Telegram has become one of the leading platforms for Web3 game development. In 2024, it accounted for 21% of all new Web3 game launches, making it a key player in the industry. Publishers actively use Telegram to expand their audience, bypassing the restrictions of traditional mobile platforms like Apple and Google. This could influence the overall development of mobile gaming. The Telegram ecosystem supports integration with the TON blockchain, making it a convenient environment for Web3 developers.
Tap-to-Earn: A New Approach to User Acquisition
Tap-to-earn has become an important strategy in Web3, attracting users through viral mechanics. As explained by Jack Booth, co-founder of TON Society, in an interview with Decrypt at the Zebu Live conference in London in November 2024, this method helps projects quickly gain an audience before launching products on The Open Network (TON)—a blockchain closely connected to Telegram. Over the past few years, this method has shown significant success in attracting new users and increasing community engagement.
In 2023, the tap-to-earn model gained wide adoption in the Telegram ecosystem, attracting millions of users and boosting the visibility of the TON blockchain. The essence of the method is that users perform simple actions (e.g., tapping buttons, inviting friends, sharing content) and receive rewards in return, including future airdrops. Booth emphasizes that tap-to-earn is not a separate game genre but rather a marketing strategy for launching Web3 projects quickly. This mechanism has allowed many startups to enter the market swiftly and build their initial user base.
Tap-to-Earn Challenges
Tap-to-earn games typically include a “mining phase” where users can earn rewards for future airdrops simply by interacting with the game. Examples of successful projects:
- Hamster Kombat — over 300 million users before the token launch.
- Notcoin — market cap reached nearly $3 billion after using this strategy.
- Catizen — became one of the fastest-growing projects in the TON ecosystem.
Booth notes that the main challenge begins after the airdrop: if a project doesn’t offer a clear roadmap and continued value for the token, the community quickly loses interest. Therefore, it’s crucial for developers to implement long-term strategies for user retention. Otherwise, many projects risk becoming short-lived hype phenomena without a sustainable audience.
Expanding Tap-to-Earn Beyond Gaming
Blum, a decentralized exchange (DEX) on the TON blockchain, is a vivid example of tap-to-earn being used outside the gaming industry. Thanks to this strategy, the project attracted:
- 31 million Telegram subscribers
- 8.3 million YouTube subscribers
- 5.5 million Twitter followers, surpassing the figures of major crypto exchanges like Binance and Coinbase (5 million)
This proves that tap-to-earn can be successfully applied not only in gaming but also in fintech, social platforms, and education.
The Success of Blum: How Tap-to-Earn Works in Other Fields
Other TON projects are adapting the tap-to-earn model to new areas, including:
AI Trading Bots
Tap-to-earn is used to attract users to bots that offer automated trading signals and analytics. Users can “tap” by testing the bot, making predictions, or sharing results with others—and earn points or tokens in return. These rewards can later be converted into access to premium features or participation in airdrops.
Freelance Marketplaces Similar to Fiverr
Fiverr-like projects implement tap-to-earn to “gamify” the onboarding of new users and freelancers. For example, users receive tokens for daily actions such as signing up, publishing services, or replying to job offers. These tokens can be used to promote their services, pay fees, or exchange for other assets.
Marketing Platforms with Tokenized Rewards
These platforms allow users to help promote products and earn tokens for real actions: likes, reposts, content creation, inviting friends. In this case, tap-to-earn acts as a motivation mechanism and enables organic growth through the community. Tokens can be used for purchases within the ecosystem or for participating in DAO voting.
Booth emphasizes that this mechanic helps every new application in TON quickly build an audience, creating a user base even before the official launch. This makes Telegram and TON attractive platforms for startups looking to go to market fast.
The Future of Tap-to-Earn in TON
Tap-to-earn will continue to evolve as a primary user acquisition strategy, especially within the TON ecosystem. It is expected that projects will become more advanced over time, offering users clear roadmaps and engagement mechanics beyond airdrops. Telegram has proven to be an effective platform for Web3 games. Projects like Notcoin, Hamster Kombat, and Catizen demonstrate how quickly users can be attracted by leveraging Telegram’s built-in gaming mechanics.
Analysis of Telegram Game Development
According to Helika data for Q3 2024, the Telegram gaming ecosystem continues to grow, but developers face the challenge of standing out among a flood of new launches. The average game session length increased from 2.8 to 6.7 minutes, and user retention rates have also improved. A successful project example:
- A game with 3,000 registered users shows a DAU/MAU of 45%, indicating high player engagement.
- In-game transaction volume reached $550 million.
- In September 2024, more than 3 million active crypto wallets were used in Telegram Web3 games such as Catizen, GAMEE, and Cat Gold Miner.
Regional Trends and Growth
Unlike many Web3 games that focus on Southeast Asia and Latin America, the primary audience for Telegram games is concentrated in Europe. Leading projects show strong growth metrics:
- Catizen — 34% of all tokens were distributed in September 2024, triggering a spike in player activity.
- GAMEE — transaction growth of 300% in one month.
- X Empire — attracted 48 million players since July 2024, with 18 million connecting crypto wallets.
- Rocky Rabbit — 30 million players before its token launch.
- BANANA — 10 million users by October 2024, with 1.1 million active daily.
The Outlook for Web3 Games on Telegram
The growth of Web3 games on Telegram in 2024 shows that this ecosystem is becoming a significant focus for developers. With increased player engagement and the development of new projects, Telegram continues to strengthen its position in the Web3 industry. Support for analytics, marketing, and new user acquisition mechanics—such as tap-to-earn—makes Telegram one of the most promising platforms for the future of Web3 gaming.
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