From Portal to Pixels, these are the gaming tokens that have made waves so far this year, ranked by their peak market cap to date according to CoinGecko, at the time of writing. However, with more significant tokens expected in the pipeline, as indicated by our gaming airdrops roundup, the list promises to evolve—stay tuned for updates.
We've set a minimum benchmark for this list, using a peak market cap of at least $100 million as of the latest update, though this threshold may adjust as the year progresses and more tokens debut.
Pixels (PIXEL)
Peak Price: $1.02
Peak Market Cap: $731 million
The most talked-about game in the crypto space is also the force behind the leading gaming token of 2024 thus far. PIXEL token debuted in late February for the serene farming game on Ethereum's Ronin scaling platform, injecting additional crypto-native elements into the web-based game. Within a single day, trading volume exceeded $1 billion.
With a user base numbering in the hundreds of thousands daily, Pixels has captured widespread attention within the crypto community, catalyzing significant momentum for Ronin. PIXEL surpassed the $1 price mark in mid-March, securing the top position on this list. The cited peak market cap is based on circulating token counts at that time, although more tokens have since entered circulation.
Saga (SAGA)
Peak Price: $7.60
Peak Market Cap: $684 million
Although not exclusively dedicated to gaming, the layer-1 Saga network has concentrated much of its initial efforts on gaming endeavors, including conducting play-to-airdrop campaigns and unveiling plans for an in-house game publishing division dubbed Saga Origins. Approximately 80% of testnet projects reportedly focused on gaming.
The SAGA token has made a significant impact, initially through a record-breaking Binance Launchpool campaign that garnered staked funds exceeding $13.4 billion, followed by reaching a peak price that secured its position as the second-largest token on our list thus far in 2024. More airdrop incentives are on the horizon.
Portal (PORTAL)
Peak Price: $3.36
Peak Market Cap: $561.6 million
Launched on February 29, Portal arrived with unprecedented hype within the crypto gaming sphere. This fervor was partially fueled by an airdrop farming initiative that flooded Twitter with tweets, coupled with a Binance campaign (subsequently surpassed by Saga) where users staked over $9 billion in anticipation of rewards.
Despite an initial dip in price, Portal has yet to regain its early momentum as of the latest update. Can this Ethereum-based token for the upcoming cross-chain gaming platform reignite excitement?
Xai (XAI)
Peak Price: $1.59
Peak Market Cap: $440.6 million
The Xai layer-3 gaming network on Ethereum's Arbitrum scaling solution kicked off the year with a notable airdrop, rewarding owners and operators of the network's Guardian Nodes and certain NFT holders. XAI experienced a robust start, reaching a peak price that more than doubled its initial value.
As games begin rolling out on the network, heightened attention and enthusiasm for the token are anticipated, especially following the recent introduction of staking rewards.
Heroes of Mavia (MAVIA)
Peak Price: $10.59
Peak Market Cap: $317.7 million
Heroes of Mavia stands out as one of the most significant new crypto game launches of the year. The Clash of Clans-inspired game has garnered millions of downloads across iOS and Android platforms, with Skrice Studios commemorating the release by airdropping tokens to 100,000 early players, along with tokens for virtual landowners who had previously staked their NFTs.
MAVIA experienced a substantial price surge post-launch in February, surpassing $10—a more than fivefold increase from its opening price. However, this surge was short-lived, with the token subsequently shedding about 40% of its value. While the game has yet to implement its crypto features, a detailed roadmap has been shared.
Gaimin (GMRX)
Peak Price: $0.03937
Peak Market Cap: $261.2 million
Gaimin aims to power crypto games through a decentralized cloud computing platform, enabling users to contribute spare computing resources in exchange for rewards. The platform's GMRX token debuted in late March.
Although the individual token price remains modest and has not yet surpassed $0.04 as of the latest update, the substantial circulating supply has propelled the peak market cap to a significant $261 million. However, the token price has declined by nearly 50% at present, leaving the future prospects of Gaimin uncertain.
Apeiron (APRS)
Peak Price: $1.88
Peak Market Cap: $193.6 million
Apeiron has garnered attention as a prominent Ronin strategy game, currently hosting a play-to-airdrop campaign and recently launching its APRS ecosystem token in the network's inaugural token sale.
The token's market cap approached $200 million on the launch date, although similar to Gaimin, the price has declined considerably since then. Nonetheless, it achieved a sufficiently high valuation to secure a spot on this list, with the game's full launch still pending.
