tokens associated with Decentraland!
#2. Illuvium.
Illuvium is promising a unique experience of wandering in a world where fighting is not just entertainment but a way to make a profit! You can collect unique items and sell them on the marketplace while also continuing to grow your character!
Here are some unique features of this game:
- The RPG genre is a great fit for a metaverse project.
- Endless opportunities for role-playing.
- An extensive world is full of user-generated content.
- Immutable structure of a persistent world.
This metaverse has vast fields and forests where you can hunt, gather resources, fight mobs, and encounter so-called Illuvial creatures who are magical monsters that can be slain for experience and in-game currency. The game is not about mindless resource hoarding, there is a story that progresses along the timeline with many events leaving a mark on the world.
The Immutable X platform is the foundational component of the metaverse allowing it to keep the world persistent and ensure secure custody of any assets owned by players. With investments from multiple large players in the crypto industry like Lots Capital and Bitcoin.com, the game seems like a really promising project with a big dream about its future! The metaverse’s crypto is among the big winners in the market!
#3. Sandbox.
Initially touted as the biggest metaverse project of all, it is now one of the biggest, but certainly not the only one in the industry. Deployed on the layer 1 Ethereum mainnet, this decentralized world is all about user-generated content where everything is an NFT. While the NFT market is dwindling at the moment, the arrival of big corporations like Coca-Cola, Disney, FIFA, and Starbucks makes it more plausible that NFT-focused games like Sandbox have a bright future.
So far, Sandbox has been less exciting than Decentraland while offering a similar experience with land purchasing, event hosting, and other entertaining activities during which you can get NFTs and sell them later on for profit. It is still a very interesting world inhabited by thousands of players who are quite enthusiastic about the game’s future. However, it failed to garner the same level of popularity among gamers and crypto investors.
The decentralized governance of the game is a good idea on paper, but its realization may prove to be quite challenging considering how hard it is to moderate gaming communities. Nevertheless, the native token is one of the best metaverse coins to invest in.
#4. Axie Infinity.
While not exactly a metaverse, it is a very important gaming project that simply has to be included in the list of the best projects. Axie Infinity is an auto-battler with card game elements and a strong focus on collectibles. In this game, a player gathers a team of axies, small magical creatures that have unique stats and abilities. These teams battle against other teams and generate points allowing owners to climb the ranking.
While it is a very competitive game that can be quite challenging without investing a significant sum of money to build the initial team, it can be very fun for casual players. The Pay-to-win mechanic turned out to be quite destructive for the in-game economy which had to be fixed at some point due to hyperinflation.
Here are some things that you can earn and trade in the game:
- Axies — unique monsters represented by NFTs.
- Lands — battle locations that are unique and can be earned.
- Items and charms — consumable items that can be purchased with in-game currency.
While the main focus of the game is to promote PvP, there are also options for PvE enthusiasts and even people who are interested in simply building their teams of monsters. There are several tokens that players can obtain. You can find the native token and NFTs of the project on the Binance exchange platform.
#5. Cryptovoxels.
Ever wondered what would a 3D world comprised of voxels look like? This metaverse gives you a definitive answer without any compromises. Developed to be experienced on powerful PCs, the game features a lot of interesting visual mechanics and even supports VR devices to provide an immersive gaming experience.
It is a world focused on creating an authentic metaverse experience with a strong focus on purchasing and developing land, creating unique content, and hosting various events. While building structures and creating stuff can be quite fun, users are generally divided into two categories: creators and players. The first is selling ready-to-deploy items and buildings, and the latter owns land or participates in various in-game activities.
So far, this metaverse has been quite shallow in terms of the experiences it offers to players. The voxel graphic system is fine and looks cool at first, but the novelty quickly wears off. Cryptocurrency for metaverse activities can be purchased on multiple exchanges. The game also has a separate marketplace where users sell and buy unique NFTs representing land parcels and in-game items.
#6. Bloktopia.
Deployed on Polygon, Bloktopia is a 3D immersive experience that supports VR and offers unique features like studying, exploring, creating, and playing in an interesting virtual setting. The game is set in a big building that allows users to traverse between floors while interacting with various objects, reading entries in databases, watching videos, and playing different mini-games with other people.
The core idea is to create a virtual hub where users could meaningfully interact, share knowledge, and create unique content unavailable on other platforms. It is currently in an active development phase but looks unpolished. We will see how this ambitious project will fare in the nearest future. Currently, the dev team is building tools that allow users to interact. Visual fidelity is on a good level for a project at this stage. The recent update added voice communication.
With a strong focus on providing a place to learn about Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies as well as blockchain technology, this metaverse project is all about catering to the audience of crypto enthusiasts who want to have a unique place to hang out with like-minded individuals. It is on the official list of metaverse crypto projects because the token is still doing fine on exchanges with a $1,2 million daily trading volume.
#7. MetaHero.
This is one of the most ambitious metaverse projects on our list. The main goal of the development team is to create a unique experience by combining the 3D world and the real world by allowing users to scan their bodies in the real life and transforming them into lookalike 3D avatars that can go into other metaverse projects. It is a promising tech that focuses on the utilitarian aspect of game development by offering a product that will be interesting to both players and app builders.
There are several reasons why this particular project may be successful:
- The product is targeting multiple audiences including developers, app builders, and players.
- The technology is not groundbreaking but it has the potential to disrupt the market.
- META has been enjoying popularity among thousands of crypto enthusiasts.
Creating unique avatars, items, and other interesting objects to be uploaded in various metaverse projects is rewarded with NFTs and the native token which has been hovering over a respectable $11,8 million market cap with a daily trading volume of over $1,29 million. MetaHero aims to be a bridge between the physical world and a host of metaverse projects that use 3D engines to build their environments.
When it comes to the question of what crypto will profit from the metaverse craze, the HERO token immediately comes to mind. At the moment, the tech is still not finished, but the platform looks promising and offers a unique perspective on the whole concept of the metaverse.
#8. Star Atlas.
Among games that offer a unique gaming experience that can be appreciated by hardcore strategists, Star Atlas stands out by providing a world worth exploring thanks to great visual design and impressive artwork. Compared to many other metaverse projects, this one looks the most polished. While it is hard to call it a metaverse, it is certainly a large world that will be expanded in the future.
Currently, the gameplay is quite raw and requires some balancing. However, you can already own ships, structures, items, and other interesting items. With several thousand active players, the game looks promising and may fill the void where strategic games should be in the crypto gaming domain.
Star Atlas uses the Solana network and allows all users to use special native governance tokens to participate in the development process. POLIS is not that expensive but has surprisingly high liquidity for a token with a sub-$10 million market cap. The daily trading volume is above $1,38 million and activity is quite high. When buying crypto in the metaverse of this nature, you should check out the game. It shapes up to be a good experience first and a potentially good investment second.
#9. PlayDapp Town.
Initially developed by a Korean team of crypto enthusiasts, PlayDapp is now a special section in the Roblox world where users can mint their items, structures, and other objects. The Roblox company expects to see several games deployed on the PlayDapp platform by the end of 2022. With a strong focus on mini-games that can be integrated into the Roblox experience, the company hopes to introduce the concept of blockchain-based games to the mainstream audience.
Here are some of the games already deployed on the PlayDapp platform:
- Along with The Gods — MMORPG is playable on multiple platforms including Android.
- Dozer Treasure — an AR game that can be played on any Android device with a camera.
- DozerBird — a simple scroller released for Galaxy devices and browsers.
The focus of the project is to create a good monetization system in which all players could play-to-earn while having authentic fun. With over 24 million active players on the Roblox platform, this particular project has the highest chance of becoming the true representation of a blockchain-based metaverse with forays into different genres and worlds.
What crypto is used in the metaverse created by Roblox? We are not sure yet. PlayDapp has its own native token PLA that has an impressive $158 million market cap and over $8 million in daily trading volume. However, with Roblox entering the picture, it may soon change.
#10. Somnium Space.
This is one of those true metaverse projects that have a very passionate community and has been doing quite fine on the Steam market. The game has a virtual 3D world that looks a little bit rough on the edges but offers a complete experience with a promise to expand the game and its features in the nearest future. Among the biggest metaverse crypto platforms, this one is one of the smallest with relatively low liquidity and a surprisingly high market cap.
It is really hard to evaluate this project and its true potential, but it certainly has its perks. It is not as strongly focused on creating an authentic 3D VR experience. Instead, it focuses on deploying updates and creating more content to keep users interested.
Should you invest in metaverse projects?
It seems that many companies are looking into opportunities to explore the metaverse concept. The most obvious example is Meta, formerly known as Facebook. This company has been pushing the idea of the metaverse quite hard but received nothing but harsh criticism. It seems that the concept is still not accepted by the masses.
On the other hand, a metaverse seems to be a perfect fit for crypto enthusiasts and people who believe in the digitalization of all aspects of life. A metaverse does not necessarily have to be a 3D authentic world, it must be a place where people could go to escape from reality for a couple of hours, a persistent world where users have tangible ownership of in-game items and property.
Deciding which metaverse is the best right now is not possible because many projects are simply in active development and won’t be ready for public scrutiny by the end of 2024. It does not prevent us from speculating which projects will attract more attention and develop into independent, decentralized platforms that can survive on their own by simply offering a unique experience to users.
So far, not many metaverse projects are promising to achieve that. However, crypto-related to metaverse is something that we simply have to keep in mind with the success of projects like Decentraland and Sandbox. Something is appealing in the idea of owning things even if they are present only in the virtual world. If these worlds are good enough to spend some time in them, items in there can have a really high value.