The Ultimate Guide to Play-to-Earn (P2E) Web3 Games in 2025

Based on our thorough assessment, these are the top NFT games today:

IN - Match3

If you want to take part in epic gaming battles and adventures on your own or with a clan, IN is a great option. Here, you can build NFT equipment, power-ups, and boosters using the TIN you earn. You can then use them or trade them in the marketplace. However, the actual game is simple: just match three symbols and go on your way!

And as you develop the city and create more buildings, you’ll be able to unlock more gaming possibilities. Players will enjoy how they almost never repeat the same missions, keeping the experience fresh, even with daily play.

Sunflower Land

We recommend looking into Sunflower Land if you like engaging with the gaming community. Here, the community itself (and yes, this includes you!) oversees the tokenomics, crafts NFTs, and manages the other resources.

Reminiscent of the old-school Farmville from the early days of Facebook, Sunflower Land lets you grow crops, gather resources, and create items for farm expansion. Apart from actual playing, you can participate in seasonal events and trade NFTs to improve your earning potential.

The Sandbox

Think about real estate but in the virtual world. That’s what The Sandbox has made possible. Here, the lands are the NFTs. It mirrors the real world but with a clean slate. You can own properties in the most sought-after locations on Earth.

And in The Sandbox, there are a lot of experiences that you can engage in. Right now, trending Web 3 gaming options include Hide or Die, Cursed Lands Lagoon, and Deadly Football. Whether you want to create NFT assets, build experiences, or just have some fun, this is definitely worth exploring.

Life2app

Imagine getting coins and NFTs for being socially active. That’s what Life2app makes possible. This is one of the most innovative concepts of all reputable play-to-earn Web3 games. Going around places and meeting with friends gets you rewarded.

If you want to earn NFTs specifically, you’ll need some achievements. You can also use earned coins to purchase NFT accessories and items that you can use in the game.

Axie Infinity

Axie Infinity was trending for a long time and for a good reason. The super cute battling Axies (which are also the game’s NFTs) even captivated the attention of people who initially showed little interest in P2E gaming.

Here, you can also farm resources, attack dungeons, and battle other players. Earn SLP tokens when you play and strategize how to conquer your enemies.

Play-to-earn games are entertainment options that give you the opportunity to earn crypto coins and NFTs when you play. The amount you earn will depend on the game mechanics.

How P2E Games Work

Earning is made possible thanks to these three elements:

• Blockchain and smart contracts. Smart contracts mean that when specific conditions are met, certain elements will be triggered. In the case of gaming, completing the missions, for example, will trigger the reward. All the transactions initiated through smart contracts or by users are recorded in a blockchain to ensure transparency.
• Game tokens and cryptocurrencies. These are in-game cryptos that are required for certain functions. For example, for Axie Infinity, you need SLP to create Axies.
• NFTs. Non-fungible tokens or NFTs can come in the form of in-game weapons, characters, and anything else that may be relevant. You can buy, sell, and trade these in marketplaces.

Play-to-Earn vs Free-to-Play vs Pay-to-Play

Here, we’ve discussed play-to-earn games. To better understand how these work, let’s discuss how they compare to free-to-play and pay-to-play:

Blockchain gaming trends are leaning towards free-to-play. This is in line with most mobile gaming apps today. However, it’s important to remember that the three categories in the table above are not mutually exclusive. For example, you’ll usually see free-to-play and play-to-earn features in one game.

Web 3 gaming is highly accessible. Still, there are precautions and considerations that you should take at every stage. We’ll detail the general steps that you have to go through. These begin with choosing a game and conclude with earning NFTs.

Step #1: Selecting a Game

Now, this is the most important part! For the selection process, consider the following:

• Type of game. Are you into battle, mini-games, card games, or any other specific type? Select something that you’ll truly enjoy since your goal is to play and not just to earn.
• Ways to earn. Apart from completing missions, it’s possible to earn through staking, a liquidity pool, and trading. It’s best to have at least two ways to earn.
• Developer. There should be a reputable developer behind the project to ensure that it won’t end in a rug pull.
• General sentiment of P2E players. Are players generally satisfied with the project? Here, you want to check that it’s really delivering what’s promised.
• Investment required. If you want to test the game before investing money, then we recommend free-to-play options. However, there’s no right or wrong choice here.

We suggest starting off your search with our list games. The top five options we mentioned are based on our thorough assessment, ensuring that you select something that will not get you scammed.

Step #2: Set Up a Crypto Wallet

If you already have one, verify that you can connect it with the game that you picked. If you can, then that’s great news! Otherwise, go with a compatible and trusted option like MetaMask, Ronin Wallet, and Phantom Wallet.

No matter what kind of wallet you end up with, the process is practically the same. First, download the app or extension, then create your wallet and connect it to the gaming platform.

Step #3: Invest Crypto or NFTs

If you go with a game that requires an initial investment, you need to transfer coins into your crypto wallet and then to the gaming platform. Even with established games, we recommend starting small.

After all, you can only really determine if you like the game when you start playing or use demo mode. This way, you can minimize losses if it turns out that it’s not a good fit.

Step #4: Play and Start Earning

Enjoy the game and start earning coins and NFTs. Make sure that you truly understand the game mechanics so that you don’t end up making potentially costly moves.

Take note that there may be other ways to earn apart from actually playing. Assess the risk of each method before putting any money down.

Step #5: Cash Out Your Earnings

To cash out, you’ll need to sell your NFTs on an in-game marketplace or a third-party platform like OpenSea. The resale value depends on market demand, so timing your sale strategically can maximize profits.

As long as they’re running on the same blockchain, you can use your crypto wallet to complete the transfer. For example, MetaMask is ETH-based. If the NFT is ETH-based as well, then the transfer can proceed.

Before you start playing, you need to understand the economics behind these games. By doing so, you’ll see what your options are. More importantly, this will allow you to determine which projects are solid and which you should avoid.

How Can You Make Money?

Apart from the play element (completing missions, battling against players, and the like), there are other ways for you to earn:

• Staking. This involves locking up in-game tokens or NFTs in a smart contract to earn rewards, typically in the form of additional tokens. The reward rate depends on the game’s staking model, tokenomics, and overall network activity
• Trading NFTs. You can trade your NFTs for crypto coins or other NFTs to generate profit. Here, your profitability depends on the trades that you make.
• Liquidity pools and yield farming. Some P2E games incorporate liquidity pools and staking mechanisms, allowing players to earn rewards by providing liquidity to in-game token markets.

All these methods come with their own advantages and disadvantages, which we’ll talk about in the next section.

What Are the Risks and Rewards of Investing in P2E Games?

The risks and rewards differ across the different earning methods. We’ve summarized all of these in the table below:

With all P2E investments, there’s a regulatory risk. Many governments are increasingly cracking down on crypto-based gaming due to concerns about gambling and financial speculation.

Use this information to make an informed decision about which earning avenues you should focus on. These are also highly generalized assessments of risk and rewards. We recommend taking a closer look at any project that you want to get involved in.

Sustainability of P2E Models and Potential Market Crashes

Sustainability spells stability, ensuring that players can continue to use a platform to play and earn. Unfortunately, a lot of games face challenges in this regard due to the following:

• Oversupply of tokens and NFTs. The initial hype may encourage the production of more NFTs and tokens to keep up with the demand. However, once that hype dies down and the production isn’t adjusted accordingly, there will be an oversupply. This means the value of the NFTs can crash.
• Ponzi-like earning model. If the play-to-earn gaming model depends on rewards for referrals, it may collapse once recruitment slows down.
• No real-world utility. If the NFTs earned can’t be used outside the game, how much they are worth is based completely on their perceived value. And once enough people catch on to the fact that they can’t use them outside the game, the demand will dwindle.

Sustainability relies on controlling inflation to avoid devastating crashes. Companies will benefit from building long-term partnerships with reliable developers. That’s why some major Web3 gaming companies have pivoted away from "play-to-earn" to "play-and-own" or "play-to-fun" models.

If the experience is actually enjoyable, it will also be easier to build and maintain a large roster of players. As a result, crashes will be less likely.

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Responsible gaming doesn’t just apply to NFT casinos. You should also keep these measures in mind as you enjoy the best P2E games in 2025. While many options allow you to get started for free, most players invest real crypto funds or cash to get ahead more quickly. This is when the principles of responsible gaming apply. These include:

• Investing only money you can afford to lose
• Understanding that positive returns are not guaranteed
• Taking frequent breaks from your gaming session
• Making sure that you truly understand the concept and earning mechanics
• Setting limits on how long you play and how much you invest

Like gaming options that aren’t categorized as play-to-earn, there are usually no safeguards against playing too much. So, we recommend taking this seriously.

As exciting as it may be to earn money by playing, you should still exercise due diligence. To make sure that Web 3 play-to-earn games are a good fit, see how you feel about the main advantages and disadvantages:

The cons are used as arguments against play-to-earn vs free-to-play games. However, remember that these are not mutually exclusive. Ultimately, your odds of winning always depend on the play-to-earn Web3 games you choose.

If you want to take your first steps into the world of cryptocurrencies and NFTs without making an initial cash investment, this is the way to go. Assuming that you choose a solid project, the odds of a rug pull are very low. However, remember that NFTs can fluctuate wildly in value. This is an inherent risk that you must take into account if you want to pursue Web3 games.

However, if you’re just out to have fun, then go for it! Getting potentially valuable NFTs is a huge plus that will make gaming even more worth it.