This Week in Crypto Games: 'X Empire' Airdrop Details, 'Catizen' Token Date, and Sui Handheld Specs

The crypto and NFT gaming space is busier than ever lately, what with prominent games starting to release, token airdrops piling up, and a seemingly constant array of other things happening at all times. It’s a lot to take in!

Luckily, Decrypt’s GG is all over it. And if you need a quick way to get caught up on the latest moves around crypto video games, we’re happy to present This Week in Crypto Games.

Our weekend roundup serves up the biggest news from the past week, along with a few other tidbits you might have missed. We also showcase a few of our original stories from the week.

Biggest news

X Empire airdrop details: Rising Telegram game X Empire, formerly known as Musk Empire, revealed that its “mining phase” will end September 30 and gave details on how the airdrop will be allocated. Any in-game progression after the mining phase ends will not be considered when it comes to the airdrop. The ending of this phase will be one of the final major steps towards the airdrop.

Three criteria were later detailed for players to consider. Primarily, players must have a TON wallet connected to the game—otherwise there will be nowhere for tokens to be airdropped to. The post also highlights that in-game profit-per-hour is a key metric that the game is using for airdrop allocation. Finally, inviting friends has been a key gameplay mechanic and will be considered in the airdrop, especially if you onboarded “quality” players of the game. It's not yet clear how "quality" will be judged.

When Are the Next Big Telegram Game Airdrops? From 'Hamster Kombat' to 'Catizen' and 'Rocky Rabbit'

Many Telegram-based games have shot to popularity this year with the promise of in-game progression resulting in a share of a future crypto token airdrop. For some of those games, the time to launch a token is upon us, with dates set and gamers itching for their share of the pie. From crypto exchange-building tap-to-earn game Hamster Kombat to combat-centric clicker Rocky Rabbit and others alongside, these Telegram mini apps have made waves through the industry. But now it's time for these proje...

Citizen token launch date: Catizen, a Telegram-based puzzle game, announced that its token will launch on September 20 following a delay that pushed its CATI token—which will be minted on The Open Network (TON)—out from its original July target.

On Thursday, crypto exchange Bybit posted that it will list CATI for spot trading on September 20. Catizen shared the news through its official channels, as well, confirming the date in the process. Airdrop timing has yet to be confirmed, but its likely to happen alongside the token generation event.

Telegram Game 'Catizen' Sets Token Launch Date as Pre-Market Trading Expands

Catizen, a Telegram-based puzzle game, has announced its token will launch on September 20 following a delay that pushed its CATI token—which will be minted on The Open Network (TON)—out from its original July target. On Thursday, crypto exchange Bybit posted that it will list CATI for spot trading on September 20. Catizen shared the news through its official channels, as well, confirming the date in the process. Tokens can only be spot traded once the token generation event (TGE) takes place, s...

SuiPlay0x1 specs revealed: More details about the upcoming crypto gaming handheld console SuiPlay0x1 were revealed on Tuesday by Playtron alongside Mysten Labs, the core team behind the Sui blockchain. Pre-orders for the device have also opened, with the first 1,000 buyers receiving a soulbound NFT reward with future perks teased.

The crypto gaming device is currently priced at $599 plus shipping and tax. It has been confirmed that the SuiPlay0x1 will come with 512GB of SSD storage, packed with an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U CPU and AMD Ryzen 780M graphics card. Pair that with a 1,920x1,200 7-inch LCD screen and the Linux-based operating system Playtron, and it's poised to be a unique challenger to Valve's Steam Deck..

SuiPlay0x1 Crypto Gaming Handheld Price, Specs Revealed for 2025 Release

More details about the upcoming crypto gaming handheld console SuiPlay0x1 have been revealed by Playtron and Mysten Labs, the creators of the Sui blockchain. With this, pre-orders for the device have opened with the first to pay receiving an NFT reward. The SuiPlay0x1 aims to rival Valve’s Steam Deck as a powerful handheld gaming device that can run PC games as well as crypto games—a key difference between the devices. Currently priced at $599 (plus shipping and tax), the SuiPlay0x1 falls in bet...

ICYMI

• Overwatch-style shooter Nyan Heroes returned to the Epic Games Store with a new airdrop campaign.
• Telegram game W-Coin picked TON for its token after players shunned Solana and Ethereum in an in-game poll.
• Ronin farming game Pixels revealed details of in-game events and further teased its Telegram game.
• Pixels also hosted an in-game wedding for two of its players, which took place at the same time as their real-world wedding.

• Skale Labs teamed with Moxy, an esports startup from Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, which will build on Ethereum layer-2 network Skale.
• Ronin game Ragnarok: Monster World will hold its next beta test beginning September 10. We enjoyed the last one.
• Bored Ape Yacht Club maker Yuga Labs' Dookey Dash Unclogged game will hold a $1 million competition starting on September 12.
• Solana-based gaming network Sonic will host a node sale beginning September 16.
• Metaverse gaming startup Futureverse selected Ripple to handle custody for its digital assets.

GG spotlight

Here are a few of our original stories from this past week that we think are well worth a weekend read:

'Nyan Heroes' Returns to Epic Games Store With New Playtest, Solana Token Rewards

Feline hero shooter Nyan Heroes is now open for its third playtest period, which adds a new game mode, two characters, and more gameplay features. This also marks the beginning of the project’s third airdrop campaign wave, where players will be able to earn Solana-based NYAN tokens by completing in-game quests. Nyan Heroes is a free-to-play, Overwatch-style shooter in which players embody a cat piloting a mech suit. Developed by 9 Lives Interactive, the game broke into the top 30 titles on the E...

What Is ‘Rocky Rabbit’? The Telegram Tap-to-Earn Game and Airdrop Details

Amid the success of Hamster Kombat, there’s a new wave of Telegram tap-to-earn games that are remixing and building upon that premise—such as the Elon Musk-themed X Empire, as well as Rocky Rabbit. Like Hamster Kombat, Rocky Rabbit builds out more of a game around its core screen-tapping premise, letting you invest your in-game earnings to train a musclebound bunny, invest in business ventures, and beyond. And apparently, the game will add some sort of battle functionality in the future. Rocky R...

‘Hamster Kombat’ Hexa Puzzle Guide: The Fastest Way to Earn Millions of Coins Before the Airdrop

Hamster Kombat’s HMSTR token launch and airdrop are coming on September 26, and the hit Telegram game’s players—over 300 million, as claimed in July—are surely eager to get their crypto reward for months of tapping and building up their hamster-run crypto exchanges. But Hamster Kombat is more than just a crypto exchange simulator, and the developers have been continually adding new ways to earn towards the airdrop. And one such recent addition, the Hexa Puzzle mini-game, not only stands out as a...

‘Rocky Rabbit’ Tips Guide: How to Earn the Most Coins Ahead of the Telegram Game Airdrop

Rocky Rabbit has quickly emerged as one of the hottest Telegram tap-to-earn games on the market, putting a fitness and combat riff on the Hamster Kombat formula while teasing a token launch for late September. With the RabBitcoin (RBTC) token launch set for September 23 on The Open Network (TON) and the airdrop to players expected around the same time, Rocky Rabbit has quickly become a big target for Telegram tap-to-earn players. If you’re new to the game, some elements might click right away fo...

Edited by Andrew Hayward