Is crypto gaming having its Fortnite moment?

Avalanche shooter Off the Grid launched in early access on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC last week to rave reviews from both crypto and non-crypto gamers alike. It’s a breath of fresh air for the Web3 gaming industry after the summer was dominated by basic Telegram tap-to-earn games that appealed to ultra-casual gamers.

Developed by Gunzilla Games, the game drops players in a reality show-themed battle royale shooter with robotic limbs that grant special abilities—which can be swapped out through loot boxes or from dead enemies. Eventually, the game will allow players to mint items as NFTs, and will launch its own GUN token too.

Traditional gamers have often rejected the world of crypto but Off the Grid has already hosted so many epic moments that it’s hard for them to hate. Here are a few of our favorites viral highlights that have been spreading across social media.

Robotic limbs

Ninja, one of the most popular video game streamers who rose to mainstream fame playing Fortnite, has been playing a ton of Off the Grid, albeit as the result of a paid partnership. In this clip, he shows off the power of the robotic arms.

In the middle of a gun fight, he baits his enemy around a corner before he slams them into the wall using his "Slam Fist" left arm. Hot swappable robotic limbs is one of the key features that has helped the game stand out so far.

No arms

Just as you can swap out your limbs with arms and legs that that you find in loot boxes, enemies can also shoot them off of you. This has resulted in some hilarious moments with players being left defenseless in the middle of a gunfight.

While you could run away and scavenge for a new set of arms to hold your weapon, this player decided to jump to their death instead.

No legs is OP

Losing your arms means you can't hold your weapon... but losing your legs just means you turn into the crawler you leave alive in Call of Duty Zombies as you spam the mystery box—but with a gun.

CryptoStache, one of the leading crypto gaming content creators, lost his legs by jumping from a building. He didn't let this get in the way of victory, however, as he ended up killing an enemy from the ground and winning the entire match.

Hulk smash

Okay, okay, having legs in Off the Grid is good too.

Kyroh shows off the "Hammerhead" legs that launch the wearer into the air before they slam into the ground, dealing damage and throwing enemies into the distance. In this case, the player went splat when they hit the ground. Rest in peace, sweet prince.

Shot out of the sky

Popular Web2 streamer Timthetatman had fun with the jetpack mechanic as his squad flew after the final enemy. While flying, Tim sniped the last man standing with his rocket launcher and his team went wild.

This feels akin to the kind of gameplay we saw back in the heyday of Battlefield when players would jump out of helicopters and kill an enemy in midair.

For once, a crypto game has arrived and impressed gamers with the gameplay alone. As Web2 players fall in love with Off the Grid's mechanics, they have started to open their eyes to how its Web3 elements could further enhance the game.

Former professional Counter-Strike player Shroud, for example, compared the game's use of NFTs to the Steam marketplace, saying that he is "genuinely surprised that it took so long" for a game to use the blockchain "as a tool" to do this. He later complained that game developers only get "about 1%" of a cut of Steam marketplace transactions—something that he believes this NFT model fixes.

Edited by Andrew Hayward