What are the Leading Trends in Crypto Gaming in 2024

Crypto has already made the gaming industry more user-centered. It has done so by creating a decentralized gaming economy, in which players can buy and sell in-game assets without having to go through a centralized body. A decentralized gaming experience creates a more immersive one; it also increases security and transparency.

So far in 2024, the emergence of several trends has heralded the future of crypto gaming. These trends include casinos, play-to-earn games, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), dynamic NFT gaming marketplaces, and VR integration.

Crypto Casinos 

Crypto casinos operate much like regular online casinos. The difference is that players place bets using cryptocurrency rather than USD. The benefits of digital currency casinos include increased security and privacy, as well as faster transactions. 

BTC casinos also offer considerable welcome bonuses, increased anonymity, and instant deposits and withdrawals. Writer Kane Pepi says that while Stake Casino remains popular, many alternative sites like Stake Casino often offer better bonuses, a larger suite of games, and much faster payouts.

Besides their crypto benefits, these sites are popular thanks to their wide range of table and slot gameplay – some sites offer thousands of gaming options. 

Play-to-Earn Gameplay 

A play-to-earn crypto game involves making a profit simply by playing the game. As the player explores and completes challenges in the virtual world, they pick up several assets along the way – skins, cards, weapons, and so on. As the game increases in popularity, the more these assets become sought-after and valuable. Most of the time, these assets are represented by NFTs. 

In standard video games, these assets would have no real-world value outside of the game. However, in crypto games, they translate to real monetary value. If the player decides to do so, they can exchange their collected NFTs for cryptocurrency on the in-game marketplace. 

This lucrative appeal of blockchain-backed gameplay is guaranteed to continue to grow. According to Yahoo Finance, the global play-to-earn NFT games market size is expected to grow to a value of $8,856 million by 2028. This is a significant leap, considering that the market was valued at $3,292 million in 2022. 

DAOs

The decentralized nature of crypto games allows players to become key decision-makers in gameplay development. A DOA describes any governing body that lacks centralization. In the world of crypto gaming, it refers to the core community that makes all decisions regarding game development and operations. 

This allows the future of the game to be determined by its players. Rather than having a central body making decisions on players’ behalf, gamers are motivated to think about the direction they think would be best for the game and to make suggestions based on this. 

The future of crypto gaming is expected to become more community-led, with strong DOAs in place on all major platforms. The recent successes of games such as Axie Infinity and Alien Worlds have been primarily down to player initiative and collaboration. 

Dynamic NFT Marketplaces 

As the interest in play-to-earn platforms increases, the need for dynamic NFT marketplaces becomes more vital. By the end of 2024, we should see more games offering integration options with blockchain-based and well-known NFT marketplaces. This would mean that players could more easily trade their gameplay winnings with the wider NFT community. 

Although NFTs are not currently as popular as they were during the boom of 2021, they are poised to make a comeback in 2024 and beyond. The NFT market was valued at $1.6 billion in 2023. This figure is expected to double to $3.2 billion by 2027. This resurgence in interest is sure to bring with it more dynamic marketplaces. 

VR Immersion

So far in 2024, we’ve seen an increased interest in VR crypto gameplay. 5th Scape (5SCAPE) has recently raised a significant amount through the Ethereum-based token sale, taking a total of over $1.5 million in the first stage of its presale. 5th Scape is dedicated to leveraging VR technology to create a totally immersive crypto-based game. The significant amount of interest in this game so far suggests big things for VR-powered gameplay in the future. 

Virtual reality in general is still in its infancy and is yet to be widely adopted by gamers. When lower retail prices become available, more gamers are sure to invest in VR technology, which will kickstart the age of crypto VR gaming. 

The virtual reality gaming market size is predicted to reach $19.26 billion this year, according to the Business Research Company. This is a significant growth, as it reflects a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 28.5%. So, more blockchain-backed VR gaming is to be expected this year. 

Final Thoughts 

2024 is set to be a big year for crypto gaming, thanks mainly to the integration of different elements. VR, play-to-earn, and dynamic marketplaces are set to widen the possibilities of not only the gameplay itself but also how the player can profit from it. Additionally, crypto-based casinos are set to really take off this year.