Bitcoin Ordinals Games: Here's What You Can Play Today!

The Ordinals protocol has been extending Bitcoin’s utility considerably since its launch in January 2023. In this guide, we will dive into Bitcoin Ordinals games, an exciting and promising Ordinals use case.

What Are Bitcoin Ordinals Games?

Bitcoin Ordinals games are simple, lightweight video games on the Bitcoin blockchain. They are optimized pieces of code compressed into single HTML files and then inscribed on sats using the Ordinals protocol.

To put it another way, Bitcoin Ordinals games are Ordinal inscriptions that you can play directly in your browser. When playing an Ordinals game, you are simply playing raw code that “lives” on the blockchain.

Ordinal inscriptions are satoshis (sats) with data attached to them. The process of inscribing is enabled by the Ordinals protocol, an innovation that gives satoshis ordinal numbers in the order in which they are mined. This numbering system allows them to be identified and tracked throughout the existing Bitcoin supply.

Bitcoin Ordinals games are small in size due to the 4 MB block space limit. For instance, the game Doom on Bitcoin is only 31.2 KB. However, projects can use recursive inscriptions to inscribe larger games on Bitcoin. 

Playing Doom on Bitcoin

A simplistic cloned version of Doom, a first-person shooter game created in 1993, was inscribed on Bitcoin in February 2023. While the inscriber remains unknown, developer Nicholas Carlini enabled this remarkable feat with a compressed version of Doom. This was done by inscribing code on the Bitcoin blockchain using the Ordinals protocol. When the code is opened in a browser, it translates into a format that the browser can read and interpret, allowing you to play the cloned game.

You can play Doom on Bitcoin using your PC browser. Use the “W” and “S” keys to move forward or backward and the “A” and “D” keys to move left and right. To aim and shoot, you need to use your mouse. 

While Doom on Bitcoin is extremely limited compared to the original video game, it illustrates what the Ordinals protocol can achieve. 

How Recursive Ordinals Inscriptions Enable 3D Video Games on Bitcoin

As we have seen with Doom, Ordinals games are lightweight due to Bitcoin’s block size limit. However, using recursive inscriptions, developers can inscribe larger video games.

Recursive Ordinal inscriptions can reference the content of other inscriptions by utilizing a unique syntax, enabling them to indirectly exceed the 4 MB block limit. In other words, recursive inscriptions can use and borrow data from each other, improving storage efficiency and minimizing transaction costs.

Therefore, recursive inscriptions can enable the different parts of a 3D video game’s code to be stored in various inscriptions. 

Ordinal Games You Can Play Today

Here are examples of fun games you can play on Bitcoin today, thanks to Ordinal inscriptions. 

Tetris

Just like the classic game, Tetris on Bitcoin requires players to fill rows with descending shapes. Try to fill an entire line horizontally with blocks. If you fail the first time, try again.

The Tetris inscription is number 236,705, inscribed by Ord Games (OG), a project that has inscribed 52 different games on Bitcoin, in March 2023. You can play the game in your browser without purchasing the game. The link to the game is available on Magic Eden.

The Tetris interface is simple and user-friendly. It reveals what the next shape will be and details your score.

Black Hole Square

Black Hole Square is a puzzle game that you can now play on the blockchain. It can be interpreted by your web browser, permitting you to play it straight from your device. All you need to win is to apply strategy and logic.  

Black Hole Square is inscription number 67,562, created in February 2023. You can access the link to the game on the Ordinals Explorer or the project’s Discord server and play it without having to buy it. The game has a clean interface and easy-to-understand instructions.

Black Hole Square has been inscribed on Bitcoin by Ordinal Games.

Ordinal Hangman

The Hangman word game has been brought to Bitcoin, allowing you to play it in your browser. Simply guess the correct missing letters and prevent the executioner from hanging a person from the gallows.

Ordinal Hangman is inscribed by Ord Games. You can play the game by accessing the link on Magic Eden or Ordinals Explorer. The game is inscription number 234,723, generated in March 2023.

The Hangman game on Bitcoin features a simple interface and begins when you hit any random letter on the keyboard. 

Ordinal Minesweeper

Minesweeper, a classic game released in the 1980s, is on the Bitcoin blockchain as Ordinal Minesweeper. The gameplay is the same: avoid hitting the mines.

Ordinal Minesweeper opens up in your browser, where you can play in three levels: beginner, intermediate, or advanced. Alternatively, you can create your own custom game.

Ordinal Minesweeper is inscription number 809,428, created by OG in April 2023. The game’s link is on Magic Eden or the Ordinals Explorer.

Maze

Maze is a logic game that requires you to find an exit. It’s similar to the Maze game you have probably played before since it has a very easy level and an extremely challenging one. However, this time, the code you are playing is recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain.

Maze has a simple interface with five levels to choose from. Simply use the arrow keys of your keyboard to find an exit.

The game is inscription number 809,422, created by OG in April 2023. It is accessible on Magic Eden or Ordinals Explorer.  

Playing NES Games in Bitcoin

In addition to the games that have been inscribed on Bitcoin by the likes of Ord Games and Ordinal Games, you can also play NES games that have been inscribed onto Bitcoin directly in your browser.  

Developer Patrick Collins has inscribed Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games like Solar Wars, Bomb Sweeper, and Lj65 using recursive Ordinals inscriptions. 

This initiative reiterates the Ordinal protocol’s potential to expand Bitcoin’s utility by allowing old Nintendo games to be inscribed and played on Bitcoin. 

How the Ord Games (OG) Protocol Aims to Expand the Bitcoin Gaming Universe

Most of the games on Bitcoin so far aren’t new. But what if you could create your own game from scratch on the Bitcoin blockchain? 

The Ord Games protocol is striving to achieve this goal by giving developers a standard for building decentralized, open-source Bitcoin-native game universes.

Designed by the Ord Games project, this experimental protocol provides developers with a framework for building game universes, including elements like avatars and weapons.

Wizords is an example of a game universe created on the OG protocol. Players can generate wizards, orcs, armor, and weapons. Once they have assembled everything they need for battle, they can challenge other players.

Powered by the World’s First BRC-20 Utility Token ORDG, Ordz Games Is Bringing Play-to-Earn Ordinals Gaming to Bitcoin

Launched in March 2022, Ordz Games is the first gaming project on the Bitcoin network. Games of different types are released by season, and players earn game points to place them on the game’s leaderboard. The top players then receive rewards in the form of $ORDG BRC-20 tokens. 

One unique feature is that Ordz allows users to create their own games and engrave them on the blockchain. Game owners then receive a certain percentage of the player’s points. 

Ordz games are available on the official site, where anyone can play. However, you’ll need to have an Ordinals compatible wallet and $ORDG tokens to get started.  

Xverse: Your Gateway to Bitcoin Ordinal Gaming  

The Xverse Wallet is your gateway to Bitcoin Ordinals gaming. 

The user-friendly and versatile Bitcoin Web3 wallet allows you to connect to all leading Ordinals marketplaces to purchase the latest Ordinals-powered games, inscribe games onto the Bitcoin blockchain yourself, and securely store your Ordinals games in your wallet.  

‍Download Xverse on Android, iOS, or as a Chrome extension, and embark on your Bitcoin Ordinals gaming adventure!