Which Play-and-Earn (PnE) game should you play? A guide to video game genres
If you’re new to Play-and-Earn (PnE) gaming, you might be wondering where you should begin. It’s often best to ignore potential earnings in the beginning and instead focus on games that you’re likely to enjoy. The more fun you have, the more you’ll want to play in your free time. And the more you play, the more you’ll progress and earn in the long run.
To help you decide which PnE games might be best suited to your interests or play style, we’ve put together a guide to the most popular video game genres. It will help you understand what they are and how they work — and which PnE games may be most appealing to you.
RPG
RPG stands for role-playing game. Players take on the role of a central character or multiple characters that are typically developed throughout a series of carefully designed (and usually lengthy) storylines. Most RPGs offer at least one main storyline, divided into quests, as well as multiple side quests and missions that players can take on and complete at their own pace.
Throughout each story and quest, players are tasked with solving puzzles, obtaining items, and engaging in combat with other characters or creatures as they explore a world that is usually divided up into different areas — each with its own attributes. As they progress, players gain experience and level up their characters, which in turn grants them new abilities and equipment.
RPGs have been around since the early days of video gaming and include some of the biggest franchises in the gaming industry, including Final Fantasy, Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls, and Fallout. Some of the most popular PnE RPG games available today are:
MMORPG
MMORPG stands for massively multiplayer online role-playing game. MMORPGs are much like regular RPGs — with very similar mechanics and objectives — except they are played online with large groups. They give players an opportunity to team up with others and take on more involved quests and powerful creatures that they could not complete or defeat on their own.
One of the biggest and most famous MMORGPs is World of Warcraft, which has millions of players and has raked in billions of dollars since it launched in 2004. Others include Lord of the Rings Online, RuneScape, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. In PnE gaming, VulcanVerse is a popular MMORPG.
MOBA
MOBAs, or multiplayer online battle arenas, are somewhat similar to MMORGPs in that they are played online. However, the mechanics of the game are quite different. In MOBAs, players take control of a team that competes against another team on a battlefield. The objective is usually to destroy the opponent’s main base or to wipe out their entire team.
Some of the most successful MOBAs include League of Legends, Defense of the Ancients 2 (DotA 2), and Smite. In PnE gaming, Thetan Arena and Vulcan’s Forge Arena have become hugely popular among MOBA fans. However, by far the biggest is Axie Infinity, which lets players collect, trade, and battle cute and colorful creatures known as “axies.”
Sandbox and open worlds
Sandbox and open world games give players the chance to dive into virtual environments in which they are free to explore and play. Some of these, such as Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, have defined storylines and clear missions to complete. Others, such as Minecraft and Roblox, are focused on creativity and giving players a platform to build their own worlds and games.
Many of the other genres mentioned here — particularly RPGs and adventure games — may be set in sandboxes or open worlds. They have become increasingly popular as gaming hardware has evolved to be more powerful, giving developers the ability to create more expansive environments. If you’re looking for sandbox PnE games, be sure to check out The Sandbox.
Trading card games
If you love collecting cards and using them to compete with friends, you’ll love trading card games or “deck builders.” In these games, you put together your most powerful decks to battle it out against other players — usually online. Some of the most popular card games of recent times include Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering. And there are plenty to enjoy in the PnE space, too, such as:
Strategy
Strategy games are what gave birth to MMORPGs, so they share many of the same characteristics. Players take control of a team or unit and fight against the opposition for victory. Strategy games typically require planning and a tactical approach, particularly when larger teams are involved.
There are many subgenres under the strategy umbrella, including turn-based strategy (TBS) games in which players take turns to make their moves, and real-time strategy (RTS) games in which the action is constant. Another popular subgenre is tower defense, which requires players to build towers and other structures to fight off oncoming hordes of creatures.
In recent years, Clash Royale has become one of the biggest tower defense games, earning billions of dollars since it landed on mobile in 2016. If you’re looking for PnE strategy games, you might want to check out titles like The 7th Seal, Voxie Tactics, and Reta Wars.
Gacha
The name gacha comes from the “gachapon” or “gashapon” toy vending machines that are incredibly popular in Japan. Customers insert their cash and then receive a toy, some of which are considered collector’s items and end up being worth considerable sums of money. Gacha games have a similar mechanic; players usually pay to obtain a “loot box” filled with virtual items or assets.
What you might receive is usually a complete mystery until you open the box, though some games may offer a preview of what you can expect in advance. Some items may not be common and not worth much, while others can be incredibly rare and sought-after.
An increasing number of today’s videos games — particularly MMO and mobile games — have begun implementing gacha mechanics. They not only help developers ensure a steady revenue stream, but they give players another reason to keep returning to the game. It can also be incredibly exciting to purchase loot boxes and be in with a chance to grab something special.
Shooters
Shooters are some of the most popular games in the industry, with titles like Battlefield, Call of Duty, Halo, Gears of War, and Fortnite earning their developers and publishers billions of dollars every year. Players control a character or soldier who carries guns and other weapons to fight off enemies.
There are two primary genres of shooter game: first-person, in which the player sees the game from their character’s perspective. And third-person, in which the player views the game through a camera positioned behind their character (with most or all of their character in view). Within these genres, there are many different kinds of shooter game.
Most have players teaming up with others online, to take on opposing teams. They may battle it out for the most kills, or to complete an objective, such as controlling areas of the map for certain periods of time or planting bombs before the enemy team has a chance to stop them. Others, like battle royale games, see players going at it alone against other “solo” players to be the last alive.
Many shooters — including Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, and Crysis — also offer single-player campaigns with a set storyline, in which players must complete missions or other objectives to progress. These can usually be played offline. Some of the most popular PnE shooters include:
Sports
Sports games are self-explanatory; they are video games based on popular sports like football, soccer, baseball, basketball, racing, and more. They are hugely successful, and no matter what sport you’re into, there is likely a video game based on it. In the early days of gaming, you had to actually get together with friends to get the most out of sports games. But now you can team up with and compete against others online anywhere in the world.
Popular PnE sports games include:
Adventure
The adventure game genre covers an incredibly wide range of titles that, as the name suggests, take players on an adventure. They usually feature likable characters and interesting storylines that keep players hooked, and they tend to borrow mechanics from other genres, including RPGs and even shooters. These are usually combined with elements of exploration and puzzle-solving.
Popular modern adventure games include The Legend of Zelda, Life is Strange, Uncharted, Dying Light, and The Last of Us. Many of the PnE games we’ve already mentioned — such as VulcanVerse and Undead Blocks — may be interesting to you if you’re an adventure game fan. You may also want to check out:
Platformer
Platform games have been around since the very first video game consoles. They put players in control of a character in a 2D or 3D world in which the objective is to traverse environments filled with obstacles, enemies, and other hazards. The primary goal is to make it through each level, but players may also be tasked with finding coins or other objects along the way.
Some of the most beloved platform games include Super Mario Bros., Crash Bandicoot, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Spyro. If you’re a fan of titles like these and you’re looking for PnE alternatives, you’ll want to look at the likes of:
