Airdrop season is in full swing, with apps, protocols, and other projects seizing upon signs this spring's bear market vibes to finally drop their tokens—and potentially reward millions of crypto users in the process.
What exactly is an airdrop, though? When it comes to crypto tokens, an airdrop is typically a way for a project to reward its early users and contributors by giving them a share of a newly launched token, all while spreading the tokens far and wide for decentralized governance.
When it comes to blockchain networks and tokens primed specifically for gaming, there are some pretty compelling airdrops on the horizon in the months ahead. Here’s a look at what’s coming for gamers—there may still be time to get involved and score some tokens ahead.
Hamster Kombat
Notcoin ended up being quite the big deal, with the Telegram-based clicker game amassing 35 million players ahead of May's airdrop—and then the price surged in early June as The Open Network-based token flourished. Now there's a new game on Telegram that's following a similar model.
The Next Notcoin? Telegram-Based Game ‘Hamster Kombat’ to Launch Token on TON
Hamster Kombat, the latest in a growing pile of crypto games that have been deployed on popular messaging app Telegram, is set to launch a token on The Open Network (TON). The crypto management simulation game claims to have amassed 60 million users since its launch in March. It has the largest Telegram channel with 20 million subscribers, according to TelegramChannels—that’s 13 million subscribers ahead of Notcoin’s own community. Telegram games have had a recent rise in popularity following t...
Hamster Kombat similarly revolves around tapping or clicking the screen, but there's more to do with your earned coins. That's because you're a hamster CEO running your own crypto exchange in the game, and each upgrade to your marketing, licenses, and other business aspects earns your more "passive income" in the game.
Now the game's developers are gearing up to launch a Hamster Kombat token on The Open Network, which means now's the time to start racking up in-game coins that are likely to translate into crypto tokens in some manner. No timeline has been revealed for the token drop, which was first announced at the end of May.
‘Hamster Kombat’ Daily Combo Guide: How to Earn 5 Million Free Coins in the Telegram Game
Hamster Kombat is the latest Telegram-based gaming sensation, recapturing the Notcoin clicker vibes with the promise of a token launch and airdrop on The Open Network ahead. But there’s more happening with Hamster Kombat than just clicking or tapping a screen to rack up coins. As the hamster CEO of a fictional crypto exchange (yes, really), it’s your job to boost your up-and-coming startup to the top of the industry, and you’ll do so by investing in things like marketing, licenses, talent, new p...
Immutable zkEVM
Ethereum gaming platform Immutable has launched "The Main Quest," a rewards campaign tied to the growth of its recently-launched Immutable zkEVM layer-2 network.
Immutable zkEVM Offering Up to $50 Million in Token Rewards to Ethereum Gamers
Ethereum gaming platform Immutable announced on Thursday the launch of The Main Quest—a rewards program that will incentivize players with up to $50 million worth of token rewards for playing games and interacting with its new zkEVM network. Billed as the largest crypto gaming rewards program to date, The Main Quest will reward users of the recently launched Immutable zkEVM network—a layer-2 Ethereum gaming network built with Polygon zkEVM tech—for various actions. This includes earning tokens r...
Immutable says it will serve up at least $50 million worth of IMX token rewards for early users who play certain games like Guild of Guardians and MetalCore—both expected to launch in the near future—as well as users who trade Immutable NFTs and use Immutable zkEVM decentralized exchanges. More details here.
Saga Protocol
Saga is a new blockchain network designed primarily for gaming, so it makes sense that the way users could potentially earn a share of the airdrop was by playing games. Following “play-to-airdrop” campaigns across several games running on testnet, as well as other networks, the SAGA airdrop took place and the token is now live alongside mainnet.
Saga Reveals First ‘Power-Level Over 9,000’ Airdrop With $10 Million in Tokens
Saga, a layer-1 blockchain with a focus on gaming, recently built up a ton of hype for its mainnet and token launch by running a play-to-airdrop campaign and rewarding DeFi stakers across various networks. But the incentives don't stop there. Saga is now rolling out its next wave with a colorfully-titled campaign. The “Power-Level Over 9,000” airdrop campaign—named after a “Dragon Ball Z” reference that became an internet meme—was first revealed in April and leans on partnerships with more than...
Now that the mainnet is live, Saga is amping up the rewards engine again with a new set of airdrops planned for SAGA token stakers. The network is teaming up with projects across Ethereum, Solana, and Avalanche to offer stakers packs of tokens and NFTs from various games and apps. The first such airdrop will hand out $10 million worth of SAGA to stakers.
Illuvium
Illuvium is one of the most anticipated crypto gaming franchises, spanning multiple interoperable games—and the team behind them aims to boost adoption amid its open beta launch by tying in an airdrop campaign.
The team opened up Illuvium via a testnet open beta in late May, offering airdrop reward points for players. At some point thereafter, the open beta will launch on mainnet and continue to award airdrop points to players. The team previously said in a press release that the airdrop will be collectively valued at $25 million or more.
Illuvium Preview: Everything You Need to Know About the NFT Games and Airdrop
Illuvium is a sci-fi fantasy NFT gaming IP with four games in development: Illuvium Arena, Overworld, Zero, and Beyond. While each of these titles are separate games, they do offer some interoperability and cross-game rewards. The Illuvium team has also released its own Ethereum ERC-20 token, ILV, and its own marketplace, the Illuvidex. There’s also a community-based voting system in place with the Illuvium DAO, which suggests new initiatives for the Illuvium ecosystem. After years of developmen...
Nifty Island
Launched in open beta in January, Nifty Island is a sandbox-style game that mashes up the feel of Animal Crossing, Roblox, and Fortnite's Creative mode, letting you customize your own island and play with other users. And it offers a play-to-airdrop campaign with many different ways to potentially earn ISLAND tokens.
'Nifty Island' Is Already Better Than Most NFT Sandbox Games
Tired of voxel-style crypto games? Want a sandbox game that pays homage to your favorite NFTs—and lets you build your own custom island for free? Enter Nifty Island. Nifty Island has already made a splash among crypto gaming fans, many of whom are incentivized to check out the game because of its promised future airdrop where gamers could, basically, get free money in the form of tokens. But airdrops aside, Nifty Island is actually a good game given its current beta state, living up to my expect...
According to a tweet thread, Nifty Island will award users points based on factors like how much they play, how many players they refer into the game, and which other NFT assets they own in connected wallets. It's unclear when the token drop will happen, but people are flooding in to get a potential share of the ISLAND launch ahead.
How to Make the Most of the 'Nifty Island' Play-to-Airdrop Campaign
Launched in open beta last month, Nifty Island is one of the biggest crypto games of the moment. That’s in part because it delivers a compelling, crypto-infused take on Roblox and Fortnite’s Creative Mode, serving up creative tools and letting people build and play without spending a dime. The other part of its appeal is the ISLAND airdrop ahead. Nifty Island’s play-to-airdrop campaign has undoubtedly been key to its recent rise in attention, and the game’s co-founder Charles Smith recently joi...
Crypto Unicorns
One of the crypto world's stalwart gaming brands, Crypto Unicorns, is currently migrating from one Ethereum scaling network to another—from Polygon to Xai, the Arbitrum-powered layer-3 network. And as part of the process, developer Laguna Games plans to serve up a play-to-airdrop campaign with token rewards once the game is live again in late June.
'Crypto Unicorns' Reveals Airdrop Rewards Amid Move to Ethereum Layer-3 Xai
Crypto Unicorns has announced a “play-to-airdrop” campaign to start next month, amid the game’s migration across the Ethereum scaling ecosystem—from sidechain Polygon to Arbitrum’s layer-3 Xai gaming network. Founded in 2021, the expanding Crypto Unicorns ecosystem includes the core land-based building and battling experience, spinoff jousting, and party games. The project’s NFTs have generated about $35 million worth of trading volume to date. While Crypto Unicorns migrates to Xai, the game wil...
MetalCore
MetalCore, a mech shooter building on Immutable zkEVM, is offering closed beta players "marks" (or points) that will translate into an airdrop allocation of the upcoming MCG token when it's generated. Studio369 previously told Decrypt's GG that it was aiming to launch an open beta and the token sometime in May, though the team clearly is still building up to that milestone as of this early June update.
Ethereum Mech Shooter 'MetalCore' Plans Open Beta, Token Launch in May
Studio369, the indie game developer behind Ethereum action game MetalCore, announced on Tuesday that it raised $5 million in new funding to launch the PC game on the Immutable zkEVM scaling network. And the team has big plans on the short-term horizon. MetalCore is currently planned to launch in open beta in May, letting anyone hop in and play the combination of mech suit combat and boots-on-the-ground shooting action. And if the planned timing works out, the game will also launch its token arou...
On top of all this, MetalCore also announced a collaboration with the Mon Protocol that's operating the MON token tied to fellow Immutable zkEVM game, Pixelmon. MetalCore will add special quests that let players earn MON tokens, though it's still unclear when given that the games still aren't open to the public.
Delabs Games
Delabs Games, the publisher behind the Mario Kart-esque Rumble Racing Star and other upcoming games, has launched its Ladybug's Journey Campaign, serving up reward points that will translate to an airdrop of GAME tokens. Points are given for playing games and completing missions tied to social media engagement and other acts.
As of mid-May, Delabs has launched its "Race for Riches" phase that lasts until July 16, with $100,000 USDC plus GAME tokens offered to Rumble Racing Star players.
Rumble Racing Star Is Like Mario Kart for NFT Degens
Colorful, action-packed multiplayer racing games like Nintendo’s Mario Kart have hooked players of all ages—but can an NFT-inspired derivative pull in a new audience? Delabs, the crypto gaming arm of South Korean game developer 4:33, has released a new preview version of its upcoming PC game Rumble Racing Star, a multiplayer racing title in which wild and wacky characters ride lawn mowers—very slowly. Rumble Racing Star (RRS) leans into its inherently silly premise and offers players the chance...
Pirate Nation
Pirate Nation, a fully on-chain strategy game built on an Arbitrum-based network, has launched a BOOTY reward points system tied to gameplay and social interactions, with accumulated points potentially used to "determine rewards further out to sea." Sounds like an airdrop to us. More details here.
'Pirate Nation' Studio Reveals Network for Fully On-Chain Games on Arbitrum
Proof of Play, the studio behind blockchain role-playing game Pirate Nation, announced Thursday that it is launching an Arbitrum-based network of chains designed for fully on-chain games and other decentralized applications (dapps). Called Proof of Play’s Multichain, the network is described as an “ultra-fast constellation of blockchains” powered by Arbitrum Orbit, an Ethereum scaling technology. Multichain will initially be used to power the studio’s own Pirate Nation, which it said last year w...
BloodLoop
BloodLoop, an Overwatch-esque 5v5 hero shooter running on Avalanche, revealed its play-to-airdrop campaign on March 4. Now, it appears that the BLS token will launch on June 10, and then the play-to-airdrop campaign will officially follow later in June, letting people play the game with "millions" of BLS tokens up for grabs.
"Millions of BLS have been set aside as rewards to be dynamically distributed among players based on their performance," an official tweet reads. "What matters isn't how much time you spend farming, but rather how much progress you make in the game during the available time."
The wait is over!$BLS will hit the markets on June 10th.
Are you ready? ⬇️🧵 pic.twitter.com/oqKW6WGizd
— BloodLoop🔺 | Hero-Shooter (@BloodLoopGAME) May 24, 2024
AI Arena
AI Arena, a game that pairs Super Smash Bros-style brawling with artificial intelligence smarts, completed a play-to-airdrop campaign in March with 40 million NRN tokens up for grabs. Another 40 million tokens will be allocated for the game's NRN prize boxes. The game challenges players to train AI combatants that fight automatically on their behalf.
Following the conclusion of the latest play-to-airdrop competition wave, AI Arena's developers are sorting through the data before the token drops. No timeline has been announced yet.
How Fighting Game ‘AI Arena’ Turned Its Airdrop Into a Team Sport
Fighting game AI Arena looks very similar to Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. series, with cartoonish combatants brawling for supremacy. What’s immediately obvious is that, of course, the game doesn’t feature the likes of Mario and Donkey Kong trading blows in iconic locales. What’s less obvious, however, is that there’s nobody mashing buttons to make these characters kick, punch, hop, and occasionally launch foes into the distance. They’re all controlled by artificial intelligence—but each AI has b...
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.
Editor's note: This story was originally published on December 27, 2023 and was last updated with new info on June 3.
