10 Ways to Make Money on Web3: From Airdrops to Creator Economy

Imagine a version of the internet where users don’t just surf websites and applications, but also own a part of the internet and make money from it. This is the earning potential of Web3.

The legitimacy of the earning potential on Web3 is still a concern for many. In short, yes, income from Web3, including cryptocurrency and other digital assets, are legitimate and can be converted to fiat currencies.

Not all Web3 projects are profitable, so users must do their due diligence in selecting a Web3 money-making method that is truly lucrative. Read this article to learn the many ways of making money on Web3!

Brief Summary

1. There are many ways to make money on Web3, such as airdrops, play-to-earn, staking, and the creator economy models.
2. Users can unlock opportunities to make money on Web3 through social apps with move-to-earn or wear-to-earn models.

Web3 Earning Potential from Airdrops

The first way to make money on Web3 is through airdrops, which is a marketing practice that involves distributing tokens or coins of a Web3 project for free. This is commonly held by Web3 startups as a promotional strategy to build hype.

Before participating, make sure to research the background of the project holding the airdrop. Here are some types of airdrops that can serve as opportunities to make money on Web3.

Standard Airdrop

This is the most common type of airdrop. Participants simply register a valid wallet address to receive the airdrop.

Standard airdrops typically distribute tokens in limited quantities, and each user is limited to a specific amount of tokens. In addition, standard airdrops have a time limit. However, they can be exploited by registering multiple wallets to claim more tokens.

Bounty Airdrop

Bounty airdrops are a way to make money on Web3 that is suitable for those who want to contribute to Web3 projects while generating an income. To receive a bounty airdrop, users must perform certain tasks with the purpose of promoting a project on social media.

Holder Airdrop

Holder airdrops are special airdrops for a project’s token holders. The tokens received by users are based on the number of tokens they already own.

Exclusive Airdrop

These are a more exclusive version of a holder airdrop. Airdrop recipients are token holders who have been selected based on certain criteria, such as their level of involvement in a project or the amount of money they have spent on non-token activities.

Also Read: What is Crypto Airdrop? A Complete Guide for Beginners

Web3 Earning Potential from Play-to-Earn Models

Play-to-earn is a breakthrough in the gaming world that makes Web3 gaming not only entertaining but also profitable. In play-to-earn games, players can be rewarded with cryptocurrency or digital assets that can be traded.

How to Make Money from Web3 Gaming

Here are some examples of common tasks players must complete to earn money in Web3 gaming.

1. Completing daily challenges or missions.
2. Creating or collecting rare game items.
3. Staking tokens.
4. Participating in tournaments.
5. Buying and selling virtual assets on the game marketplace.

How to Cash Out Earnings from Web3 Gaming

How do you convert play-to-earn income into crypto or even fiat currency? Each game has its own guidelines, but generally, the steps are:

1. Transfer in-game assets to a compatible wallet.
2. Connect the wallet to an NFT marketplace or exchange.
3. Sell tokens or NFTs at market average prices.
4. Receive earnings in cryptocurrency or convert to fiat currency.

Play-to-Earn Games Recommendations 2026

Interested in exploring Web3 earning potential through gaming? Here are recommended play-to-earn games active in 2026.

1. Axie Infinity: Origins
2. Platform: PC, Mobile (iOS/Android)
3. Game Type: Turn-based strategy game
4. How to Earn: Rewards Smooth Love Potion (SLP) and Axie Infinity Shards (AXS) from PvP matches and daily missions
5. Earnings: $2-20 per day, depending on skill level
6. Gods Unchained
7. Platform: Browser, PC
8. Game Type: Trading Card Game (TCG)
9. How to Earn: GODS token rewards through matches, tournaments, and card sales
10. Earnings: Skilled players can earn $5-50 per week.
11. The Sandbox
12. Platform: PC, Browser
13. Game Type: Open metaverse
14. How to Earn: Earn SAND tokens by creating games, minting NFTs, or renting virtual land
15. Earnings: Active landowners can earn $200-1000 per month
16. Illuvium
17. Platform: PC
18. Game Type: Open-world role-playing game (RPG)
19. How to Earn: Capture Illuvial creatures, earn ILV tokens, and participate in on-chain matches
20. Earnings: Top players can earn $100-300 per week
21. Blockchain Cats
22. Platform: Browser, Mobile
23. Game Type: Casual collection
24. How to Earn: Tokens and NFTs from raising cats, completing missions, and selling rare cats on the marketplace
25. Income: $3-25 per week, depending on rarity and market demand

Web3 Earning Potential from Social Apps

In addition to play-to-earn games, various social apps with “X-to-earn” models are emerging. Here are different ways to make money through social apps.

Move-to-Earn

Move-to-earn is a model that offers earning potential on Web3 by converting physical activity into income. Here are examples of social apps with a move-to-earn income model.

1. STEPN: Releases NFT sneakers to generate GMT tokens when the wearer is physically active.
2. Sweat Economy: A free move-to-earn app that converts daily steps into digital currency (SWEAT).
3. Genopets: A free role-playing game where each step a player takes powers up a digital pet. Genopets uses GENE and KI tokens for staking, crafting new items, or implementing other economic strategies.
4. Step App: A fitness app where players can purchase NFT gear, track movement, and earn KCAL tokens. This platform also uses FITFI tokens for governance.
5. Walken: An app that converts daily steps into in-game currency, which can be used to participate in tournaments that reward WLKN tokens.

Wear-to-Earn

Fashion designers, clothing brands, and retailers are innovating with wear-to-earn models for promotion in the digital fashion era. Customers who wear virtual clothing can receive incentives in the form of cryptocurrency, access to physical products, or fashion item airdrops.

Conversely, customers who purchase physical items can receive a digital version of the clothing. With the principle of blockchain interoperability, digital clothing can be worn in various virtual worlds.

Curious about Web3 earning potential through fashion? Here are examples of projects pioneering the wear-to-earn model.

1. NFT Runway: Utilizes 3DReal technology to transform fashion designs into wearable NFTs in the Metaverse.
2. Space Runners: Launched an NBA Champions sneaker collection with NFT versions wearable in the Metaverse and various Web3 games.
3. DRX Wear: Releases official jerseys with NFC chip technology for digital authentication and DRX Points for use within the DRX ecosystem.

Create-to-Earn

Artists and musicians have long earned income online by promoting their work on various platforms. However, art and music can now be converted into digital assets that can be traded without intermediaries. Examples include the following artists and musicians, who released their work as NFTs.

1. Snoop Dogg: Released “XYZ” as an open edition NFT in February 2023. 10,000 units were sold in 72 hours.
2. Eminem: Launched the Shady Con NFT collection on the NiftyGateway NFT marketplace in 2021. This collection includes digital artwork, comics, and a musical snippet titled Stan's Revenge.
3. Shawn Mendes: Launched a digital accessories collection inspired by the Wonder album. Sold on OpenSea, it allows fans to customize the appearance of their digital avatars.
4. Whitney Houston: “Always Love You,” a previously unreleased Whitney Houston song, was auctioned as an NFT for a final price of $1 million. The proceeds were donated to the Whitney Houston Foundation.

Web3 Earning Potential from DeFi and Staking

Is there a way to earn passive income on Web3? Yield farming and staking may be the answers you are looking for.

DeFi Yield Farming

Yield farming is the process of providing liquidity for DeFi protocols. This is done by locking token pairs into liquidity pools and receiving liquidity provider (LP) tokens as rewards for each transaction in the pool. The income is dynamic, depending on the available liquidity, arbitrage options, and overall volatility.

Staking

Staking is the process of locking tokens or crypto assets for a set period of time to secure a blockchain network with the Proof-of-Stake consensus. After the staking period ends, you will receive token rewards with a predetermined APY (Annual Percentage Yield). The longer the tokens are locked, the higher the APY that can be obtained.

Also Read: A Complete Guide to Cryptocurrency Staking for Beginners (Steps, Risks, and Tips)

Web3 Creator Economy

The final way to make money in Web3 is by becoming a Web3 creator. Web3 offers full ownership, new business models, and collaboration opportunities between creators and fans. Here are several ways to make money in Web3 as a creator.

NFT (Non-Fungible Token)

NFTs serve as proof of ownership of a digital work. They enable creators to better protect their work and receive fair compensation if their work is used by others.

Connection with Fans

Through Web3, creators can interact directly with fans without intermediaries, for example, through:

1. Exclusive Content: Creators provide behind-the-scenes content or early access to their biggest supporters.
2. NFT Rewards: Fans can earn NFTs as collectibles or access to content.
3. Creative Collaboration: Creators involve their community in developing new projects.
4. Token-Powered Communities: Creators can create digital tokens that grant voting rights or access to certain experiences.

New Income Models

In Web2, creators earn revenue from advertisements or selling their work on third-party platforms. However, creators can unlock Web3 earning potential through:

1. Selling NFTs: Turn digital art, music, or iconic social media posts into collectible digital assets.
2. Subscription Models: Fans can directly support creators through monthly subscriptions to gain access to exclusive content.
3. Community-Driven Projects: Creators can receive direct funding from their community when they want to create a project.

Conclusion

Web3 offers countless earning opportunities. With decentralized blockchain technology that removes the need for intermediaries, anyone can unlock Web3 earning potential, either actively or passively.

Web3 is also a place where thousands of cryptocurrency and DeFi projects grow. How do you market a crypto project to attract users? Learn more in the article What is Web3 Marketing? Promotional Strategies for Blockchain Projects.