This Web3 Gaming Trend Taps Into 1 Billion User Base

23.08.2024

Gleb Specter

26 min

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Crypto assets naturally excel in financial use cases, making web3 the goat of pioneering gamified monetization ways: be it rewarded quests involving the community, learning about, utilizing a project, and disseminating info about it or the massive boom of P2E—play-to-earn—gaming, the initial segment of what is known as GameFi today.

In 2022, play-to-earn titles attracted over 1.5 million active users, reaching a combined valuation exceeding $3 billion at it’s peak.

So, setting yourself up for possible goodies with these games is super easy—no special skills or knowledge are required. Just use your phone, pop up Telegram—the messenger-turned-web3-playground—and give it several minutes once you can.

Once you collect a bunch of in-game points, you should be eligible for a share of crypto rewards available once the dev team decides to do an airdrop—to date, the most utilized approach to pay out tappers eventually.

Sometimes, to prevent players from straight selling off their gains, projects promise or imply that airdropped coins will gain value and utility in the future, as they are expected to represent products like a DEX (decentralized exchange) already in development.

As we covered earlier, T2E games owe much of their viral growth potential to Telegram’s integration of the TON blockchain and crypto assets directly within its messaging app.

The Notcoin mini-app became the spark that unleashed the craze, leveraging this integration in a game where users tapped to earn in-game coins.

Players climbed global leaderboards and earned additional tokens by completing tasks like joining Telegram groups, launching advertised mini-apps, and subscribing to social media accounts—a significant revenue source for Notcoin.

Source: Telegram X Account.

Crypto’s early focus was on niche tech that mainly served speculators and lacked real-world use. But with spot ETFs and firms like BlackRock embracing asset tokenization, the time for evolution has arrived.

Telegram is leading this change by merging its messaging app with almost a billion monthly users, the TON blockchain for crypto adoption, and a native wallet bot simply called Wallet. While many pitch decks dream of merging web2 and web3, Telegram is actually making it happen.

Telegram’s approach addresses three core issues that have held crypto back. In the view of many crypto enthusiasts, stablecoins are the best product crypto has delivered by far.

With the original game is no longer active, Notcoin introduced a staking mechanism and tiered $NOT rewards for users to try DeFi on the TON blockchain—Explore & Earn—to sustain the excitement and keep the token afloat.

It’s 2024 now, and, echoing that 2022 success, a fresh, seemingly mass adoption-fueling, and similarly named T2E—tap-to-earn—meta has been trending for several months so far.

What started as a novel idea with Notcoin has rapidly evolved into a booming market, capturing the attention of hundreds of millions of users worldwide, building new communities, and distributing crypto rewards.

Are T2E products a passing narrative, or does their business model have some solid fundamentals, allowing them to stick around and have a longer peak than the P2E frenzy did?

Let’s find out about this by looking into the blue wave of Telegram x TON ecosystem that T2E titles are riding, exploring their origins, how they work, their most popular examples, and where this phenomenon might be headed.

Telegram has been around since 2013.

With USDT native on TON since April, seamless P2P value transfer is now a reality—users can send crypto as easily as they send messages on WhatsApp. This user experience outpaces ‘neobanks’ like Revolut or Venmo and is far ahead of traditional banks.

The real opportunity to onboard hundreds of millions to crypto though lies in Telegram’s mini-apps.

An open platform for businesses to build and deploy crypto-friendly apps, Telegram mini-apps are lightweight web apps built with standard widespread web technologies. They are embedded directly within Telegram, allowing users to launch and interact with them from a chat or bot without any downloads or installations.

Developers create these mini-apps by integrating them with Telegram’s API, enabling them to use features like authentication, notifications, and payments.

Plus, these apps can connect with the TON blockchain for secure transactions, digital asset management, and decentralized services.

Source: TON Website.

This seamless blend of web technology and blockchain within Telegram makes mini-apps both powerful and user-friendly, allowing web3 builders to reach non-crypto users, who won’t even realize they’re using a crypto product, whether it’s a mobile game or a DeFi protocol.

The leading tap-to-earn games run in Telegram mini-apps, so there’s no need to download any additional apps, which naturally extends their cross-platform reach.

Helped by that, they are rapidly becoming the go-to way for people to have a shot at earning relatively liquid digital assets when they have some spare time here and there.

By ‘relatively liquid digital assets’ here we mean anyone can now potentially earn on-chain tokens that can later be held, used, or sold outside the game itself—unlike illiquid in-game ‘currencies’ of traditional games—by engaging in simple screen tapping or more fun gaming activities that some products have evolved to offer.

This promise may sound eerily similar to that of play-to-earn products back in 2022, and it’s no secret that many of them went out of the market, lacking a clear financial model besides the initial hype wave.

Only a few stayed like the OG Axie Infinity, The Sandbox, and Gods Unchained, with several AAA titles like Star Atlas, Illuvium, and Star Heroes still in beta or development ever since the boom of P2E popularity.

Remember to always DYOR (do your own research) before buying the creator’s messaging about future token performance.

Still, the possibility of becoming a stakeholder in a web3 product after some taps is a big motivation that also contributes to this ongoing T2E bull-run.

Popular T2E titles include Blum, Hamster Kombat, TapSwap, Pixeltap, formerly Notcoin, and a variety of others.

With tap-to-earn all the rage these days, everyone involved is participating in a large-scale real-time test of a model that could prove superior and more resilient than early P2E games.

In early 2024, Notcoin introduced its own token, $NOT, on major exchanges like Binance, allowing players to turn their gaming achievements into real value.

Notcoin’s rise to prominence can also be attributed to a combination of strategic branding and clever marketing that played on the growing influence of the TON ecosystem.

At the time of its launch, Notcoin capitalized on the initial success and increasing traction of TON in the web3 space. Notcoin’s upside-down logo, a reversed TON logo, was a bold move that caught the attention of crypto enthusiasts.

The team might have drawn their inspiration from a popular Solana memecoin at the time that, when read backwards, spelled, well, $ANALOS.

This added a shade of intrigue and speculation about its potential connection to Telegram and TON.

Later Notcoin started partnering with GameFi devs and integrating their creations in the mini-app’s Games tab, further evolving its business model.

Notcoin Explore & Earn

For example, Notcoin lent its platform and reach to Lost Dogs, a ‘social experiment’ game that began on August 1. Each day marks a new round, where outcomes are driven entirely by player decisions, with no reliance on luck.

In T2E games, players engage with tappable icons, manage energy bars, and earn rewards through referrals, tap bots, and daily tasks.

Boosters and upgrades add depth, while intuitive gameplay ensures these games are accessible to all, including crypto newcomers.

X Empire Tappable Character

Tappable Icon
The core element is the tappable icon that players interact with to earn rewards.

Each tap is governed by an energy bar that refills over time, improving retention and adding a layer of planning to the gameplay.

Blum Invite Frens Feature

Referral Programs
Many T2E titles feature referral schemes. Players earn a share of the points from users they invite and receive bonuses for milestones like inviting 100 friends.

This drives user growth and creates smaller and locally galvanized communities around the game, as they tap together toward a common achievement.

MemeFi Task List

Daily Tasks and Offers
Beyond tapping, players can complete in-game tasks and third-party offers, such as joining Telegram channels or following X accounts, to earn lump-sum rewards.

TapSwap Tap Bot

Tap Bots
Some games offer a tap bot—a feature that auto-taps even when the app is closed.

Such a feature allows players to earn passive rewards, which can be a game-changer for those looking to maximize their earnings without constant active play.

Hamster Kombat Boost Button

In T2E games, players engage with tappable icons, manage energy bars, and earn rewards through referrals, tap bots, and daily tasks.

Boosters and upgrades add depth, while intuitive gameplay ensures these games are accessible to all, including crypto newcomers.

Co-founded by former Binance execs Gleb Kostarev and Vladimir Smerkis, Blum is building a DEX within a Telegram mini-app, offering access to over 30 blockchains without native token gas fees.

Game Mechanics and Rewards
Blum’s Drop game offers players to catch falling asterisks within a 30-second window, using Game Passes earned through daily check-ins. Points can also be accumulated via referrals and completing tasks. These points can later be converted into various rewards on the Blum app, with hints at future trading opportunities.

Collaborations and Future Plans
Blum has partnerships with major platforms like Binance, OKX, and Bitget. The team also plans to introduce a native blockchain and additional features like a launchpad for meme projects and perpetual trading.

With over 35 million users on its mini-app, Blum is currently one of the biggest bets of web3’s tapping community.

In Hamster Kombat, players take on the role of a hamster CEO in a fictional crypto exchange, growing their startup through strategic investments in marketing, licenses, and talent. With strategic gameplay and daily bonuses, the game has captured the attention of a staggering 300 million players since its launch.

Gameplay Overview

The game’s updated whitepaper outlines that 60% of the $HMSTR supply is allocated for airdrop

Core features include:

• Daily Combo Promotion

Earn 5 million free in-game coins by investing in selected daily upgrades.

• NFT Integration

Each hamster is a unique NFT, fully tradable and sellable in the marketplace.

• Customization Options

Personalize your hamsters with a variety of outfits, accessories, and weapons.

• Multiplayer Mode

Challenge friends or compete globally in online battles.

Despite claiming no need for investors, the game has been reported to secretly take funds from the Russian fund AD.RU, promising but never delivering profits. Key members left due to broken promises and internal conflicts. Currently, the token’s pre-market price has dipped, raising concerns within the community about the value of the delayed airdrop this September.

Like the first two examples, TapSwap features extensive tapping, daily tasks, and earnings-boosting mechanics, all with the promise of future $TAPS tokens. Currently, the game has attracted over 60 million players, with nearly 5 million subscribers on its official YouTube channel.

TapSwap has gained attention following the success of Notcoin and Hamster Kombat, proving the ongoing popularity of tap-to-earn games.

TapSwap Daily Code

TapSwap’s Daily Secret Code challenge involves watching specific YouTube videos to find a hidden codeword.

Entering this code unlocks rewards ranging from 200,000 to 400,000 tokens, usable for boosters and premium upgrades.

These codes are valid for 24 hours.

X Empire, formerly known as Musk Empire, boasts over 16 million players since its July 4 launch and over 1 million X following, the game stands out for its engaging mechanics and playful use of a cartoon Elon Musk avatar, much like how Notcoin took liberties with the TON brand and, by extension, its founder, Pavel Durov.

Originally a simple tap game, it has been evolving into a financial strategy adventure.
Core features include:

Strategic Angle
The game now includes deals and negotiations, allowing players to upgrade their avatars' attributes, such as ethics and leadership, to boost passive income.

Players can engage in battles, trade, and invest in in-game stocks through the City tab.
Players can also choose from a variety of characters, including a cartoonish Elon Musk avatar.

Daily Engagement
Daily activities like the Daily Combo and Riddle of the Day offer extra bonuses, making the game more interactive.


X Empire has partnered with Notcoin to offer special missions for high-level players, temporarily rebranding as NOT Empire.

In MemeFi Coin, players tap the screen to defeat ghostly enemies, to earn in-game coins for each enemy defeated. Enemies vary in difficulty, each with specific health points, and each tap depletes the player’s energy, which regenerates over time. Power-ups and boosters can increase damage, energy limits, and recharge speed, enhancing gameplay.

Competitive Gameplay
Set in a meme-rich universe that blends pop culture with fantasy, MemeFi Coin encourages player competition through leaderboards and a clan system, where clans (Telegram channels) foster collaboration and competition for top rankings.

Clan creators, known as Memelords, earn rewards when their members defeat bosses, driving community growth and participation.

In-Game Economy The game introduces a unique economic dynamic with social keys and $PWR upgrades, enabling players to join clans, complete missions, and exchange performance-based rewards.

Blockchain Choice
Unlike most mini-app tap games, which typically choose the TON blockchain for its integration with Telegram, MemeFi Coin is building on Linea, an Ethereum layer-2 solution. However, there are reportedly plans for TON and Solana in the future.

While the game is separate from the team’s other web2 project, MemeFi Club, there are hints that in-game rewards may become exchangeable in the future.

Building off John Wick’s identity, the frog protagonist in Pepe Wick embarks on a mission to battle pickle aliens to rescue his kidnapped dog.

Gameplay Overview
New players start with 2,000 in-game currency, which can be used to purchase your first Pepe Wick (randomly assigned between levels 1 and 3).
Players can continue with this character or buy additional Pepe Wicks from the in-game market for a chance at higher levels.

Earning Rewards
Players can earn tokens by completing in-game missions with hired hitmen, powering up, and participating in special events—or they can purchase tokens using TON.

Tappers need to keep the game active and on-screen to earn rewards, with bigger prizes available in increasingly challenging boss battles.

Pixel Tap by Pixelverse, a gaming ecosystem that integrates third-party devs, IPs (intellectual properties), and its own projects, blends tap mechanics with PvP battles. Players earned FI points, the in-game currency, toward the airdrop of $PIXFI tokens that took place July 25.

Tapping Mechanics
The primary way to earn FI points was by tapping the yellow coin, which delayed the timer each time. Alternatively, you could click the Claim button to skip the tapping altogether, but this would fully reset the timer.

PvP Battles
Daily coins could also be secured by upgrading your fighting pet (called bot).

People would upgrade their bots to improve its stats like energy, recharge speed, and power, making it easier to win fights.

In battles, you needed to tap the quickest in one of four areas to beat your opponent.

Winning earned FI based on the bot’s level, while losing would result in half the reward. Success in fights allowed players to upgrade their bot faster.

$PIXFI Airdrop
Pixelverse launched its $PIXFI airdrop on July 18, unexpectedly choosing Ethereum as the platform. The team also implemented some rather unusual distribution rules, which didn't sit well with the community.

All players received 20% of the total supply, with an additional 10% allocated to holders of Rare, Epic, and Legendary NFTs.

While 30% of the total supply might seem reasonable, the team effectively locked 90% of the distributed tokens in a two-year vesting period, with only 10% available for immediate withdrawal.

The remaining tokens can only be earned through continued engagement with Pixelverse products.

Many players and KOLs who covered the game felt betrayed, believing they were treated less favorably than the VCs who backed Pixelverse with $5.5 million in funding.

They viewed the airdrop as overly restrictive and felt the team was disingenuous about the token launch, especially compared to the straightforward Notcoin launch in May.

Pixelchain Introduction
Alongside the airdrop announcement, Pixelverse also introduced Pixelchain, its upcoming EVM-compatible layer-2 network on TON.

In T2E games, ad placements through tasks and quests serve as a major revenue driver.

Developers launch sufficiently engaging T2E games to capture an initial user base.

As the game gains traction and hopes grow, it attracts attention from brands, communities, and KOLs eager to reach this active audience. With thousands or even millions of daily active users, T2E games create a prime environment for advertisers.

Players, driven by the prospect of earning rewards, are highly engaged, making in-game ads an effective way to promote products or services. This seamless integration benefits both advertisers and players, as ads become a natural part of the gaming experience.

For developers, this model can be highly profitable. More active users lead to higher demand for ad placements, which drives up their value. This revenue stream can then be reinvested into further growth—whether through additional ads, user acquisition, or the ultimate launch of the project’s native tokens.

A well-executed T2E game creates a symbiotic ecosystem where advertisers, players, and developers all benefit. It’s a win-win-win scenario, showcasing the powerful potential of tap-to-earn games in our increasingly digitized economy where people are exposed to asset holding and investment opportunities earlier in life.

As we watch Tap-to-Earn take off, it's becoming clear that this trend may actually show us where digital assets and gamified experiences are headed.

By leveraging Telegram’s massive user base and its seamless integration with the TON blockchain, T2E games are making it easier for people to get into crypto and turn spare moments into opportunities to earn with a bit of fun.

The Play-to-Earn craze of 2022 gave us a taste of what gamified earnings could do, both good and bad, but Tap-to-Earn seems to be putting a different spin on these lessons with its monetization methods.

With its simple design, low barriers to entry, and strong community interest, T2E could stick around, especially as more creative games continue to emerge.

But can it keep the momentum going? That will depend on how these platforms evolve, keep users interested, and create long-term value.

If they succeed, T2E could become the next big gateway into the on-chain world.

Ready to tap into major web3 developments to ignite community interest? Cryptorsy, our cutting-edge web3 marketing studio and growth ecosystem, is at the forefront of on-chain innovations.

Whether you're launching your own tap-to-earn platform or looking to list on the hottest ones, our years of expertise and expansive network are here to ensure your success.

Let’s make your brand the one everyone’s tapping—before someone else does!

Boosts and Upgrades
To keep the game dynamic, boosters are available several times a day, for example, either refilling the energy bar or multiplying points for a limited period.

Players can also invest in upgrades that enhance various aspects of the game, such as increasing points per tap or speeding up energy replenishment.

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