The recent trends have turned many gamers towards NFT games - after all, they promise a compelling future for the players by giving them tools to earn from gaming. This is possible because of blockchain integration - every NFT game has NFTs incorporated into them and, most of the time, some kind of cryptocurrency that can be earned from simply playing the game. While there are many of these games - and more to come as the technology behind them is still new - are there any free NFT games out there?
The answer is straightforward - yes, you can find a free NFT game. But the story does not end here: let us walk through the free options in crypto gaming.
Gods Unchained - the first free NFT game?
Gods Unchained is a competitive card NFT game. It does not require any initial investment from the players and it is possible to earn real-value money by playing it. There are two ways players can earn.
Every newly registered member gets a welcome set containing 70 distinct cards each with one additional duplicate, making for 140 cards in total. These welcome cards are not on the blockchain, therefore they are not NFTs. As you play, you obtain more cards and various in-game currencies. These elements can be used to mint cards on the blockchain platform making them into NFTs. After that, it is possible to sell these NFT cards to other players, thus earning from the game without any initial investment.
Another popular way to earn from Gods Unchained is participation in matches. If you manage to reach a certain level of skill, you can play ranked games and win their native cryptocurrency, GODS$. Together with Flux and Stars, in-game currencies that are not on the blockchain, GODS$ tokens are used throughout the game. Since the GODS$ token is on the blockchain, it can be purchased and traded just like any other crypto - this gives the coin value outside the game.
While you can not expect high earnings from Gods Unchained without spending money on NFTs, it is a free NFT game as it does allow players to join without any initial investment and earn from participating in the game.
Free NFT games - still to come
If you delve deeper into the free NFT game market, you are bound to hit a wall: there are not many of them available. But this wall has a window and if you peek inside, you can find a few examples of games that claim to be free NFT games. A closer look would reveal that these NFT game projects are in various stages of development. Some of them do not have demos yet (e.g. Guild of Guardians), while others (e.g. Chainmonsters) allow a few players to try out the gameplay already.
It is not surprising, since blockchain technology is fairly new (dating back to 2008), and NFT gaming only started in 2017. Since it takes years for a game to be developed, we might need to wait a few years to see a wide range of free NFT games.
You do not have to wait if you want to start playing now - many NFT games that are not free allow players to start with zero investments. Read on to learn how it is possible.
Free NFT games - possible through sponsorship programs
One of the ways to start playing an NFT game without the initial investment is through various sponsorship programs.
An example of this is the Axie Infinity scholarship program. You can rent NFT Axies by becoming a scholar. It grants you access to the game and you can start earning from Axie Infinity. It is also beneficial for investors who do not wish to play the game or have too many NFTs to operate as they earn a percentage of earnings from renting out their assets to scholars.
If you find a game you are interested in but are on the fence about investing your hard-earned money in it, you can try to find out if they offer to rent NFTs to start playing. In some cases you can rent out for free but keep in mind that you will have to give out a portion of your in-game earnings to the NFT holder.
Mars4 is a game that could be considered a free NFT game
With its demo out for everyone to download, Mars4 allows anyone to engage in the game without any restrictions. Right now it is an NFT game without play-to-earn mechanics integrated. Players can interact with their NFTs in the game and soon they will be able to earn from playing as well. After that Mars4 will still be a free NFT game as players will be able to get one colonist for free and start earning without a hefty investment.
Right now, you can learn the game mechanics by exploring Mars and building various constructions on it. Since it is a survival game, you have to keep an eye on your vitals, such as oxygen levels. You can also participate in various contests (e.g. first building on Mars, garage building, hidden objects hunt) to earn rewards by playing - all for free. To get more information about upcoming events and participate in them, join Mars4 Telegram, Discord groups or follow us on Twitter.
In the future, players will be able to earn by cooperating with other players. The system, which is similar to the Axie Infinity scholarship program, is being fleshed out for Mars4 as well. This will allow investors to earn passively if they are not interested in the game itself.
Reasons to invest in Mars4
While you can access the Mars4 game for free, only investors will take part in the community pool and its redistribution.
The community pool is a tool used to give back to the investors who hold Mars4 NFTs. When you purchase any NFT from Mars4, your productivity score is increased. This score will determine the amount you will receive from the community pool. The pool is constantly filled with Mars4 dollars: a part of Mars4 revenue goes into it. You can think of Mars4 NFTs as a stock: you own a piece of Mars and Mars4 gives you dividends on your initial investment.
Since the community pool can be opened as many times as investors agree upon, and is refilled repeatedly you would be collecting money regularly just by simply holding your NFTs.
With Mars4 being in the mid stages of its development, it is natural to assume the revenue collected by the company is bound to increase, thus increasing the size of the community pool. Investing now is a great time to start your journey on Mars.
You can choose the amount you want to invest in the project: if you have more money to spare, it is recommended to get yourself a land plot on Mars (you can get 30% off for your purchase). You can stick to buying in-game assets to begin earning as these NFTs are cheaper but also increase your productivity. Right now you can buy vehicles with 10% off - but more in-game NFTs will be released down the line.
Conclusion
Free NFT games are in their early stages - many of them are just projects on paper, and do not have a game released yet. On the other hand, it is possible to create a free NFT game just like the Gods Unchained team did, therefore we will most likely see more of them in the future.
Mars4 is also a free NFT game - you can download the demo version right now. While blockchain integration is upcoming you can already learn the basic mechanics of the game and start your Mars journey.
Ready to start?