Top 10 Ethereum NFT Projects to Follow in 2022

Ethereum is a decentralized open-source blockchain. Originally founded in 2013 by programmer Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum has grown to become one of the more (f not the most) well-known Blockchains. Ethereum also has its own native cryptocurrency known as ETH. In terms of current value, ETH is second only to Bitcoin in the crypto market.

On the Ethereum Blockchain, you can deploy decentralized applications and create/trade NFTs. This article will outline the 10 best Ethereum projects you should know about in 2022.

Axie Infinity is one of the most popular NFT games on the market. Originally released in 2018, the game has amassed a huge following of 2 million users as of 2021. Axie Infinity is both a single-player and PVP game developed by video game studio Sky Mavis.

At its core, Axie Infinity is a trading battle game where players can train and grow creatures known as Axies. 

Axies are NFTs, and players can earn tokens on the Ethereum network through the game's play to earn model. Axie Infinity is one of the best NFT games on the market right now due to its large player base and great gameplay mechanics. In 2022, Axie Infinity will get even better as more users start to adopt NFT gaming, so you should check it out!            

NBA TopShot is a marketplace that allows fans of the NBA to trade what is known as NBA Moments NFTs. NBA Moments are highlights of NBA matches, consisting of video clips. NBA Topshot is popular amongst the NBA community and has had over $230 million in sales, making the platform one of the leading marketplaces for NFT cards. 

The NBA partnered with Dapper Labs to create the platform and has become a household name amongst NFT fans. Although the platform has faced controversy in the last few months, in 2022, it is likely to grow further, cementing its reputation as a leading player in NFT cards. 

NBA TopShots was perhaps one of the most influential Ethereum NFT projects in 2021, bringing NFTs to a more mainstream audience.

Few names have the clout of Decentraland.

Decentraland is a virtual online space that is fully 3D. The platform is built on the Ethereum blockchain and has made waves since opening in early 2020. At its core, the platform allows users to buy plots of land using its in house cryptocurrency MANA. Players can purchase land and explore Decentrlands virtual world at their leisure, making the platform one of the first fully realized decentralized virtual worlds.

Likewise, the platform uses DAO mechanics (Decentralized Autonomous Organisation). The DAO gives its users complete control of the decision-making processes of Decentraland through smart contracts, allowing them to shape its world.

2022 looks like an interesting year for Decentraland as it gears up for competition against its largest rival, The SandBox.

Gods Unchained is another huge Ethereum NFT project that has seen huge success over the last year.

Gods Unchained is a free to play NFT game that gives players complete ownership of their in-game assets.

Like Axie Infinity, Gods Unchained is a deck-building game that allows you to collect, build and sell cards. Developed by ex Riot Games and Google engineers, Gods Unchained has excellent credentials and is trying to reshape the gaming genre.

CryptoKitties is another hugely popular Ethereum NFT project. CryptoKitties was released in 2017 as one of the first projects to use Blockchain within games. The game was developed by Dapper Labs and saw huge success when it was released. To this day, the project is incredibly popular and one of the better-known NFT projects out there.

In short, CryptoKitties involves breeding, collecting and managing virtual cat NFTs. The game helped start it all and has a promising future. In 2022, as the competition around NFT gaming intensifies, we should expect to see CryptoKitties continue to grow. 

The Bored Ape NFTs are some of the most valuable and popular NFTs on the planet. Since their original release in April 2021, Bored Apes have skyrocketed in value, with some worth millions. It is estimated that Bored Ape Yacht Club has made $1 billion in sales. 

Recently, Bored Apes managed to flip CryptoPunks in value, shocking the NFT world. Even celebrities like Jimmy Fallon have purchased the famous NFT Apes. Comedian Kevin Hart recently purchased a Bored Ape for $200,000. Bored Apes are taking over the NFT scene. In 2022, Bored Apes are likely to become more valuable as they compete against their NFT rival CryptoPunks for NFT supremacy. 

Cryptodads is an NFT project consisting of 10,000 randomly generated NFTs that feature dads experiencing a mid-life crisis. The NFTs are hilarious in design and popular amongst NFT enthusiasts. 

In October last year, Cryptodads skyrocketed in value from 0.07 ETH to 1.2 ETH and amassed over $30 million in sales. In 2022, we expect to see more from Cryptodads, as its price continues to climb and the project increases its fan base. Thus, 2022 might be an even better year for the project.

Like Bored Apes, CryptoPunk NFTs are in the upper echelons of value. First launched in 2017, the project has grown to be one of the most sought after Ethereum NFT projects on the planet. Currently, there are around 10,000 CryptoPunks, each with unique traits varying in rarity.

Over the years, the project has exponentially increased in value, with one CryptoPunk selling for an eye-watering $532 million.

Likewise, over the last couple of months, the project has been dethroned by Bored Ape Yacht Club as the most valuable NFT collection, with the Bored Apes flipping Cryptopunk.

In 2022, it will be interesting to see whether CrytoPunks manages to surpass Bored Ape. Thus, you should definitely keep a keen eye on CryptoPunks this year.

As covered previously on HackerNoon, Ethermore is a blockchain RPG "and an emerging fantasy world built on the Ethereum blockchain."

While they have further game development in the works, currently Ethermore is a text adventure in which character NFTs are used as player characters in the game.

Users connect their metamask wallet that holds their Ethermore character tokens, they select which character to use as their "main", and can play through a library of quests.

Each quest choice is permanent and the NFT character's metadata is changed based on every major decision that player's make in the game.

The Sandbox is probably the most popular virtual world and video game built on the Blockchain. It is a community-driven virtual Metaverse, allowing creators to monetize assets and gaming on the Blockchain.

The Sandbox has its own cryptocurrency, SAND, and will enable you to purchase virtual real estate known as LAND through LAND sales. Likewise, The Sandbox has its own NFT marketplace, allowing you to buy NFTs and use them in-game.

LAND is a highly sought after virtual asset that owners can use at their leisure. They can use it for advertising products, hosting games and other use cases. Even corporations are jumping on the bandwagon to purchase LAND. Thus, 2022 looks to be a huge year for the Metaverse game, with more adopters of The Sandbox, its NFTs and LAND owners.

This article has laid out, in our opinion, the 10 most interesting NFT projects on the Ethereum Blockchain network to follow this year. All of the projects listed above are all projects you should look out for in 2022.

As Blockchain and the technologies associated with it, such as NFTs and Cryptocurrency, become more popular, these projects will likely reach new heights next year.