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Imagine earning cryptocurrency just by tapping your screen! In 2024 and 2025, a wave of Telegram-based tap-to-earn (T2E) games has exploded in popularity. These mini-games reward players with real crypto or tokens, so it’s no surprise that this model has attracted hundreds of millions of users.
What Are Tap-to-Earn Games?
“Tap-to-earn” games are a type of mobile game where players can earn real-world rewards, often in the form of cash, gift cards, or cryptocurrency, by performing simple in-game actions. These actions typically involve repetitive tasks such as tapping the screen, watching ads, completing surveys, or participating in mini-games. The primary goal of these games is to keep users engaged and generate revenue through advertisements or microtransactions, a portion of which is then shared with the players as rewards.
In essence, these games represent the next generation of play-to-earn experiences. They combine the thrill of gaming with the opportunity to earn real rewards in a playful manner. Let’s take a closer look at what makes these games so special and why they’ve captured the attention of so many players.
Key Features of Tap-to-Earn Games:
Simple Gameplay: These games usually have easy-to-understand mechanics that require minimal effort, such as tapping, swiping, or performing basic actions.
Reward System: Players accumulate points, coins, or other in-game currencies that can be exchanged for real-world rewards.
Ad-Based Monetization: Revenue is often generated through in-game advertisements, which players watch to earn rewards.
Microtransactions: Some games offer in-app purchases that allow players to buy boosts or skip certain tasks, increasing their earning potential.
Variety of Rewards: Rewards can include cash (usually through PayPal), gift cards (from popular retailers or services), or cryptocurrency (like Bitcoin).
Engagement Incentives: Many games use daily login bonuses, referral bonuses, and other incentives to keep players engaged and ensure they return regularly.
Top Tap-to-Earn Games
Notcoin
Notcoin was truly the sensation of 2024. It brought the Telegram platform to the mainstream and set the tone for all future tap-to-earn (T2E) games. With a massive following, it was a standout success.
Launch Date
Notcoin was launched as a tap-to-earn game on Telegram in November 2023.
Userbase
Notcoin attracted over 35 million players, with a peak of six million daily active users.
Game Mechanics
Notcoin was a Telegram-based tap-to-earn game where players tapped on an animated coin to earn in-game currency. The game featured quests, leaderboards, and boosts to increase earning potential.
Reward Distribution
Players converted in-game currency to NOT tokens at a ratio of 1,000 in-game coins to 1 NOT token. Tokens were distributed via airdrops and staking reward campaigns on exchanges like Binance and OKX.
Airdrops
Over 80 billion tokens were distributed to 35 million players, with pre-market NFT vouchers offered to high-balance players.
As of 2025, the Notcoin bot is still active with multiple user levels, but the team has not announced a second main airdrop yet.
Cryptocurrency and Listings
The NOT token is built on The Open Network (TON) blockchain; it was listed on Binance, OKX, and Bybit on May 16, 2024. The token saw significant trading volume and volatility upon launch.
The success of Notcoin is attributed to its engaging mechanics and seamless integration with Telegram, making it a popular entry point into the Web3 ecosystem.
Hamster Kombat
Hamster Kombat’s rapid growth and the planned airdrop have generated significant interest in the crypto and gaming communities. While the game’s simple, engaging mechanics and the promise of substantial rewards through the airdrop can’t take all the credit for its success, they’re absolutely worth a mention.
Launch Date
Hamster Kombat launched in March 2024.
Userbase
The game rapidly grew to over 300 million users five months after its launch. It achieved 100 million users in just two months, setting a record for the fastest product to reach this milestone. As of July 2025, it has about 12 million active users.
Game Mechanics
Hamster Kombat is a tap-to-earn game where players tap on cartoon hamsters to earn in-game coins. These coins can be invested in a fictional crypto exchange within the game. The game includes features such as leaderboards, daily quests, and boosts that enhance earning potential.
Reward Distribution
The primary method of reward distribution in Hamster Kombat is through the HMSTR token airdrop. The game plans to allocate 60% of its tokens to players as part of what it claims to be the largest airdrop in crypto history. The remaining tokens are reserved for market liquidity, ecosystem partnerships, grants, and rewards for squads.
Airdrops
Initially scheduled for July 2024, the token generation event was delayed, and the first $HMSTR airdrop finally took place at the end of Season 1. Season 2 ran from late 2024 and concluded on March 26, 2025 with a second airdrop.
In total, the team earmarked a massive portion of HMSTR for players (60% of supply) as rewards.
Cryptocurrency and Listings
Following the airdrops, $HMSTR was listed on multiple exchanges, including Binance and OKX. The token’s price has been volatile, reflecting the hype around the game’s large userbase and the controversial token unlock schedule.
TapSwap
Originally a simple tap game, TapSwap quickly scaled to 50–65 million players worldwide by late 2024. Players tap a gold coin icon on Telegram to earn virtual “Share” points.
Launch Date
TapSwap launched in February 2024.
Userbase
Since its launch, TapSwap has rapidly grown to over 55 million users globally, with 18 million daily active users.
Game Mechanics
TapSwap is a tap-to-earn game integrated with Telegram. Players earn TAPS coins by tapping a gold coin icon on the screen. The game features an energy bar which limits how long you can tap and gets refilled over time. Players can boost their earnings by completing tasks, referring friends, and using daily or premium boosters.
In August 2024 the team added a new mode called “Tappy Town” (a city-building mini-game) to give tap mechanics more strategy. The team also announced plans to add competitive skill-based features and SocialFi interactions to keep the model fresh.
Reward Distribution
Rewards in TapSwap are distributed through TAPS tokens. Players earn these tokens by participating in in-game activities, completing tasks, and referring friends. In quite a substantial airdrop, the developers have allocated 50% of the total TAPS supply for the community. Players need to link their crypto wallets to the TapSwap dashboard to manage and withdraw their TAPS tokens.
Airdrops
The TAPS token airdrop is a significant aspect of TapSwap, aimed at rewarding active players. Although the exact details and dates of the airdrop were initially unclear, the airdrop began alongside the official token launch in July 2024. Players need to participate in the game actively and complete specific tasks to maximize their airdrop rewards.
Cryptocurrency and Listings
Initially planning a TON-based launch, TapSwap pivoted to launch $TAPS on BNB Chain in early 2025. After concluding its Season 1 airdrop on Feb 6, 2025, the team held a Token Generation Event on February 14, 2025. This ended the long wait for players to claim tokens.
$TAPS is now live on exchanges and its initial price trades according to market demand.
TAPX
TAPX is a rapidly growing T2E game on Telegram that blends fast-paced clicking with strategic elements. Players start as Bronze fighters and tap their way up competitive ranks, increasing their earnings at each level. The game brands itself as a complete ecosystem with an internal token economy for its $TAPX currency.
Launch Date
TAPX launched on Telegram in 2024. Since its release, it has steadily added features and users, though the exact debut date has not been widely publicized.
User base
The game quickly built an audience on Telegram. According to app-tracking sources, TapX’s Telegram bot attracts around 140,000 active users monthly and has 1.2M users in its database!
This seven-figure userbase reflects strong interest for a new tap-to-earn title.
Game Mechanics
TAPX is easy to pick up. You start as a Bronze-level player and earn points—called Coins and Stars—by tapping on the screen and completing small tasks. The more you tap and level up, the more rewards you earn with each tap.
For a bit of variety, the game includes fun mini-games like the Lucky Wheel (where you can win TON tokens or Stars). To keep things fresh, TapX offers daily challenges, a ranking system, and rewards for inviting friends. The higher you climb on the leaderboard, the more bonuses you can unlock.
Reward Distribution
Rewards in TAPX come in the form of in-game coins, stars, and eventual $TAPX tokens. Players accumulate coins and stars through tapping, quests, and events, and these can later be converted into $TAPX once the game’s token economy is active.
The developers have run multiple reward campaigns to incentivize play: for example, the last community contest offered 10,000 USDT and 500,000 star tokens in prizes, and even awarded $TAPX tokens to the top-ranked players.
Airdrops
TAPX is preparing a major $TAPX airdrop for its community. Announcements hint that a significant portion of the token supply will go to active players, with early contests already allocating $TAPX to top performers.
The exact airdrop date and tokenomics are not yet finalized.
Cryptocurrency and Listings
The native $TAPX token has not been publicly launched or listed yet. When released, $TAPX will likely operate on The Open Network (TON) like many other Telegram-based games, and will be distributed primarily to the game’s community of players.
Catizen
Catizen is a cat-themed Web3 game on TON/Telegram.
Launch Date
The game launched in March 2024.
User base
Catizen rode the clicker craze to rapid scale: the Catizen team reported a peak of about 49 million registered players, though active users stabilized around 1 million per month by mid-2025.
Game Mechanics
Players build and manage a “cat city,” breed cats (NFTs) of different abilities, and complete tasks to earn in-game CATI tokens. The gameplay includes daily quests, mini-games (like fishing and puzzles), and a shop for upgrades.
Cryptocurrency Airdrops and Listings
Catizen’s native token, CATI, launched with a community airdrop in September 2024. A total of 150 million CATI (which is 15% of the 1 billion supply) were distributed to Season 1 players.
The drop went live on Binance, Bybit and Bitget, though it drew criticism: high-level players complained many tokens were diverted (e.g. 9% to Binance Launchpool) and lower players got larger shares.
The team plans quarterly airdrops: they set aside another 190 million CATI for future seasons. In 2025, Catizen is expanding into a mini-app ecosystem: it is integrating two new games, Bombie (a zombie battle idle game) and Cattea (a match-3 puzzle), into its App Center.
The Season 2 airdrop will reward players in $BOMBIE (scheduled for May 20, 2025) and $CATTEA tokens. Notably, major game publisher Animoca Brands invested in Catizen in mid-2025 to help grow the ecosystem.
Final Thoughts
The success of games like Hamster Kombat and Notcoin has spurred the creation of numerous tap-to-earn (T2E) games, attracting millions of users to the crypto gaming space. However, this boom has also led to the rise of many scam projects looking to exploit the trend. Players must conduct thorough research (DYOR) to distinguish between legitimate opportunities and potential scams. Always verify the credibility of the project before investing time or money.
Disclaimer: Please note that the contents of this article are not financial or investing advice. The information provided in this article is the author’s opinion only and should not be considered as offering trading or investing recommendations. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information. The cryptocurrency market suffers from high volatility and occasional arbitrary movements. Any investor, trader, or regular crypto users should research multiple viewpoints and be familiar with all local regulations before committing to an investment.
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