While 2022 saw a wealth of talent enter the industry, 2023 was the year we saw the first wave of truly impressive web3 games make their mark.
Alphas, Betas, full releases – this year was packed with new releases, with all the major genres covered.
Here are our picks for the top 5 web3 games of 2023.
#5 Dookey Dash
Ephemeral? Yes. Big impact? Definitely.
Dookey Dash, which debuted on January 18 and will run until February 8, kicked off 2023 with Yuga Labs' first foray into “skill-based minting.” Players competed for the highest score in a casual endless runner, and the grand prize was a one-to-one legendary nft Golden Key. This prize was claimed by Twitch streamer Mongraal, who subsequently sold it for 1,000 eth ($1.6 million).
It may have been a flash in the pan, and the Sewer Pass nft requirement to play (approximately $3,000 at the time) meant access was very limited, but there's no denying its huge historical importance to web3 gaming.
#4 Gods Unchained
Immutable Games' flagship title, web3 TCG Gods Unchained, has had a great year.
In June 2023, the IMX-based title became arguably the biggest web3 game to date to debut on the Epic Games Store, and then partnered with Amazon earlier this month to distribute card packs via its Prime Gaming service, reaching hundreds of users. millions of players around the world.
In addition to these big-name partnerships, the Gods Unchained team has pushed several major updates this year. The game's sixth and seventh expansions were released in March and October 2023 respectively, two new game modes (Chaos Constructed and Sealed) arrived over the summer, and substantial progress has been made toward iOS and Android releases.
Despite a minor hiccup following its AO rating from the ESRB, Gods Unchained has enjoyed continued popularity throughout the year and the team is well positioned for continued growth in 2024.
#3 World Wide Web
When I introduced Thomas Webb, founder of the free-to-play 16-bit browser-based MMO Worldwide Webb, on stage at nft London 2022, I couldn't have imagined the 12 months that would follow.
Announcing a $10 million Series A round in February 2023, the team immediately began showing results with the simultaneous success of the competitive MOBA minigame Blockbusterz, followed by its long-awaited Dungeon playtest in October.
The team also signed two key former AAAs, bolstering its roster in preparation for an even bigger 2024.
Thomas Webb has stated that he and his team are looking to redefine the gaming industry with Worldwide Webb. These last 12 months have shown that it is a goal they may be able to achieve.
#2 pixels
Browser-based casual MMO Pixels had had an impressive year, but the announcement and subsequent port to Ronin, completed in October 2023, took things to a whole new level.
In just three short months, the already popular title has exploded in popularity, surpassing 100,000 daily players in November and helping bring Ronin to over 250,000 daily users and 1.1 million monthly users in December.
Phase 2 of the Mocaverse x Pixels Odyssey activation launched last week, with $80,000 USD in prizes over the next few weeks.
Pixels is by far the most popular game on web3 right now and as its partnership with Animoca Brands deepens, the game continues to rise as we enter 2024.
#1 Metal core
I first spoke to Studio 369, the developers of the open-world MMOFPS MetalCore, at nft.NYC 2022. A year later, at the same event, I got to try out the game for the first time and my reaction was similar to many others. that you have had the privilege of playing so far: MetalCore is on another level.
The sheer size and scale of what the team behind MetalCore is trying to achieve would be a mammoth task for even the most experienced AAA developers. After several years of development and a migration to Immutable in March 2023, the game has seen impressive growth across its multiple playtests, with headline appearances at GDC and Gamescom, a $16,000 USD tournament, and a listing on Epic Games Store.
MetalCore takes the high-octane action of titles like PlanetSide, Battlefield and Halo, and injects it with web3 technology to create a must-have experience for both proven gamers and die-hard web3 fans. We look forward to seeing what the team can continue to offer in the coming year.
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The real winners are all of us: the web3 gaming community. There has never been more variety, more fun, or more excitement in the blockchain gaming space than now, and it looks like there will be a lot more to come in 2024.
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Director of operations at nft Plazas. Bullish on web3. Competitive soul.
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