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
Telegram and TON go exclusive: On Tuesday, Telegram and The Open Network Foundation announced an exclusivity deal that will require Telegram mini apps—the biggest of which are games like Hamster Kombat and Trump's Empire—with crypto integrations to use TON, with Telegram also providing various benefits to projects that utilize the network.
Telegram is actually the original creator of TON, which was first known as the Telegram Open Network, but the messaging app dumped the project in 2020 due to regulatory scrutiny. Development continued externally via a community of builders, who eventually launched TON as The Open Network.
Messaging platform Telegram is making things official with TON—again.
On Tuesday, Telegram and The Open Network Foundation announced an exclusivity deal that will require Telegram mini apps (including games) with crypto integrations to use TON, with Telegram also providing various benefits to projects that utilize the network.
“The integration of TON as the exclusive blockchain for Telegram mini apps is a strategic step forward, strengthening TON's status as one of the world's leading blockchain...
Betting with TRUMP: Crypto casino Rivalry added the recently launched TRUMP Solana meme coin as a form of payment on the platform. This move took place last weekend, shortly after the coin dropped, and ahead of Donald Trump being inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on Monday.
Rivalry, a crypto casino as well as sports and esports betting platform, has added the recently launched TRUMP Solana meme coin as a form of payment. This move took place on Saturday, shortly after the coin dropped, and ahead of Donald Trump being inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on Monday.
The official Trump meme coin launched on Solana late Friday and quickly skyrocketed to a $15 billion market cap—now settling under $8 billion as the third-largest meme coin, according to...
Users of the Rivalry betting site can deposit and wager their TRUMP tokens, as well as use it as a form of payment on the platform. Those choosing to wager TRUMP on Rivalry will receive exclusive rewards until February 1, in the form of a multiplier on NUTZ tokens earned for each bet.
Rivalry claimed that the move made it the first betting operator to accept the official TRUMP token.
Ronin meme coins: Ethereum gaming sidechain network Ronin got its own meme coin launchpad on Tuesday. Tama Meme operates similarly to Pump.fun, the Solana token creation site, allowing for anyone to launch a token in just a few clicks.
Tama Meme, a meme coin launchpad that allows users to create new tokens in a few clicks, is now live on Ronin, the Ethereum sidechain known for its gaming focus.
Created by Moku, a developer with backing from Ronin creator Sky Mavis, Tama Meme is part of Ronin’s continued expansion under “Operation Leviosa”—an initiative to open up the previously curated Ronin ecosystem and welcome more games, applications, and decentralized finance platforms.
The platform operates similarly to Pump.fun, the S...
Created by Moku, a developer with backing from Ronin creator Sky Mavis, Tama Meme is part of Ronin’s continued expansion under “Operation Leviosa”—an initiative to open up the previously curated Ronin ecosystem and welcome more games, applications, and decentralized finance platforms.
ICYMI
The developers of virtual horse racing game Photo Finish Live have teamed up with crypto casino and sportsbook BlockBet, enabling users of the site to wager with the game’s CROWN token.
CROWN, a token on the Solana blockchain, joins Solana, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bonk, and others as supported assets for wagering.
The partnership includes BlockBet becoming the first official simulcast partner of Photo Finish from developer Third Time Games, allowing users to watch and wager on the outcome of the pla...
- GOAT Gaming claims it will release AI agents that can play “hundreds” of video games for you, including Crypto Crawler, Waifu Clash, and Kitty Solitaire.
- Crypto hero shooter BloodLoop burned 25% of its token supply on Tuesday.
- What Is This Sorcery, a crypto trading card game, announced it will launch on Ethereum layer-2 network Abstract “soon.”
- Game developers are more concerned about AI now than last year, a GDC report showed.
- Trading card game Parallel has committed $1 million in PRIME prizes to the next esports season to start in March (after the Las Vegas championship), with $2 million pledged for the third season in 2026.
- Valhalla Foundation, a mobile gaming organization, launched its GOD token in partnership with InfiniGods on Hyperliquid.
- LINE, a free messaging app, got its own Web3 mini-game platform called Mini Dapps.
- "Metaverse Filipino Worker," a documentary short, was released about people from the Philippines that work inside the metaverse.
GG spotlight
Here are a few of our original stories from this past week that we think are well worth a weekend read:
President Donald Trump is the biggest story in crypto over the last week, from his Solana meme coin launch to the impact of his inauguration and initial regulatory moves on the broader crypto market.
If you’re not tired of the returning commander-in-chief just yet, then there’s a rising Telegram game that lets you build out his business and political empire in exchange for a share of a future token airdrop.
Launched a few weeks back, Trump’s Empire is an evolution of earlier Telegram idle games...
Ethereum layer-2 network Abstract is building out its ecosystem with a growing list of consumer applications—including a major focus on gaming.
The chain’s most recent update indicates that at least 33 games or gaming-related projects will have some connection to the ecosystem after the Abstract mainnet launches this January.
To prepare you, we’ve highlighted 9 of the most anticipated games set to launch on Abstract.
How to Prepare for Abstract: The Consumer-Focused Ethereum Blockchain
Pudgy W...
If you’re above the equator, it’s winter. For the Midwest and Northeast U.S., plus Canada, it’s been brutally cold lately—unbearable with windchill and potentially deadly when the winter winds pick up.
Instead of chattering your teeth, why not escape to the warmth of your home, wrap yourself up in a blanket, and dive into a video game?
If you're a real masochist, you could play Frostpunk 2 or Skyrim. But we recommend going the opposite way and finding games about sweltering heat, especially one...
Airdrop season is in full swing, with apps, protocols, and other projects seizing upon bear market vibes and regulatory shifts to finally drop their tokens—and potentially reward millions of crypto users in the process.
What exactly is an airdrop, though? When it comes to crypto tokens, an airdrop is typically a way for a project to reward its early users and contributors by giving them a share of a newly launched token, all while spreading the tokens far and wide for decentralized governance.
W...
Edited by Andrew Hayward
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