Best Ethereum Games

If a trading card game enthusiast asked me for free Ethereum games to try, Gods Unchained would be the first name out of my mouth. Developed by none other than a former Magic: The Gathering game director, Chris Clay, this one delivers everything a TCG fan dreams of, but with a blockchain twist.

In Gods Unchained, you build a 30-card deck and battle strategically. Each card belongs to one of six gods: Light, Death, Nature, Deception, War, or Magic. Since every god has unique abilities and playstyles, you get endless ways to shape your strategy and make the gameplay your own.

Now, where does blockchain fit in? Well, the cards you collect in-game aren’t just part of a digital library. You actually own them as NFTs. This means you can buy, sell, and trade them freely in the marketplace, just like Pokémon cards that you can swap with friends in real life.

The game has its own native currency, GODS tokens, which you can earn through rewards, quests, and tournaments. With these tokens, you can craft NFTs, buy card packs from the marketplace, or even generate more GODS just by holding them in your account.

They also serve as governance tokens, giving holders voting power to influence proposals that shape the game’s future. It's somewhat similar to how shareholders vote on decisions in publicly traded companies.^[1]

Key Features

Here are the features that I think make Gods Unchained so attractive to many players:

• Daily Play & Earn. You can earn GODS tokens just by playing daily and winning matches.
• Weekend Ranked Events. Compete in weekend tournaments from Friday to Sunday for a chance to win exclusive rewards.
• The Forge. You can use GODS tokens to fuse cards and create new NFT cards that you can trade or keep.
• Battle Pass. A progression-based reward system that lets you earn in-game bonuses as you play.
• Free-to-Play. You don’t need to spend anything to start, as new players receive 70 unique cards as part of the Welcome Set.
• Card Ownership. Every card you own is an NFT stored on the blockchain, meaning you can trade, sell, or hold them however you like.

If you're not a hardcore TCG player, the deep mechanics and strategies might feel overwhelming at first. But if you're competitive at heart and want a game that blends skill, ownership, and play-to-earn mechanics, then Gods Unchained is one of the best Ethereum games you could try out.

If you’re looking to earn Ethereum by playing games, Axie Infinity is one of the most well-known choices. Developed by Sky Mavis, the game blew up after its 2018 release and still has a dedicated player base today.

It's a strategy-based monster battle game where you collect, breed, and train digital creatures called Axies. These little guys aren’t just digital trophies sitting pretty on your screen. You can add them to your squad and battle other players to win rewards.

But I think what really stood out to many players, especially when Axie Infinity first dropped, was its fresh take on true ownership of in-game assets. The Axies you collect and breed aren’t just game characters – they’re NFTs. That means every creature you own is truly yours, and you can buy, sell, or trade them however you want on the marketplace.

This setup makes Axie Infinity a fully player-owned economy. Instead of developers controlling in-game item sales, everything is traded directly between players. Any marketplace fees go into a community treasury managed by AXS token holders.

Key Features

Let’s take a quick look at the game's noteworthy features:

• Vibrant Graphics. Axie Infinity’s world is bright, vibrant, and full of personality, with detailed battle arenas and charming, adorable Axies that bring the game to life.
• Breeding Mechanics. You can breed Axies with different genetic traits to create unique offspring that can be battled or traded.
• Play-to-Earn Model Pioneer. Axie Infinity was one of the first P2E games to prove that gaming can earn you real, tangible rewards.
• NFT. Every Axie is a non-fungible token, making each one a unique digital asset with distinct traits that set it apart.
• Player-Owned Economy. The entire in-game economy is 100% run by players, with marketplace fees going into a community-governed treasury.
• In-Game Tokens. SLP and AXS power the entire game economy, both of which you can earn and monetize.

So, I’d say that if you're new to the space and looking for a game on Ethereum with unique gameplay and earning potential, Axie Infinity is a good place to start.

Imagine owning a virtual plot of land where you can build anything you like, explore creations from other players, and roam a limitless digital world. That’s Decentraland.

Launched in February 2020, this Ethereum-based metaverse game lets you create and trade assets while immersing yourself in a world shaped by its players.

You experience this world through a customizable avatar, allowing you to navigate a constantly expanding landscape filled with unique player creations. You can visit other players’ lands, interact with fellow explorers, and even attend social events, making the experience as interactive as you want it to be.

And as its name suggests, Decentraland isn’t controlled by a central entity. Instead, it’s governed by the DAO, where holders of MANA, LAND, and Estate tokens vote on proposed changes to the protocol, shaping the platform’s future.

But if you’re like me and prefer to just explore without thinking about governance and long-term development, that’s totally fine, too!

In fact, one of the best things about this free Ethereum game is that you can simply discover new places, meet interesting people, or just enjoy the world at your own pace.

Key Features

I think the game is worth exploring because of these elements:

• Wearables. Customize your avatar with unique outfits, accessories, and NFT-based collectibles. Browse thousands of community-made items in the marketplace to craft your own style.
• LAND. Own virtual real estate as NFTs on Ethereum. Each LAND token records its coordinates, owner, and stored content, allowing players to build and monetize it.
• Limitless Creativity. Construct anything from interactive games to art galleries, virtual stores, in-game experiences, or social hubs.
• Social Events. Attend concerts, fashion shows, parties, and even virtual conferences, bringing the metaverse to life.
• The Marketplace. Buy, sell, and trade digital assets, from LAND parcels to wearables, all within the game.

That said, Decentraland isn’t as lively as it once was. The concept and potential are incredible, but over time, the world has lost some of its vibrancy. It’s not uncommon to wander around for hours without encountering another player.

Still, if you’re into exploring and appreciating other players’ creativity, Decentraland remains one of the best Ethereum games worth checking out.

Illuvium is a collectible role-playing game on the Ethereum blockchain, blending open-world exploration with strategic auto-battler mechanics. With its gorgeous visuals and deep gameplay, it offers an experience that feels like a mashup between No Man’s Sky and ARK, with a Web3 twist.

In the game, you step into the shoes of a stranded explorer-turned-ranger, navigating through dangerous alien terrains in search of powerful creatures known as Illuvials. Your mission is to capture, train, and battle them while also gathering resources to repair your ship and uncover the planet’s secrets.

The gameplay is easy to grasp yet challenging to master. It brings together exploration, resource collection, and tactical combat, keeping you engaged for hours as you build out your team and plan your next move.

Illuvium’s economy is built around asset ownership. Many in-game assets, like Illuvials, weapons, and armor, are fully tradable NFTs.

Using the IlluviDEX, the game’s built-in marketplace, you can buy, sell, and trade assets freely. This gives you complete control over your progress, strategy, and in-game wealth.

Key Features

Here’s what makes Illuvium worth trying:

• Impressive Graphics. One of the best-looking Ethereum games, with high-end visuals and immersive landscapes.
• Illuvials. Capture, train, and battle unique creatures with different tiers, abilities, and evolution stages.
• Battles & Fusion. Win battles, level up your Illuvials, and fuse them into more powerful versions.
• The Forge. Craft weapons, armor, and other gear at Sanctum Mesa’s Forge to improve your battle strategies.
• ILV Token. The in-game currency for governance, liquidity mining, and rewards, offering multiple ways to earn as you play.

Thankfully, Illuvium offers a free-to-play experience through its Tier 0 regions, allowing you to explore the world, battle Illuvials, and get a feel for the gameplay without spending a dime. It’s a smart way to learn the mechanics, experiment with different strategies, and see if the game clicks with you before deciding to dive deeper into the play-to-earn side and sink more hours into it.

Sorare is a fantasy sports manager game that brings football, basketball, and baseball into the world of blockchain gaming. Instead of just watching your favorite players, you get to collect their digital cards, build your dream team, and compete in tournaments for exclusive rewards.

You step into the role of a manager, and your team's success depends on how your real-life players perform. If the athletes in your lineup crush it on game day, you’ll climb the leaderboard and score rewards like new cards, crypto tokens, or even VIP perks like signed jerseys and matchday tickets.

The best part is that it’s free-to-play. You start with a few common cards and build your team over time. If you're competitive and aiming for the top, investing in rarer cards can give you an edge – but casual players can still have plenty of fun without spending anything.

Key Features

Here’s why Sorare deserves a spot among the best games to earn Ethereum:

• Multi-Sport Leagues. Manage teams in football, basketball, and baseball. Sorare gives you more variety than your usual fantasy league.
• Scout & Trade. Use your sports knowledge to scout players, build your team from scratch, and trade in the marketplace to gain an edge.
• Compete to Win. Enter your team into tournaments and weekly competitions to win new cards, ETH, and other prizes.
• Free-to-Play. Sorare offers a solid free-to-play path, letting you enjoy the game and earn without upfront investment.
• Real Athlete Presence. Big names like Kylian Mbappé, Gerard Piqué, and Rio Ferdinand aren’t just faces on the site. They actually manage teams in-game, and you might even end up going head-to-head with them.

Sure, the chance to win real prizes is a big part of Sorare’s appeal. But honestly, I think you'll enjoy it the most if you focus on the fun first.

Building a competitive team takes time (and yeah, a lot of money), but the mix of fantasy sports, collectible cards, and blockchain mechanics makes it one of the best Ethereum games out there for sports fans looking for something fresh.

If you’re looking for one of the newer Ethereum games that feels worth getting excited about, Ember Sword should be right on your radar. It’s an open-world MMORPG that blends fast-paced combat, social gameplay, and a player-owned economy set in a vibrant, evolving universe.

You’ll drop into the colorful world of Thanabus, where every action you take – crafting, trading, battling – directly shapes the game environment. You can even own land, design your corner of the map, and possibly earn rewards for what you create.

Unlike most MMOs, Ember Sword ditches the usual class system. Instead of locking you into a role, it lets you shape your playstyle by equipping different weapons, each offering its own unique set of skills.

You’re also limited to six active skills at a time, so every loadout becomes a tactical choice. You have to think it through, balancing offense, defense, and utility in a way that fits how you want to play.

Another aspect I particularly enjoy is the collectible cosmetic system. Skins come in four rarities (Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Epic), and you can merge four matching ones to create a higher-tier version. But here’s the twist: the originals get burned in the process. That means rarer skins stay genuinely scarce, which makes collecting them feel more rewarding.

Key Features

Here’s what makes Ember Sword unique as a free Ethereum game:

• Classless MMORPG. There are no rigid traditional RPG classes. Your weapons define your role, not a character template.
• MOBA Meets Hack & Slash. Fast-paced combat that mixes ARPG mechanics with arena-like skill play.
• Engaging World. Explore Thanabus, shape its regions, and influence the economy with other players.
• Collectible Cosmetics. Weapons, skins, emotes, and even land plots can be owned, traded, merged, or upgraded.
• EMBER Token. The in-game currency used for merging and transactions.
• Land Ownership. Own, trade, and monetize LAND plots that host game content and generate rewards.

The game is still in active development, with major updates on the roadmap. Expect new content, map expansions, engine upgrades, and even entirely new nations coming down the line.

If we’re talking about the best Ethereum games, it wouldn’t feel right to leave out The Sandbox. While its peak popularity as a play-to-earn world may have cooled off a bit, it’s still one of the most ambitious creative projects in the blockchain gaming space.

The Sandbox is all about world-building and digital ownership. Think of it like Minecraft with an Ethereum twist, where you can actually monetize your in-game creations. Whether you’re making a penthouse, designing a virtual gallery, or building an entire interactive experience, The Sandbox lets you earn from your imagination.

A big part of that creative power comes from VoxEdit, the platform’s voxel-editing tool. It allows artists and devs to craft everything from buildings and props to characters, enemies, and wearable gear.

Once you’re done creating, you can mint your assets as NFTs and sell them in the Sandbox Shop. That ecosystem is what makes it one of the most creator-friendly games to earn Ethereum out there.

Key Features

Here’s a quick look at the key features that make The Sandbox a game worth considering:

• Play, Create & Earn. Explore user-made experiences, build your own, and earn rewards in a decentralized economy.
• VoxEdit. Use voxel-editing tools to design in-game assets and turn them into NFTs for use or sale.
• SAND & LAND. SAND is the utility token for transactions, while LAND represents the virtual plots you can develop or trade.
• Frequent Events. Join seasonal events, competitions, and brand collaborations to unlock exclusive rewards.
• The DAO. Help shape the future of the metaverse by voting on key decisions as a SAND or LAND holder.

Now, The Sandbox does have a bit of a learning curve, especially if you plan to dive deep into asset creation. But even if you’re not into building, there’s plenty to explore just by roaming the worlds others have made.

Still, if you’re the creative type who loves showing off your work (and getting rewarded for it), The Sandbox definitely earns its spot among the best Ethereum games.

It might not be the first title that comes to mind anymore when talking about the best Ethereum games, but honestly, I still think CryptoKitties deserves a mention. Launched back in 2017 by Dapper Labs, this quirky little game introduced a whole generation to NFTs, digital ownership, and the early idea of play-to-earn.

In essence, CryptoKitties is a digital pet collection and breeding game. You collect colorful, cartoon-style cats and breed them to create new generations.

Each kitty has its own DNA, packed with unique traits called “cattributes”. These can be passed down, mutated, or mixed in interesting ways, so the breeding becomes a fun mix of strategy and randomness.

What made it a game-changer at the time was that each cat was one-of-a-kind and 100% owned by you, thanks to smart contract technology. That means it can’t be copied, taken away, or destroyed. That kind of ownership gives you the freedom to collect, breed, or sell your kitties however you like – some rare ones have even sold for thousands of dollars.

Key Features

Here’s what makes CryptoKitties stand out:

• Collectible Kitties. Every cat is completely unique.
• Breeding System. Pair your cats to create new kitties with combined or mutated “cattributes”.
• NFT Ownership. Each CryptoKitty is an NFT, meaning you have full control and ownership.
• Marketplace. Easily buy, sell, and trade cats through the built-in marketplace or external platforms.
• Casual Gameplay. No intense battles or grindy mechanics – just breeding, collecting, and having fun!

While it might not be the most advanced or active game today, CryptoKitties is still a good intro to blockchain gaming, especially if you’re more of a collector than a competitor.

📚 Read More: CryptoKitties: How to Get Your Own CryptoKitty