Into the Metaverse: Six underrated crypto games to play now to make more money later

7 min readNov 27, 2021

If you’d have told me as a kid playing Super Mario that those spinning gold coins could be worth real cash — I don’t know what I would have said. Now, game creators are using crypto currencies to build whole economies. Players can buy pieces of the metaverse and convert those assets into profit margins or passive income. Increased media coverage of blockchain games followed Facebook’s recently announced stake in the metaverse, and with so many players in the virtual world, it’s tough to know where to start. Bigger games, including Axie, are gaining popularity, already generating $2.5 billion in trading volume.

I’m not going to talk about them here; other people already are. (If you need to know the basics of crypto games, this post is a good primer).

Would you rather watch a video than read? If so, check out the video version of this content.

Here, I’m tracking six exciting blockchain gaming projects in early stages. Less publicity means more growth potential. If you get in now, you can make significant profits by holding crypto, staking and providing liquidity, and holding and selling NFTs. Get in before token prices surge and it’s too late for the average gamer to afford a plot of land, a building, or even a space helmet.

Let’s start with the biggest, sorted by market cap.

#1 The Sandbox

The Sandbox is a decentralized gaming platform in the pixelated style of voxel art that runs on the Ethereum blockchain. In its metaverse, LAND, or digital real estate, is regularly listed for sale in timed launches (the next sale is set for Q4, with the date yet to be announced, so get ready). Parcels come in various sizes, plots with neighbors and proximity to resources and other assets just like IRL. Game designers use LAND to build digital experiences, such as games (yes, games within the game) or dioramas that other players can explore.

Game play is set to launch later this year, but the company already boasts huge partnerships with celebrities and some of the most recognizable brands in the world: Snoop Dogg, The Walking Dead, Deadmau5, Atari and many others own LAND in The Sandbox.

Magic points

Owning LAND is an opportunity to stake $SAND, its in-game digital currency, but it also gives you a voice in the governance of its metaverse in a player-owned model. On the back of a $93M investment round led by Softbank Vision 2, The Sandbox is set to be a sleeper hit, with significant momentum going into 2022. Right now $SAND is surging after Adidas hinted at a partnership.

Market Data:

SAND is trading at $6.64, peaking to a new ALL TIME High of 8.51 the other day.
SAND has a market cap of just over $5.9B

Check out my Sandbox playlist to learn more:

My review series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvg9BEHQw0w&list=PLDzLn7atMUQ5x-hdr_-ODLlWuiYEipT4e&index=1
How to buy land: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYj2aT059vU
Get started with the Sandbox for free: https://www.sandbox.game/login/?r=.IgR.~rB2B4pUq8y43D2E

#2 Gala Games

If you subscribe to my YouTube Channel, Cryptograham, you already know about Gala Games, a publisher with an impressive roster of upcoming titles. I’ve been bullish about this developer for the past six months. The leadership team has many decades of combined experience in building and scaling game development, with an equally impressive blockchain team. They are poised to become the leader in blockchain gaming. Huge partnerships, great game design and a strong community will drive value. It’s already the largest decentralized gaming network in the world.

We are just weeks away from the Gala Games conference, Galaverse, where the company is expected to make some huge announcements.

Magic points

Each game on the Gala network — from simulations to fantasy RPGs to PvP battles — will have its own native cryptocurrency. Make profit by holding its main cryptocurrency, GALA, and earning other native coins (TOWN coin in the game Town Star, for instance). Or, earn passive income by owning and operating founder’s nodes, which also come with daily rewards. The ecosystem runs on 20,000 player-run nodes, but there are some technical requirements for this mining. Consider this an advanced level.

Like other games, players can also buy and sell the NFTs, including exclusive land deeds, buildings and VOX collectables.

Market data:

GALA is trading at 0.6519 cents
Market Cap is ~$4.5B
TOWN is trading at $1.47
Market Cap is $41M

Check out my Gala Games playlist to learn more:

My review series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs3LD7MIty8&list=PLDzLn7atMUQ6hij6PBYLEZLJtkrSPM4oG&index=1
Get started with Gala Games for free: https://gala.fan/bcwXXmuI_

#3 Revolve Games

Revolve Games is building a play-to-earn online role playing game on the Binance Smart Chain. Players will be able to stake cryptocurrency, called RPG, into playable NFTs. With just a proof of concept out now, the RPG is still in development and the NFT staking has yet to launch. This is early days. Get in on the ground floor.

From the trailer, the art style of this game looks fantastic, a colorful, cartoonish space fantasy world with cute, compelling characters. It looks very commercial, with potential to attract a wide audience. And developers Dutch Game Studio have the in-house talents and infrastructure to build solid game play.

Magic points
Here’s where things get interesting: The value of the Revolve Games ecosystem will be contained within its native token, making it attractive to passive investors. And, in a unique twist, NFT staking rewards multiply based on performance, incentivizing players to log hours in the game. RPG has recently shot up in value. I purchased some at USD $0.35 cents, it’s now just over $1.

Market data

RPG is trading at $1.15
Market Cap ~$11M

Check out the links below to get started with Revolve Games:

Get started with Revolve Games: https://revolvegames.io/
Revolve Games whitepaper: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N4q7YuUyM4W6cQ77VJOH9tQy018rM08g/view

#4 Ember Sword

Ember Sword is a MMORPG with a beautiful art style and immersive gameplay. The story takes place on the virtual moon of Thanabus, where players can buy plots of land on one of four nations. It’s similar in concept to Revolve Games MMO and Gala Games’ Mirandus.

Ember Sword’s first land sale took place last July, exclusively for the in-game nation of Solarwood. (In case you’re counting, with four nations in total, there is still a chance to lay claim to plots on three other nations). On Solarworld, a regular plot first went for USD $40. Prices for the next official sale are likely to climb, as land listed on the secondary market, OpenSea, has already risen in value. Thanabus is 160,000 plots, and the 40,000 on Solarwood are spoken for.

Magic points

The Ember Token is the cryptocurrency for Ember Sword, which is not yet available. You need to own land or have acquired an Ember Sword Badge (their unique NFTs) to be able to get some in 2022. The magic here lies mostly in the timing. It’s very early days for Ember Sword, with massive potential.

Market data

Not yet listed

Check out the links below to get started with Ember Sword:

Get Started with Ember Sword: https://embersword.com/
Official Ember Sword Land on OpenSea: https://opensea.io/collection/embersword-land
Official Ember Sword Badge on OpenSea: https://opensea.io/collection/embersword-badge
Holding a Badge will get you early access to the Ember Token coming in 2022
Information on Ember Token: https://medium.com/embersword/community-badges-ember-token-eca6c512494a

#5 Big Time Studios

Big Time Studios is building a multiplayer RPG that combines fast-action combat, the collectability of NFTs, and a history-spanning adventure story. With a collaborative element, players can team up with friends on missions. It also looks like a beautiful world in the works, one that teases at multiple timelines where players can choose different paths simultaneously.

You can lock in early access to the game by picking up a VIP pass on OpenSea.

Magic points

Instead of buying land in Big Time, you can buy Space. And with a multiple universe story being teased in promotions, this could get interesting. The team, full of industry veterans from EA, Riot, and other major players with titles like Fornite, God of War and Bladerunner 2049 on their resumes, is seriously stacked. It was just announced the first Space is coming soon. Keep an eye out.

Market data

Not yet listed

Check out the links below to get started with Big Time Studios:

Get started with Big Time: https://bigtime.gg/thegame
OpenSea Big Time Founders Collection VIP Badges: https://opensea.io/collection/bigtime-founders
You will need ETH on Polygon to purchase an Access Pass. Use Binance to exchange crypto to MATIC, then SWAP for ETH on Polygon.

#6 Skyweaver

Finally, if you’re into block chain card games like Axie Infinity, you’re going to love Skyweaver by Horizon Blockchain Games. It’s an extremely polished game with a lot of depth, available on all platforms. Summon creatures, cast spells and battle other players to earn new cards. Cards are never banned, and never rotate out of play, encouraging deck-builders to spend time on curation. Casual play is also possible with randomized decks.

Magic points

Just launched! The website boasts tens of thousands are already playing. It’s an incredibly early project so if you start now, you have the chance to acquire some potentially high-value NFTs. Sign up here.

Market data
Not yet listed

Check out the links below to get started with Skyweaver:

Get started with Skyweaver: https://www.skyweaver.net/
From time to time I get early access codes. Message me on Telegram to see if I have any: t.me/cryptograhamYT

Finally, if you’re going to trade coins or purchase items across platforms, you’ll need to convert your crypto on an open exchange. Here are the ones I use:

Into the Metaverse: Six underrated crypto games to play now to make more money later

Written by cryptograham