The popular chat software Telegram is gaining popularity because to its tap-to-earn games. This is how players can accrue points for token airdrops.

A brand-new category of cryptocurrency games called “tap-to-earn” games has grabbed the world—and the messaging software Telegram—by storm.

The idea is straightforward: To begin the game, message a Telegram bot. Once the game has loaded within the Telegram app, hit an icon or coin in the centre of the screen to begin earning points or in-game currency. That’s the main idea, but a lot of the more recent games are also exploring different angles.

In May of 2024, Notcoin—one of the first tap-to-earn games to reach a critical mass—conducted the biggest gaming airdrop to date. Following closely behind, Hamster Kombat, another tap-to-earn game, garnered over 200 million users by June and garnered media attention as Iranian government officials accused the game of being a part of a “soft war” being waged by the West.

What Are Tap-to-Earn Games?

The latest trend in play-to-earn crypto games is known as “tap-to-earn,” and it entails tapping the screen of a mobile device to accumulate in-game points. Players’ ability to participate in the game’s native cryptocurrency’s token airdrop is dependent on their point total, making points a desirable asset.

On the other hand, you can exchange your points for crypto tokens in games that have previously done an airdrop and whose tokens are traded publically.

Many tap-to-earn games are extremely basic and monotonous, in contrast to more complex mobile games. Despite their addictive potential, players are usually enticed by the game’s native token or other possible money incentives.

The TONNE Network blockchain powers the vast majority of tap-to-earn games, including all of the ones we reviewed. These games are housed within the popular messaging software Telegram. Although there is no mandated or official relationship between Telegram and tap-to-earn games, the reality is that this emerging subset of the play-to-earn industry is very Telegram-centric and dependent on the messaging app’s bot support.

Top Tap-to-Earn Game in 2024

1. Notcoin

Over 35 million people have joined the Notcoin tap-to-earn game since it launched in early 2024 on Telegram. You can turn your virtual Notcoins into actual NOT tokens on The Open Network (TONNE) by tapping to amass them. That’s the game mechanics. Notable exchanges such as Binance, OKEx, and Bybit were there to assist the successful launch of the NOT coin on May 16, 2024. Rising from an initial price of $0.01 to a market worth of $1.1 billion, it became one of the top 100 cryptocurrencies in the world.

After launching its token, Notcoin began forming partnerships to grow its ecosystem, the most prominent of which was with the video game Lost Dogs. We moved away from the standard tap-to-earn principles and into a more participatory, story-driven experience with this partnership’s new dog-themed game, where players earn $NOT and $WOOF tokens by performing objectives. Further increasing its utility inside the Web3 domain, the Notcoin Explore feature enabled gamers to interface with decentralised applications (dApps) when it launched in July 2024.

In the far future, Notcoin hopes to serve as a gathering place for independent game creators, marketing itself as the “Netflix of social, viral games.” The game’s developers are planning to keep pushing the envelope beyond the tap-to-earn model by investigating sustainable gaming mechanisms and providing players with a wider variety of strategic gameplay and blockchain application-based reward systems.

2. Hamster Kombat

After launching in early 2024, Hamster Kombat quickly gained over 300 million players, making it one of the biggest crypto games on Telegram. Using a tap-to-earn system, users of this popular clicker game may control virtual hamster-run cryptocurrency exchanges and earn HMSTR tokens. On September 26, 2024, on The Open Network (TONNE), the HMSTR token will be airdropped and launched, according to the game’s developers. The launch of the token was postponed from July to the next event, which is anticipated to be one of the biggest airdrops in the cryptocurrency industry. Players will receive 60% of the token supply during the event.

The HMSTR token is expected to have a solid first performance in terms of price forecasts. According to pre-launch trade projections, the token might experience significant growth due to the game’s enormous user base and active community engagement​. Early estimations put the value of the token between $0.07 and $0.10. Since no venture capital firms are supporting the project, HMSTR is likely to be positively affected by organic demand, but it could encounter instability after launch due to the game’s community-driven nature and significant player adoption.

Players should keep in mind a number of important dates and developments related to Hamster Kombat in the near future. After all in-game activity is recorded for the Season 1 airdrop, the formal end of the mining phase will be on September 20, 2024. Before the mining phase ends, this is players’ final chance to earn as many HMSTR tokens as possible. Everyone is encouraged to get in on the action and complete all of the daily tasks, such as the Mini-Game Puzzle, Daily Cypher, and Daily Combo, in order to win rewards for checking in and playing mini-games. Make sure to log in every day, finish all the tasks, and level up your in-game skills to get the most out of your rewards before the snapshot. Your airdrop allocation for the HMSTR tokens released after the snapshot will be better if you engage more before mining concludes.

Spectacular future plans are in the works for Hamster Kombat. There will likely be a Season 2 airdrop, additional gameplay features, and possible partnerships within the TONNE ecosystem following the initial token launch. Beyond going beyond the tap-to-earn paradigm, the creators also intend to construct a more comprehensive gaming environment that includes third-party developers.

3. X Empire

Since its introduction in July 2024, X Empire—previously Musk Empire—has quickly flourished, amassing a user base of 35 million gamers. Players of this tap-to-earn game on Telegram can earn cryptocurrencies as they construct virtual civilisations. When the game’s mining phase concludes on September 30, 2024, which is in the fourth quarter of 2024, the $X token airdrop will take place. Earnings total, amount of friends recommended, and profit per hour (PPH) are some of the in-game factors that will determine how the X Empire airdrop is distributed. From that point on, players’ airdrop awards will not be based on in-game progress completed after that date.

X Empire followed a Notcoin-like technique during its pre-market trading phase and successfully offered NFT vouchers. You can buy and sell NFT vouchers on the Getgems marketplace with the 570,000 that the game printed. These vouchers, which grant early access to the forthcoming $X coin, have attracted a lot of interest; one of the initial certificates sold for almost 7 TONNE (about. $36). In the time leading up to the token launch, the NFTs are crucial because they enable users to take part in the game environment and make predictions about the future value of the $XEMP token.

A new gameplay option is only one of many post-launch additions that X Empire has in the works to keep gamers interested. Taking a page out of Notcoin’s playbook, this change will increase the game’s ecosystem and keep players engaged after the airdrop ends.

4. Catizen

With more than 34 million active users, Catizen has swiftly become a popular Web3 gaming project on Telegram. The main goal of the game is to raise and breed virtual cats in order to earn vKITTY, which can be traded for CATI tokens. The much-anticipated CATI cryptocurrency is expected to be listed on major exchanges like KuCoin, Binance, Bybit, and Gate.io on September 20, 2024, at 10:00 UTC. Starting on September 14, gamers who have accumulated vKITTY and performed daily activities will be rewarded 150 million CATI tokens during the Season 1 airdrop.

We anticipate that, following its introduction, the CATI token will trade in the $0.40 to $0.60 region, with some room for price volatility as a result of sell-offs after the airdrop. If the Catizen ecosystem keeps expanding and new features are added in the next months, the price can go up to $0.80 to $1.50. But how successfully the project keeps users engaged determines the token’s volatility.

There will be a plethora of opportunities to increase your $CATI holdings after the token launch. Customers can take part in CATI/USDT spot trading on KuCoin beginning September 20, 2024, or earn CATI Token Tickets through the GemSlot campaign if they deposit CATI on KuCoin. Participants in the Stake-to-Earn KCS Campaign or the Catizen Telegram bot can stake CATI tokens for prizes, which will go towards supporting the game’s ecosystem.

5. TapSwap

With more than 60 million registered members as of 2024, TapSwap is among the most popular tap-to-earn games on Telegram. To gain TAPS tokens, users must tap on-screen components, complete daily tasks, and complete challenges in the game. With recent improvements like the addition of Tappy Town, a city-building mode that adds a strategic element to gaming, players are kept engaged and the user base continues to grow.

After being postponed earlier this year to guarantee improved tokenomics and a more equitable distribution procedure, the TapSwap token launch and airdrop are anticipated to occur on October 30, 2024. At launch, TAPS tokens are expected to cost $0.03 to $0.06, with a market cap of $600 million to $800 million predicted. The odds of getting bigger airdrop gifts increase for players that take part in daily challenges and in-game accomplishments.

Following the token launch, TapSwap has big ambitions for future expansions. They want to expand into DeFi alliances and add more token pairs to its exchange feature. Tappy Town’s release heralds further innovation in gaming mechanics and strategic components, solidifying TapSwap’s position as a dominant force in the GameFi industry.

When did Tap-to-Earn Start Gaining Popularity?

Thanks to the features of Telegram bots, the TONNE blockchain, and Notcoin’s token listing in May 2024, Tap-to-Earn has become incredibly popular.

TONNE blockchain advancements in gaming were accelerated by Telegram’s successful integration of a custodial wallet into its in-app messaging platform. Telegram, which has more than 900 million members, created a Play-to-Earn game that became popular due to its active users and accessible audience.

The success of Notcoin’s airdrop was a major factor in the development of Tap-to-Earn. Now that users may convert and withdraw their NOT allocated balance, blockchain gamification and incentive systems have entered a new chapter. As a result, programmers have been more motivated to deliver players games with fewer complex controls and more engaging features.

Features of Tap-to-Earn Games

In order to get more people involved, Tap-to-Earn games use a variety of methods. They engage consumers and promote adoption with simple gaming and coin prizes. Listed below are a few of Tap-to-Earn’s techniques and features.

Tapping

Tapping is the main mechanism in Tap-to-Earn. Users can gain points by tapping on their device screen; these points can then be turned into the project’s native token. Players earn more points and spend more time engaging with the game when they tap more often. Games can vary greatly, with some requiring players to tap during cooling intervals and others to tap while avoiding obstacles in order to get points. For example, in Tatswap, you can rack up 500 points before you’re prompted to enter a cooling period, and in BLUM, you can tap for 29 seconds every session until you hit an obstacle.

Tasks And Check-Ins

Launching the Bot daily is often a requirement for users to earn points in Tap-2-Earn games. Logging in every day encourages users to stay engaged and extend their daily streak. For example, BLUM gives out play session passes, sometimes called a “play pass,” as an incentive to users, and GameFi initiatives like Hamster distribute up to 5 million points every day. However, your daily allotment of cash and passes will decrease if you fail to sustain the streak.

The daily tasks are another key component. Among the many activities used by Tap-to-Earn are following the project’s social media accounts and engaging with its promotional content through likes, comments, and reposts. Users may also be asked to view instructional videos, etc., in order to earn points. Increasing social interaction and project awareness is a common tactic for blockchain companies looking to draw in users and investors. They occasionally up the ante on user incentives through daily quests, puzzles, or fights.

Bonuses for referrals

The amount of referrals and the activity level of those referrals can determine the user’s reward in Tap-2-Earn games. In addition to receiving bonuses for each successful recommendation, users can also earn extra points by leveraging their referral efforts. Nevertheless, while Tap-to-Earn games are available on Telegram, the referral bonus can differ based on whether the referral is a Telegram premium member, which enhances the bonus.

Boosts

Boosts are a way for players to raise their potential earnings. Their ability to produce coins every tap can be increased by purchasing these enhancements, which extend playtime and decrease cooldown times.

Furthermore, users have the option to enhance the in-app gaming product in order to enhance their benefits. Users can customise their accounts and enjoy a more gamified experience with Tap-to-Earn enhancements. Some of the features that might be upgraded include the background and the exchange.

In-Game Rewards

The native token of a Play-to-Earn game is used to reward players for their efforts. At start, all players can do is tap until they’ve accumulated enough money or points. After that, when the project becomes live, they’ll have the option to turn them into tokens based on the project’s point-to-token reward ratio. To get tokens, which they may either sell or keep for the future, participants must connect their bitcoin wallet.

Trading in NFTs

You can sell several one-of-a-kind works of art on your NFT marketplace or any other platform that Some Tap-to-Earn supports. Take GameFi’s Hamster Kombat as an example; in their NFT marketplace, gamers can exchange several versions of the Hamster CEO.

Should You Invest in Tap-to-Earn Tokens?

You can buy tap-to-earn game tokens on both centralised and decentralised marketplaces after an airdrop. Some of the most prominent cryptocurrency exchanges list Notcoin, including Binance, OKEx, KuCoin, Bybit, and MEXC. Bitget, Binance, OKEx, and Bitfinex all listed Hamster Kombat.

Therefore, the underlying tap-to-earn game is not a prerequisite for investing in these tokens. Is it wise to put money into these tokens?

As of right now, it’s likely not. Despite massive price increases in the days following their airdrop, tokens like $NOT and $PIXFI have recently seen steep declines. Following its listing on exchanges, the newly-minted $HMSTR cryptocurrency dropped 20%.

It’s possible that these tokens will return at some point, however keep in mind that making another tap-to-earn crypto game is easy, and that the tokens don’t serve any purpose other than to produce money for users. Rather of holding onto tokens that have already been distributed in the expectation of long-term benefits, players are more likely to chase fresh tap-to-earn games in the hopes of an explosive airdrop.

To sum up, tap-to-earn tokens might be good for trading, and getting them through an airdrop as a reward for playing the game can make them even better. But you shouldn’t put your money into them with the expectation of a return on investment (ROI) in years to come.

How to Play Tap-to-Earn Games?

How to play Tap-2-Earn games and get started is below.

Download The Telegram App

A large number of Tap-to-Earn games are developed just for the Telegram app. On the other hand, you can use Telegram on the desktop app, but you probably won’t be able to play the game or open it. Instead, get the Telegram app for your phone and install it after searching for it in the App Store or Google Play.

Choose A Tap-to-Earn Game

Following the completion of the required security and legitimacy checks, visit the project’s official Twitter and click on the link once you have installed Telegram. You may get the game and all the other important project details from that link. Use your friend’s referral link to get registration incentives if you’re not interested in further prizes.

Connect Your Wallet

To participate in an airdrop for cryptocurrency, you’ll need a wallet. In order to transfer or withdraw your tokens, it is necessary.

Since many Telegram mini-games include a Tap-to-Earn feature, it is recommended that you configure your Telegram wallet in the app’s settings. Find “Wallet” in the list of options under “Profile” in the settings menu. To create a wallet or link an existing one, use the wallet bot.

Start Playing the Game

Press “/start” in the game menu to initiate bot launch. You can begin earning rewards by tapping on your screen, and you can complete required activities by following additional on-screen directions. Some in-game activities, such as social duties, referrals, upgrades, etc., can boost your profits and unlock more rewards.

Keep Watch For Project Announcement

Be alert for critical announcements as you tap. Be sure to monitor the project’s Twitter account for essential updates on the roadmap, eligibility requirements, point conversion ratio, security, and more. You can also set on post notifications for that account.

Conclusion

Playing simple games in Telegram can earn users crypto rewards with Tap-to-Earn games. They promote broad use of Web3, allow users to earn money with little to no financial investment, and make money while having fun.

At the moment, Tap-to-Earn is still expanding, and new games are entering the market on a regular basis. Earnings are not assured, even though some are popular with new features. That is why you should always check the details on your own before diving into a project.