Telegram's gaming ecosystem is thriving, with tap-to-earn and clicker games leveraging the platform’s established base of over 950 million users. According to the Q3 2024 Telegram Games Report, top games like Hamster Kombat and Catizan pulled in hundreds of thousands of active users within weeks, underscoring the appeal of the “mini-app” approach originally pioneered by WeChat.
Yet, the rise and fall of clunky blockchain-based games like Axie Infinity that struggled with user retention are a reminder that Web3 games haven’t always been a roaring success. If the segment is to reach its full potential as a catalyst for blockchain adoption, it could learn a thing or two from Telegram’s successful approach. I predict that Telegram's mini app model will be the biggest driver of Web3 gaming's growth in 2025.
How the Telegram gaming ecosystem attracts users
Web3 gaming’s market value surpassed $3 billion in 2023 and could reach as much as $90 billion by 2030. With over 950 million users, Telegram’s clicker games entice players from all backgrounds with basic rules and fun gameplay that enable them to earn in-game currency and other items, and airdropped tokens for new games. Unlike the traditionally high cost of user acquisition for exchanges and other companies—estimated by Notcoin founder Sasha Plotvinov at upward of $10 to $15—Telegram onboards players for less than $1 per user.
This cost-effective approach has enabled small development teams to amass millions of users in weeks, with over three million active wallets recorded across just nine games in September 2024 alone, a pace rarely seen in the traditional gaming industry. Telegram's vast, crypto-friendly audience and ease of developing quick, feedback-driven HTML5 mini-games are the key drivers behind this remarkable surge.
By allowing players to earn rewards, own tokenized assets and trade valuable in-game items like skins and weapons, the platform introduces players to the world of blockchain in an accessible and engaging manner. Users can start playing immediately without downloading any additional apps or tooling as the games are directly integrated into the platform, reducing the usual points of friction onboarding non-crypto-native users to Web3 games. Integrating popular gaming IPs such as Delabs' Ragnarok further enhances the appeal of Telegram's Web3 gaming ecosystem, bringing beloved, high-traction games to the platform.
The ongoing challenge of user retention
Telegram’s Web3 gaming ecosystem is impressive, with clicker games earning the platform an additional 50 million users this year. However, user retention remains an ongoing challenge. While clicker games are capable of onboarding a large number of users quickly, the attention of those users often wanes due to limited diversity, simple game mechanics that lack the depth and complexity of traditional games, and market saturation.
For the Telegram gaming ecosystem to flourish, it must move beyond tap games and airdrops to something more engaging and sustainable in the long run, making games complicated and diverse enough to maintain the interest in repetitive games with limited functionality. To avoid users dropping off in droves after the initial excitement fades, Telegram games must employ user retention strategies such as the below that encourage engagement and foster a greater sense of purpose with the game.
1. Setting up daily challenges and streaks
Over 40% of web3 gamers spend over 10 hours a week playing Web3 games, highlighting the appetite for blockchain-based games that provide rewards and incentives. Players who engage with daily challenges have higher retention rates than those limited to one-time quests. Daily engagement promotes habit formation and keeps players returning, building a routine that allows games to build deeper player relationships.
Providing regular challenges maintains user interest through small but consistent rewards that help to convert casual users into long-term participants. Hamster Kombat’s engaging tactics have seen its MAUs grow to 110 million, while TG Tap Miner enables players to increase their crypto holdings.
2. Utilizing personalization and segmentation
Continuous interaction benefits significantly from personalized experiences. For example, segmenting players into categories such as “whales,” “dolphins” and “fish,” allows games to tailor content and rewards according to engagement level, making gameplay more satisfying and individualized.
Web3 players are already accustomed to ownership of digital assets and NFTs. Targeted interaction, such as TON Racing League’s high-octane game that enables players to own, upgrade and trade unique racing vehicles as NFTs, can deepen players’ connection, offering them content and rewards that resonate more deeply than standard quests.
3. Building community-driven economies
Web3 enables community-driven economies where players can buy, trade or sell in-game items and assets freely. These interactions create a feedback loop of engagement unique to the blockchain space, where player involvement is essential to the game's economy and community. Games that leverage community trading and real-time, player-driven content updates encourage organic interactions that enhance player loyalty and satisfaction.
4. Merging with more traditional gaming models
29 out of 40 of the world’s largest video game companies are investing in blockchain gaming, including Microsoft, Tencent, Sony, and Nintendo. With the next crypto bull market upon us, these numbers will likely continue to rise in 2025 and beyond. The future of Web3 gaming will inevitably merge with more traditional models, combining richer user experiences with more sophisticated play, and drawing on the success of Telegram’s mini-app model.
