Telegram Tap Games: Revolutionising Play-to-Earn

So, what are they? Known as “tappers” or clickers, tap-to-earn games on Telegram are interactive, simple games where users earn virtual cryptocurrency that can sometimes be converted to tokens, which can be traded or spent, by engaging in various straightforward activities. These games are easy to play, requiring just a few taps, making them accessible to a wide audience. Unlike traditional mobile games, tap-to-earn games offer tangible rewards in the form of digital currencies, which can be accumulated and sometimes even traded or used for transactions.

The blockchain that’s making it possible 

These tap games tend to operate on The Open Network, commonly known as TON Blockchain. TON Blockchain enables Telegram to integrate cryptocurrency and blockchain into the tap-to-earn ecosystem. Therefore, users can easily and quickly set up wallets without the hassle of seed phrases to store their earned coins.

Notcoin has pioneered the popularity of tap-to-earn games. Launched in January 2024, users sign up via Telegram and then tap the gold Notcoin on the screen to earn in-game rewards. The game quickly gained popularity, attracting millions of users. In June 2024, these users received an airdrop of the NOT token, propelling it to become the fifth most-traded cryptocurrency by June 2nd, 2024. Now Notcoin has over 40 million users and around 6.5 million daily active users.

Why are users so hooked on Tap-to-Earn?

Gamification is at the heart of the simple features of these tap games, it keeps users coming back, alongside other key features:

Earning in-game currency: The biggest feature of tap games revolves around mining and tapping the in-game token. Users can also connect to a TON wallet to complete airdrop-related activities they can also earn tokens or bonuses from watching ads and completing tasks.

Simple interactions: Users repeatedly click or tap on a screen, building clicks to achieve goals, collect resources, improve characters, and earn points or tokens.

Social interactions and referral programs: Users are encouraged to join and participate in the game communities, referring friends to receive in-game rewards.

Accessible gameplay: Simple user interface and layout, with straightforward missions where users repeatedly tap on the screen or buttons which are easily accessible to anyone on Telegram.

Gamification: users are rewarded with access to new items, characters, leaderboards, and tiers allowing users to achieve higher goals and open new levels. Users can use coins to buy automated bots to help boost their tap efficiency and income.

Overall these features help attract and retain users’ interest in a project, help newcomers learn about cryptocurrencies, and widen the community.

The other games leading the charge 

Notcoin pioneered the tap-to-earn games, however here are three popular tap games at the moment:

Hamster Kombat: A very popular tap game with over 250 million users. The game features a hamster theme that encourages users to mine HMSTR coins by tapping the hamster. Hamster Kombat has used its tap game to generate hype and interest for its token generation. Although a date for the token airdrop is unconfirmed, it is already listed on some pre-market trading platforms such as Bybit (as of 11th July). Hamster Kombat is integrated with TON Blockchain, and a part of its roadmap is to eventually allow users to trade their HMSTR coins, adding to the hype and excitement among users.

Tapswap: As of May 20, 2024, Tapswap has become the largest Telegram crypto community. With over 60 million users, its popularity is driven by the promise of real rewards on the Tapswap airdrop, originally planned for early July but postponed due to bots compromising the integrity of the airdrop. Tapswap offers daily bonuses and a referral system, with multi-blockchain integration on TON and Solana blockchains.

Pixel Verse: Pixel Verse has attracted 15 million users since its launch in March and has raised $5.5 million from venture capitalists to support its growth. Pixel Verse users can claim their PIXF coins using the automatic tapping bot, which fills up every 8 hours, as well as use daily rewards and quests. Users can take part in real-time player vs player battles and use their earned in-game coins for upgrades that can increase their chances of winning. Pixel Verse users can convert their in-game coins into $PIXI tokens and withdraw the converted tokens into a variety of wallets, including TON and Ethereum Wallets, to be held or traded.

The benefits of Tap-to-Earn Games for start-ups 

Tap-to-Earn games have become increasingly popular, offering clear benefits to both users and developers. Here are some key highlights:

Growth Potential: Telegram has over 900 million users, providing start-ups with the opportunity to reach a vast user base. The bot games are easy to set up and accessible to any user on Telegram.

Funding: The success of Pixel Verse and its receipt of funding, demonstrates investor interest. Therefore, projects can be built and progress quickly, allowing users to gain access to token airdrops sooner.

Creating, Building, and Fostering Community: Web3 adoption becomes easier for new users as Telegram tap-to-earn games allow for a simpler Web3 user experience by removing the complexities of wallet set-up and self-custody arrangements.

Marketing and Creating Hype: Start-ups can access new user bases and encourage users to interact with social media as part of the in-game experience, such as liking, commenting, and reposting posts on X.com. This usually revolves around referral programmes, liking, posting, and reposting tweets.

The future of tap-to-earn games is yet to be seen. However, it will be important to watch the new ways in which blockchain technology can be explored and create new experiences to introduce Web3 to new audiences.