Tap-to-Earn game Hamster Kombat player explosion surges, Play-to-Earn is a thing of the past

Tap-to-earn games are a novel form of crypto gaming that has swept through the messaging app Telegram and the world.

The concept is simple: you send a message to a Telegram bot to start the game, which loads within the Telegram app itself. You then tap the coin or icon at the center of the screen to earn points or in-game currency.

This is the core premise, but many newer games are evolving in different directions.

Difference Between Tap-to-Earn and Play-to-Earn

Play-to-earn (P2E) games emerged before tap-to-earn games but failed to gain traction. Why?

P2E games tried to bring gamers into the crypto space, but trust and mass adoption didn't follow.

The focus has now shifted to providing crypto enthusiasts with what they want: a quick and easy way to earn cryptocurrency.

While traditional P2E models typically require complex gameplay and significant time investment, tap-to-earn games offer a more accessible and engaging approach.

By leveraging social layers like Telegram, which consumers already use, these games have unintentionally opened a window for mass adoption.

Surge in Tap-to-Earn Gamers

Three months ago, a viral tap game called "Hamster Kombat" appeared on Telegram, attracting 239 million registrations in the past three months, making it the latest internet phenomenon.

Other successful tap-to-earn games in the Web3 space have notable but relatively lower numbers: TapSwap has 50 million total users, and Yescoin has over 26 million active players in less than a month.

These statistics resemble traditional Web2 games but represent a mass adoption center for the Web3 ecosystem within Telegram.

Pioneers of Tap-to-Earn Games

As a pioneer of tap-to-earn game success, Notcoin, launched on New Year's Day 2024, has attracted over 40 million players.

Among them, 11.5 million became Web3 users by claiming Web3 tokens after the Notcoin ($NOT) token was listed on top exchanges like Binance and OKEx.

As of this writing, Notcoin ($NOT) is priced at $0.016, up 14.5% in seven days. Their strategy has since been adopted by other viral apps like PixelTap.

The process is simple: start with entirely off-chain gameplay to avoid user friction, attract as many players as possible through incentives and referrals, and then announce an upcoming token airdrop.

Other strategies have also proven effective.

Yescoin and Catizen (a popular P2E Telegram mini-app) introduced on-chain mechanisms early on.

Time will reveal how different approaches chosen by each team impact conversion rates and user retention, especially after Hamster Kombat, TapSwap, and PixelTap launch their tokens.

Catizen and Notcoin have conversion rates from off-chain to on-chain users at 7% and 6.2%, respectively, far exceeding Telegram's average of 0.6%.

Tap-to-Earn Beyond Gaming

Notably, the tap-to-earn approach is being adopted by non-gaming applications as well. Blum, a hybrid crypto exchange launched by former Binance executives, started with simple clicker and quest-to-earn mechanisms, successfully attracting 30 million users before launching core product features. This suggests that tap-to-earn is essentially seen as an effective onboarding tool and a profitable revenue source.

Reasons for Tap-to-Earn Game Success

Tap-to-earn games attract a large number of players due to:

• The apparent simplicity and enjoyable progression of the gameplay.
• The promise of community airdrops: Unlike DeFi protocols or Ethereum L2, clicker apps require no complex on-chain operations. According to the Notcoin team, about 90% of the token supply went to the community, with an average reward of $200 per wallet. Catizen promises to airdrop 42% of $CATI in the future, while the tokenomics of other apps remain undisclosed.
• Leveraging social layers and encouraging players to invite friends and compete in squads for higher rewards. All these viral apps chose TON's blockchain, explained by the ease of joining Telegram, its 950 million global user base, the chain's technical advantages, and Notcoin's recent success on top centralized exchanges.
• Investment from leading Web3 companies: The renowned Web3 game studio and venture capital firm Animoca Brands has placed a big bet on Telegram, now choosing TON as its Web3 partner. This includes Animoca-owned gaming platform GAMEE, which has over 80 million users and recently announced the launch of their token on TON, following good test practices of other TON projects.