Best NFT games to play in January 2023
With the expansion of the cryptocurrency industry, games based on the underlying blockchain technology are also becoming increasingly popular, relying on non-fungible tokens (NFT) as an important part of their ecosystems to allow users to play, discover, collect, trade and earn.
As the first month of the new year approaches, Finbold has conducted an in-depth analysis of several (both new and old) NFT gaming projects that should be on the to-do list of every blockchain and gaming enthusiast during this time.
Illuvium
An open-world sci-fi gaming experience, Illuvium takes the player through seven fully explorable alien landscapes built on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain, allowing them to investigate the cataclysmic events that led to the destruction of Illuvium, capture and trade NFT Illuvials, farm materials , earn ILV crypto tokens and more, while playing the game and competing in tournaments.
Meanwhile, the Illuvium team has recently announced that Illuvium: Zero, the third pillar of the core Illuvium experience, will enter the Private Alpha phase on January 6, 2023, and will be available to all Illuvium land holders.
Hurt
An NFT game that makes it easier to play, collect, compete, win and trade licensed digital cards on the Ethereum blockchain, Sorare features the world’s best players from all 30 official NBA rosters, 300 soccer clubs and 30 Major League Baseball (MLB)- team .
The Sorare developers often organize tournaments for their users, such as the one that joined the recent Mundial craze. Specifically, in November they launched Sorare: Global Cup ’22 β a tournament that allowed players to select, manage and strengthen their own teams to compete on match days and climb the leaderboards.
The Walking Dead: Empires
AMC’s The Walking Dead series now has a multiplayer strategy survival game. Set in the world of the iconic zombie series, The Walking Dead: Empires was created by Ember Entertainment and launched by Gala Games, and it allows players to team up, “scavenge, craft and fight to survive the walking dead”.
The first public playtest of the game, which also features familiar characters like Daryl Dixon, and land NFTs where players can build a safe haven for themselves and their allies against the army of the undead, was released on August 31, 2022, with the full launch announced for 2023.
Dogami
The world’s first Web3-based pet owner simulator, Dogami, was created on the Tezos (XTZ) blockchain as a mobile-first lifestyle game that allows players to raise a unique 3D puppy dog ββNFT (like a 90s Tamagochi), while time to earn DOGA tokens, expand your NFT collection and trade on the Dogami market.
Dogami has recently secured over $14 million in seed funding, led by European tech VC investor XAnge, who invested $7 million, after the game previously raised $6 million from the likes of Ubisoft, Animoca Brands, Tezos, and The Sandbox co-founders.
Success and popularity of NFT games
While these NFT-based games stand out, the industry is spilling over into the mainstream thanks to the big names in gaming taking an interest in the burgeoning technology, including Konami, which announced in October that it was looking for blockchain specialists to expand its metaverse and Web3 strategy.
On top of that, blockchain and metaverse games had received a whopping $1.3 billion in funding during the third quarter of 2022, as reported by Finbold. Furthermore, in November alone, Web3 games managed to raise over $320 million, demonstrating the sector’s resilience in the face of setbacks such as the FTX collapse.
Disclaimer: The content of this page should not be considered investment advice. Investment is speculative. When you invest, your capital is at risk.
