Top 5 NFT Games Potentially Launching in Beta in January 2024

Looking for some new releases to get into for the first month of the year? Then look no further, as these top 5 NFT games are potentially launching this January 2024 in beta, either for the very first time, or as a new version. 

Storm Warfare 

Storm Warfare is a free-to-play trading card game set in WW2. Wage intense 1v1 card action on various battlefields as one of the available factions, each of which differ in the playstyle they’re suited for, thus featuring their own set of cards to use to outsmart your opponent. Form a 30-card deck and successfully take on missions while using special types of cards, Hero and Event Cards, to turn the tide in your favor. 

This blockchain TCG initially went in open beta last month, followed shortly by a tournament with $40k worth of prizes. That version however was available for a limited time. Fortunately, we should see the game back in open beta this month, as the roadmap states that this time around, the game will launch on mainstream gaming platforms, Steam and the Epic Games Store. No specific details seem to be available at the time of writing, so whether there will be a significant difference between the two betas is not really known for now. Perhaps we’ll be able to start using the recently-introduced Dynamic Commander NFTs. 

Illuvium 

Illuvium is one of the most well-known blockchain gaming universes in the Web3 space. It consists of an open-world creature collecting game titled Overworld; a PvP autobattler known as Arena, and a city-builder for mobile and desktop: Illuvium Zero. 

The studio recently published a roadmap update for 2024, in which they revealed that they plan to release Beta 4 of Arena and Overworld in Q1. In the Discord announcement, Illuvium co-founder Kieran Warwick also expressed the team’s goal to release the Illuvium Open Public Beta in Q1, but that might get pushed to the second quarter so as to properly test everything out in order to provide a quality experience. Perhaps we could see one, some or all of these betas happen this month? 

Gabby World 

Gabby World is a completely AI-generated autonomous world in which you raise a cute creature called a Gabby, which is also a character made by AI that you use as your avatar. They come in 16 different unique personality types and are free to mint. 

In their yearly recap article, the developers also revealed various ambitious plans for 2024. Among them is the launch of Beta v2 gameplay, which is said to be a major upgrade over the first version. Players can look forward to “a multi-user dungeon or MUD-like experience” where adventure stories will feature more immersive “text-and-image-based interaction” where you will decide what your AI character does next while rolling the dice to see if that action will come to fruition. This means that this beta combines mechanics similar to D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) with the concept of a blockchain title from 2018, Fomo3D. 

A specific release date for this new beta was not given, with the team planning to launch it sometime during this first quarter of the year. 

Sailwars 

Sailwars is a naval-based 4X strategy game in which players build their kingdom and embark on grand adventures across a massive pirate-themed world inspired by The Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire. Choose from one of 8 different factions and dive into various quests as you engage in land and sea PvE and PvP battles. 

Last month, the developers announced that the strategic Web3 title will undergo an invite-only beta test this month, starting on January 15th. Various core features of the game will be available in this testing period that is planned to last for 2 weeks. In order to be invited, you have until January 10th to take part in a variety of events for a chance at winning an invitation code. 

Axie Infinity: Homeland 

Axie Infinity: Homeland is the highly-anticipated land-based game part of the most-well known Web3 gaming franchise. Raise your own village of axies as you assign them to gather resources and craft items while building a cute 3D homeland on your own piece of land. 

Axie channel mod and Twitter/X user @GuillotineNFT leaked near the end of last year a Discord message from a Sky Mavis team member in which the developer reveals that the beta version of this Web3 title is planned to come out near the end of this January. To prepare for this launch, the alpha version will go into maintenance around January 10th, and it seems that official information surrounding this launch will actually be given during this week.