Notcoin Game is 2024’s biggest hit. Can I earn with Notcoin game?

Key points:

• The TON Foundation referred to Notcoin as the 'virality masterclass'.
• Notcoin is not a cryptocurrency or crypto token.
• Notcoin can be classified as a “Play-to-Earn” (P2E) game using human activity as a measure of earning in-game tokens. It bills itself as “Tap-to-Earn”. It kicked off a wave of "Telegram coin harvesting" games in 2024.

What is Notcoin?

Notcoin, a TON-based meme coin, started as a Telegram Mini App game. The Notcoin beta launched in November 2023; created by a little-known team with “zero expectations and no whitepaper”. They even referred to it as ‘probably nothing’.

If you are not familiar with TON, why not read this article: 'What is the Open Network? TON Explained.'

Word-of-mouth found a way to get Notcoin really going, however. During its first month, Notcoin gained almost 500,000 players; in the next few months, the project reached over 650,000 gamers who mined over 60 billion Notcoin.

The official version was launched on 1 January 2024. According to their own estimations at the time, Notcoin had 4.1 million players who mined approximately 1.2 trillion Notcoin. Ten days after the launch, Notcoin had 6.3 million players.

Despite the terminology used by the game, Notcoin is not a cryptocurrency or token. It does not exist on any blockchain. It doesn’t use cryptography to secure its network.

But if Notcoin is basically nothing, how can it be mined? The short of it is that no real mining is taking place; instead, mining here refers to in-game activity.

What’s Notcoin’s value?

Let’s get one thing straight – for now, Notcoin doesn’t exist in a tradable form and has no real-world value or any cash-out options. The game itself lacks standard components of crypto startup projects such as a white paper and development roadmap. 

If you google terms such as Notcoin's value or Notcoin's price at time of writing in January 2024, you will see the same answer – zero.

How did Notcoin gain popularity?

Notcoin gained half a million players in less than a month, surpassing once-popular GameFi (a term referring to games in the DeFi space) projects such as Axie Infinity. 

Interestingly, there are claims that the team behind Notcoin didn’t spend a single dollar on advertising as all this was achieved directly within Telegram, and relying directly on interactions between Telegram users. In other words, it has all been through word-of-mouth.

This is unlikely to be completely true but also difficult to prove otherwise. Crypto projects do have a marketing and advertising cost that isn’t always straightforward. For example, some projects agree to a future cut of tokens as a marketing fee, or a rate based on future success once a coin is listed on an exchange.

Nevertheless, there are no traditional forms of advertising and Notcoin itself has identified the reasons behind their virality. They removed all onboarding requirements, enabled Telegram users to play the game with no up-front investment required, and rewarded them for referring their friends. Simply put, they removed as many onboarding obstacles as possible at the very beginning.

Is Notcoin a scam?

Despite the growing user base, the Notcoin project is still in its early days and it is premature to define whether it is a scam or not. As part of the community stated – it might be real or it might be fake.

This analysis can be partially made due to information available currently. A common feature of meme coins is a lack of utility. On this aspect, Notcoin doesn’t differ from other meme coins. There is no use for Notcoin right now.

As a crypto project, it lacks some vital elements that provide credibility such as a white paper, a website, a defined roadmap, and a transparent team of founders and developers. 

Since it holds no real-world value at the moment, dealing with this coin is down to it being an entertaining gaming experience without any needed investments or onboarding costs.

How to play Notcoin game?

Notcoin game refers to a browser-based game that allows gamers to earn Notcoins. It utilises the term mining, but not in the actual sense in crypto. Instead of using hardware and complex algorithms to solve equations or validate transactions, Notcoin users need to click on their screen to generate Notcoins. In the Notcoin world, tapping “mines” Notcoin.

The Notcoin game doesn’t appear to be technically linked to the TON blockchain; but the project hints at integrating more features from the TON network in the future –  including minting it on the TON blockchain.

Note: On 16 May 2024, Notcoin was officially launched on markets via listing on multiple exchanges including Binance, OKX, Gate.io, Bitfinex, and Bitget. Since then, all ability to earn Notcoin by tapping ceased -- users can still earn coins by completing activities on Notcoin, but there is, as of July 2024, no longer any option to play Notcoin.

If you want to gain insight into free Play-to-Earn (P2E) games, check out our guide: ‘Are There Any Free Play-to-Earn Crypto Games?’.

Inside Notcoin gameplay

Let's take a look at the basic principles surrounding Notcoin's gameplay.

Tap-2-Earn

The Tap-2-Earn option refers to the mining process of Notcoins. This mechanism enables users to simply mine new Notcoins by tapping the Notcoin icon in the middle of the screen.  

Each tap rewards users with a specific amount of Notcoins, starting at one Notcoin per tap. However, the number is limited per session, and refreshing is based on purchased boosts. 

Players can use the Rocket Mode which can be activated every 10 minutes. The Rocket Mode boosts speed by 10 times per 30 seconds. It can be extended by inviting friends to play the game or by joining a Squad.

Available boosts

Boosts refer to upgrades players can purchase with their Notcoin balance and apply to their player profiles. Boosts enable them to increase the number of Notcoin per tap, increase their maximum energy, and decrease the recovery time.  

When a player buys a boost, the price of the boost will be deducted from their Notcoin balance. Each purchase increases the price; therefore, users are required to spend more on new boosts.

For example, players can purchase boosts such as Multitap, Energy Limits, Auto Tap Bot 2.0, and Recharging speed, depending on their individual needs. Players also have the option to use temporary Boosters that increase Notcoin per tap for a short time or immediately recharge their full energy limit.

The Earn functionality

In addition to mining Notcoin, there are ways to grow your Notcoin holdings with the Earn functionality. 

This mechanism enables users to receive rewards for completing tasks such as inviting friends to join the game via referral links, joining a squad, or reaching particular milestones linked to activating the Telegram Premium feature or entering the Silver League. 

Tasks are divided into three main categories – Onboarding, Specials, and the Web3 World. The first category is primarily based on the referral feature and joining a squad.  

The category named Specials includes rewards for bigger achievements, obtaining specific NFTs, or interacting with projects affiliated with the Notcoin game. These features are time-limited.  

The last category is about receiving rewards for interacting with the Web3 environment on the TON network.

Can you earn with the Notcoin game?

If we’re talking about real-world monetary value and earnings, the answer is no.

At the moment, Notcoin is not a real token and it can’t be used for real-world activities such as trade, supporting community initiatives, or participating in blockchain projects. Since it doesn’t even exist on a blockchain, you can’t even send or receive it with a crypto wallet.

Even though Notcoin eventually reached its minting stage, it would still have to prove a lot in terms of utility. Few memecoins have ever grown to a stage where they are established and recognised to the point that they’re valuable.

After reaching a high of just over $0.26 in early June 2024, Notcoin was not able to sustain its price in the weeks after. As of mid-July 2024, Notcoin is trading at just $0.16.

At the moment, there is nothing to suggest that Notcoin is unique enough to perform any differently. With trillions of Notcoin already mined, and much more being mined daily, it’s more likely that you’ll be wasting all your hours tapping away at your screen for not much else than millions of memecoins.

In other words, if you’re looking to play a new type of game or complete tasks without cost other than time, Notcoin will give you that. But if you’re looking to earn money or get free crypto, Notcoin's likely to disappoint you.