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Explore Web2 vs Web3 gaming in 2025. Learn the key differences, pros and cons, and what players need to know before choosing between the two.
Author: Tanishq Bodh
By 2025, Web2 vs Web3 gaming has become one of the most debated topics in the industry. Web3 gaming has matured from hype into a recognized pillar of the broader gaming landscape, while Web2 titles still dominate mainstream audiences.
Yet Web3 gaming still trails Web2 giants like Fortnite or Call of Duty. It lacks polish, massive budgets, and mainstream traction. But its strengths are unique: true digital ownership, open economies, and community-driven governance. These contrast with the centralized control of Web2 gaming.
This article unpacks the journey. We’ll explore the origins, the boom years, the setbacks, and the opportunities that lie ahead.
Blockchain gaming began as an experiment. One of the first attempts was Huntercoin in 2014. It let players collect coins in a shared, on-chain world. The mechanics were simple, but the concept proved that decentralized gaming could work.
The real spark came in 2017 with CryptoKitties. Players bought, bred, and traded NFT cats. The game was so popular it clogged Ethereum’s network. At its peak, it made up more than 10% of Ethereum’s daily transactions.
CryptoKitties showed the potential of NFTs. They could power interactive economies, not just act as collectibles. But adoption stalled. High gas fees, slow blockchain speeds, and clunky interfaces scared off mainstream players.
The early phase was proof of concept. It showed what was possible but also revealed how far the tech had to go.
Everything changed in 2021. Axie Infinity exploded in popularity. It grew from a niche project into 2.7 million daily active users. In countries like the Philippines, players relied on Axie earnings as real income.
Metaverse platforms also surged. The Sandbox, , and turned virtual land into speculative gold. Parcels sold for millions. The hype reached a peak when Facebook rebranded as Meta, signaling its bet on virtual worlds.
Money poured in. Between 2020 and early 2022, billions flowed into Web3 gaming startups. Big brands and celebrities joined the wave. Snoop Dogg built a virtual mansion in Sandbox. Adidas dropped NFT wearables. CryptoPunks and other collections hit mainstream auction houses.
By late 2021, Web3 gaming was no longer niche. It dominated headlines, symbolizing the fusion of crypto, culture, and play.
The boom didn’t last. The 2022–2023 “crypto winter” brought Web3 gaming back to reality. Token economies collapsed, projects folded, and trust took a heavy hit.
Axie Infinity became the symbol of the crash. Its secondary token lost more than 99% of its value. Worse, a $620 million hack on the Ronin network in March 2022 sent shockwaves through the industry.
By late 2023, nearly 90% of GameFi projects had either failed or gone dormant. The play-to-earn model proved unsustainable once speculation dried up. Token rewards couldn’t keep communities alive when prices fell.
Yet, the crash also became a reset. Surviving teams shifted focus from speculation to substance. They began experimenting with sustainable tokenomics, better player incentives, and gameplay designed for fun rather than short-term profit.
The bear market cleared the noise. What remained were projects committed to building for the long haul.
By 2025, Web3 gaming had entered a more stable phase. Daily active wallets recovered to 4.8 million in Q2, signaling renewed engagement after years of volatility.
This new phase isn’t driven by hype, it’s powered by innovation:
Games like Pixels, Lumiterra, and Elemental Raiders highlight this shift. They prove that players will stick around for engaging gameplay, not just token rewards.
The result is a healthier, more resilient GameFi sector. It no longer sells itself only as a money-making tool but as a new way to play, connect, and own digital worlds.
The Web2 and Web3 gaming may both be about fun, but their foundations are very different. Web2 dominates in quality and adoption, while Web3 opens up new ways for players to own and shape their experiences.
| Feature | Web2 Gaming | Web3 Gaming |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Players lease assets, no true ownership | Assets owned via NFTs and crypto wallets |
| Monetization | DLCs, microtransactions | Tokens, NFTs, staking, DAOs |
| Gameplay Quality | Polished AAA titles | Less refined, but improving steadily |
| Community Role | Mostly passive | Governance through DAOs and voting |
| Accessibility | Seamless UX, global scale | Growing with mobile and Web2 bridges |
| Economy | Closed, publisher-controlled | Open, decentralized, player-driven |
Web2 shines in polish, reach, and accessibility. The biggest studios have decades of experience building smooth, visually stunning games.
Web3 shines in ownership and open economies. Players control their assets, trade them freely, and even vote on the future of the games they play.
Not every type of gamer will find the same value in Web2 and Web3. Here’s how to think about it:
The divide isn’t absolute. In fact, the future of gaming may see Web2 and Web3 merge, giving players the best of both worlds.
Web3 gaming didn’t arrive overnight. Its story has been shaped by several defining moments:
Each milestone pushed Web3 gaming closer to maturity, proving both its potential and its fragility.
The next chapter could be Web3 gaming’s defining moment. Several drivers suggest that mainstream adoption is no longer a distant dream:
If these elements align, Web3 gaming could rival Web2 gaming, not as a speculative trend, but as a lasting ecosystem.
Web3 gaming has come a long way since its first experiments. It has seen the heights of Axie Infinity, the lows of the GameFi crash, and now a rebirth centered on gameplay and innovation.
Its greatest strength lies in digital ownership and player-driven economies, things Web2 can never truly offer. At the same time, it must continue improving user experience, polish, and accessibility if it hopes to compete with mainstream giants.
The question isn’t whether Web3 gaming will survive. It’s how far it can scale and how soon. If the tipping point comes, it won’t just change gaming. It could redefine what “play” means in the digital age.
All the opinions in this article are that of the author and in no way are financial advice. Our Crypto Talk and the author always suggest you do your own research in crypto and to never take anything as financial advice that you read on the internet. Check our Terms and conditions for more info.
