The metaverse offers a parallel virtual world where we can exist as digital identities. The tech industry has made it clear that the metaverse is not a fad but the future of human connections and transactions in various sectors. So while it’s still in the early stages of development, businesses have already started investing in it.
Now, metaverse coins are the next big thing. The latest untapped opportunity, these cryptocurrencies hold the potential to change how brands can interact and engage with audiences. And since Facebook changed its name to Meta, the value of these coins have only increased.
There are many metaverse coins out there, but not all of them are worth your money. In this article, we’ve listed some of the best metaverse coins that you should be investing in now.
Top 15 Metaverse Coins by Market Cap Worth Investing In Today:
What Are Metaverse Coins?
Simply put, metaverse coins are the currency that people use in the metaverse. Coin holders can pay for anything within the 3D universe, from avatar clothing to real estate. They can also create and sell products, goods, or services within the platform. While some tokens are available for use only within their respective metaverses, others are available on cryptocurrency exchanges like Binance.
But more than an in-game currency, metaverse tokens have value both inside and outside of the metaverse. For one, the currency can represent unique items, like community membership. Using these coins can also grant you access to VIP features and allow you to compete with other players.
Furthermore, you can convert metaverse coins into real money. In the case of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), you can use them to verify the ownership of digital assets like artworks or collectibles.
There are three types of metaverse coins in the market.
- Play-to-earn (P2E) games
Players engage in games and receive rewards with real-world value. The most common and popular type of metaverse crypto, they are also widely available in exchange platforms.
- 3D virtual metaverses
Compared to the simpler P2E games, these offer a virtual universe experience. Much fewer and more complex than other types of metaverse currencies, these virtual realities are worth billions of dollars. These can also serve as platforms for P2E games.
- Metaverse platforms
These include the blockchains that serve as the foundation of 3D metaverses.
Like any investment, metaverse coins need close study to determine whether you’re making a good investment. One of the things that investors consider is the asset’s market capitalization.
Why is Market Capitalization Important?
In traditional investment, market capitalization (or simply market cap) is the total dollar value of a company’s outstanding shares of stock. In the case of cryptocurrency, it’s the total dollar value of all the mined coins. To compute the market cap, multiply the total number of mined coins by the current price of a single coin.
Source: crypto.com
The importance of market cap is that it measures a cryptocurrency’s value, provides a more detailed overview of a cryptocurrency, and compares its value across other cryptos. Ultimately, these can lead stakeholders into making more informed investment decisions. This also allows them to determine the potential growth of a cryptocurrency and its volatility relative to others.
The bigger the market cap, the stabler the investment. In contrast, coins with smaller currencies are more volatile. Still, it’s important to know that cryptocurrencies are generally volatile and can fluctuate dramatically.
With that in mind, let’s now look at the 15 top-performing metaverse coins in the market today.
Best Metaverse Coins by Market Cap
Decentraland (MANA)
Market cap: $5.14 billion
Price: $2.81
A leading metaverse coin, Decentraland offers a 3D world that users can access for free on a browser. Its active ecosystem is home to countless businesses. Users create everything in this metaverse reality, from scenes and establishments to entire villages and space adventures. Using the token MANA, players can buy, sell, or trade parcels of LAND (a non-fungible digital asset).
Over the past year, MANA’s price has gone up by over 4,000%. Tokens.com purchased virtual land on the platform for $2.5 million, while Decentral Games, a popular Decentraland platform raked in over $7.5 million in revenue in just three months. Following Facebook’s shift to Meta, MANA has also reached an all-time high last year.
The Sandbox (SAND)
Market cap: $4.20 billion
Price: $3.95
The Sandbox is a virtual gaming world where users can create gaming experiences and monetize their content. It’s one of the most popular platforms in the market, clearing a hundred sales every minute. Players can use SAND tokens within the metaverse to purchase digital goods and participate in P2E. They also get the opportunity to truly own anything that they collect in the game.
The Sandbox is a premier choice for those who are venturing into virtual real estate. Like MANA, SAND’s price went up by over 900% late last year. In the same period, the platform also sold over $144 million in gross merchandise value. Adidas then announced a partnership with Sandbox, while SoftBank Vision Fund 2 led a fundraiser that raised $93 million of investments into the platform.
Theta Network (THETA)
Market cap: $3.54 billion
Price: $3.54
Theta is the world’s first video streaming decentralized application (dApp). A cryptocurrency and a video delivery ecosystem, it seeks to address the poor quality and inefficiency of the traditional video streaming sector. THETA coins power the Theta’s network. Coin holders can verify their transactions, secure the blockchain network, and make changes to the network through community voting.
Theta Network’s active user base continues to grow following its partnership with Google. THETA is also included in crypto social intelligence LunarCrush’s top ten coins. Moreover, the platform has had partnerships with NASA, Katy Perry and ONE Championship, among others. Meanwhile, corporate heavyweights like Samsung NEXT and Sonny Innovation Fund have backed the Theta ecosystem.
Axie Infinity (AXS)
Market cap: $3.43billion
Price: $56.20
A metaverse crypto gaming pioneer, Axie Infinity is an in-browser game featuring characters called Axies. These Pokemon-like creatures are NFTs, which players can buy, breed, and trade. The game also has a virtual real estate, which draws non-gamers to the platform. Using the AXS currency, players can make in-game purchases, stake their coins, and participate in community governance.
The Axie Marketplace is one of the most active in the industry. A single transaction within the game costs an average of $420. By September 2021, Axie has welcomed an estimated 1.5 million active players around the world, and its sales have peaked to $2.05 billion. Then, before the end of the year, a single plot of virtual land sold for $2.5 million within the platform.
Enjin Coin (ENJ)
Market cap: $1.48 billion
Price: $1.73
One of the longest operating cryptocurrencies, Enjin Coin is a fast-growing marketplace for NFTs. Its aim is to create advanced virtual economies through blockchain technology. Its local currency, ENJ, correlates with the value of NFTs within the platform. Because of this, users can melt their NFTs back to ENJ. This in turn increases the value of the NFT by scarcity principle.
Enjin Coin has received significant interest from investors. ENJ’s price surged after rumors of a partnership with Samsung began floating around. Microsoft is also currently working with Enjin to produce Azure Heroes, a program for earning digital collectibles. Recently, Enjin announced its $100 million-dollar Efinity Metaverse Fund, which aims to support its ecosystem partners.
WEMIX (WEMIX)
Market cap: $678.64 million
Price: $5.46
WEMIX is a blockchain NFT ecosystem. Like any GameFi platform, it follows a P2E model and allows users to buy, sell, and trade NFTs. Games within WEMIX are accessible even without a crypto wallet. Its native currency serves as an exchange between game-specific tokens. Users can stake these tokens to earn rewards for their activities within the ecosystem.
WEMIX has over 600 million users. The popularity of Mir 4, one of the games on its platform, upped the currency’s value by almost 30% in November last year. With its intention to add more games and token listings with big crypto exchanges, WEMIX is only bound to grow stronger. Online game developers like AN GAMES Co. have also announced plans to release products on the WEMIX stage as well.
Worldwide Asset eXchange (WAX)
Market cap: $661.46 million
Price: $0.3389
Worldwide Asset eXchange asserts itself as the most climate friendly blockchain for NFTs. Its focus is on video games and entertainment collectibles. With the platform’s intuitive interface, users who are not familiar with blockchain can still use it efficiently. WAX holders can use the token to validate their crypto transactions, pay for smart contract fees, and purchase and trade virtual assets on the platform.
The demand for more NFT-focused tokens has catapulted WAX into a top performer in the crypto universe. In fact, it’s the most used game blockchain, clearing 15 million transactions a day. Historically, NFT sales on WAX have sold out within minutes. This has drawn many leading brands like Major League Baseball and Funko Digital Pop! into offering their physical and digital goods through the platform.
SushiSwap (SUSHI)
Market cap: $514.31 million
Price: $4.04
SushiSwap calls itself the home of decentralized finance (DeFi). The automated market maker uses smart contracts (a self-actualizing contract on a blockchain) to generate a digital assets market, which allows anyone to simply swap cryptocurrencies. The SUSHI token gives users voting rights on community operations and an opportunity to receive a share of the exchange swap fee.
SushiSwap’s total value locked ballooned by 990% only a year after its launch. In the first quarter of 2021, SushiSwap reached an all-time high price of over $23, and sales for its digital collectibles surged to $2.5 billion. In partnership with dApp-focused blockchain Harmony, SushiSwap has launched a $4 million incentive campaign for borrowers and lenders.
Illuvium (ILV)
Market cap: $398.46 million
Price: $619.79
Illuvium is an open-world role-playing video game (RPG) on blockchain technology. Users journey across the game’s landscape in search of creatures called Illuvials. The game uses the ILV currency, which players can earn through game performance. The currency also allows users to participate in community governance.
ILVs had a great run in 2021, increasing almost continuously since the third quarter of the year and doubling in value during the last quarter. In the early parts of the same year, Illuvium raised $5 million from multiple investors to build a platform that puts together NFTs and fantasy battle games. One of its lead investors is venture capital firm Framework Ventures.
Metahero (HERO)
Market cap: $383.36 million
Price: $0.07378
Metahero uses ultra-realistic 3D technology to create avatars and digital items that people can use across games, trades, and social media. Its target demographic are celebrities, influencers, gamers, and artists. HERO is the only currency in the ecosystem. Holders and developers can use this metaverse coin for all purchases within the platform, from scanning and licensing to NFT sales.
Metahero has 2.7 billion gamers across the world. It managed to reach an all-time high of $0.2518 just five months after its launch. In the past, HERO’s value has also grown due to Metahero’s increased social media engagement and its search ranking on data platform CoinGecko. Metahero has also claimed that Ferrari and Disney have made use of its services.
Radio Caca (RACA)
Market cap: $382.20 million
Price: $0.001946
Radio Caca is the Universal Metaverse’s (USM) native currency. USM is a 3D world where players can own lands, build establishments, and develop their own games. They can even travel around the virtual planet. Using RACA, players can cultivate lands, resources, and NFTs in the USM.
With more investors seeking metaverse tokens, RACA is the ideal coin. In June last year, Maye Musk partnered with Radio Caca to create 500 Maye Musk Mystery Boxes. The NFT sold out within 4 minutes. This month, RACA collaborated with two blockchains from Turkey to hold NFT exhibitions, talks, and events on USM. E-commerce platform Shipping.io has also included RACA as payment method.
PlayDapp (PLA)
Market cap: $308.80 million
Price: $1.02
PlayDapp is a blockchain gaming platform. Players within the game collect and raise heroes that exhibit different traits. Good game performance leads to rewards in the form of tokens, digital assets, and runes. The PlayDapp ecosystem uses the token PLA to buy and trade NFTs. Game developers can also earn PLAY tokens from every in-game purchase.
Well-renowned companies, like Samsung and LINE, have already partnered with PlayDapp. The metaverse platform has also announced a project that would bring the benefits of PlayDapp to a P2E game service. Recently, the metaverse has signed a partnership deal with fellow Korean company IT Solutions for Business. Their mutual goal is to penetrate the North American market.
Vulcan Forged (PYR)
Market cap: $298.12 million
Price: $12.42
Starting from a small NFT platform, Vulcan Forged has expanded into a game studio, marketplace, and multi-dApp platform. It is home to more than 10 games, 20,000 communities, and five best NFT marketplace volumes. Vulcan Forged uses the PYR token, which users can buy or sell, earn through play, or stake in VulcanVerse land and other assets.
In December 2021, the PYR coin reached an all-time high at $49.74. While it experienced an all-time low this January, it quickly rebounded after the Elysium testnet launch, the limited listing of 100 land plots in VulcanVerse, and the success of VulcanDex. Vulcan Forged has also partnered with Merit Circle, a decentralized autonomous organization that invests in P2E games and lends NFT assets to players.
Chromia (CHR)
Market cap: $291.72 million
Price: $0.5073
Chromia is both a blockchain and P2E platform for building dApps. It uses a blockchain language that allows developers to program and code apps faster. Chromia’s standard platform currency is CHR. It’s used for system-wide purposes, including paying hosting fees and providing users a stake in the Chromia ecosystem.
A growing interest in the metaverse late last year bumped up CHR’s value to an all-time high of $1.50. Along with My Neighbor Alice and Mines of Dalarnia, Chromia also announced the inauguration of a Metaverse Grant Program worth $80 million. The company behind Chromia has also launched a mentorship program for 2022, which aims to develop the next generation of blockchain innovation.
Yield Guild Games (YGG)
Marketplace: $254.47 million
Price: $2.95
Yield Guild Games is a P2E gaming ecosystem that gathers players through blockchain based economies. It operates on a lending economy; through a scholarship program, YGG invests in NFTs and rents them to players who don’t have money upfront. Guild members can then use these assets in exchange for in-game rewards. YGG’s native token allows investors to participate in community governance.
Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, more people became eager to participate in P2E games. Last year, YGG token sales sold out for $12.49 million in 31 seconds. YGG was also able to double the number of scholars under its ward. In July 2021, YGG scholars produced more than $3.259 million in direct revenue—its highest monthly earning yet.
