This Crypto Mining Game Inspired by "Zoo Tycoon" Lets Players Earn Real Cryptocurrency – Pre-sale Ends in 22 Days

PepeNode (PEPENODE) is a new gaming experience that allows players to earn real cryptocurrency while enjoying gameplay reminiscent of “Zoo Tycoon.” As the game moves towards its early access phase, the pre-sale has already raised over $2.35 million.

Key Takeaways

Game Concept: PepeNode combines a simulation gameplay style similar to “Zoo Tycoon” with cryptocurrency mining, enabling players to earn actual rewards.
Real Rewards: Players can earn meme coins like Pepe (PEPE) and Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) by optimizing their virtual mining farms.
Token Role: PEPENODE token is integral for expanding the mining empire and participating in the game's economy.
Pre-Sale Details: The price of PEPENODE is currently $0.0011968, with the pre-sale ending soon, making early investment opportunities limited.
Unique Mechanics: The game ensures a rewarding experience without inflation by consuming 70% of tokens used for upgrades.

Main Content

PepeNode, a game that adopts gameplay similar to "Zoo Tycoon," is entering the final 23 days of its early access phase, allowing players to earn genuine cryptocurrency. Dubbed as the first “Mine-to-Earn” meme coin game in the crypto space, PepeNode has successfully secured over $2.35 million in its pre-sale.

In terms of core gameplay, PepeNode functions like a system-building game where instead of managing animals, players oversee a virtual mining operation. Starting from scratch, players strategically upgrade their setups, optimize machine placements, and gradually expand their mining farms. The game’s performance relies heavily on the efficiency of the player’s design.

What sets PepeNode apart is that it goes beyond simulating management. The systems built in the game generate real cryptocurrency rewards. A well-optimized mining setup can yield actual returns in meme coins like Pepe (PEPE) and Fartcoin (FARTCOIN), among other popular assets.

Upon the game’s official launch, players can join the ecosystem by holding and participating in "staking" PEPENODE, the core token driving the game’s economy. For early backers, PEPENODE is regarded both as a gaming asset and a promising investment opportunity for the next wave of GameFi.

The pre-sale is now in its last three weeks, with PEPENODE priced at $0.0011968. However, as the trading launch approaches, this price window is rapidly closing.

The reason "Zoo Tycoon" became a classic since its release in 2001 lies in its ability to hand decision-making power back to players. Starting from a blank slate with limited constraints, players incrementally build a self-sustaining system through a series of causal decisions. Habitats must be managed properly, costs must be balanced, and layouts need continuous optimization—disorder is replaced with structured order as strategies accumulate, while success comes from sound system design rather than mechanical repetition.

The tension in gameplay arises from "expansion vs. sustainability": growing too quickly may lead to minor issues snowballing, while steady growth can lead to compound gains. "Zoo Tycoon" made consequences unavoidable but also made progression feel justified, as success is rooted in structure and planning.

This design philosophy is being replicated by PepeNode in the crypto realm. It merges a cult classic's “slow burn, system-first” playstyle with mining, a field that emphasizes long-term optimization value in Web3.

One of PepeNode’s key differences is that it directly ties “good design” to “real meme coin earnings.” The more effectively a system is designed, the more substantial the rewards players can claim in meme coins.

PepeNode operates on a consistent underlying logic, recontextualized for a crypto environment: players find themselves in an empty virtual server room, bound by fixed resources and rules. The system does not operate automatically, and outputs do not increase spontaneously—only when players build their systems correctly and continually optimize their structures does computational power and output gradually rise.

Progress depends on how players combine and expand nodes. Some configurations may lead to bottlenecks in performance, while others unlock stable gains, resulting in compounding growth over time. The game reinforces a lesson learned by “Zoo Tycoon” decades ago: a system must be self-sustaining, or it will collapse due to poor planning.

A distinguishing feature of PepeNode is the results stemming from “stability.” A well-designed mining system not only appears more efficient but also generates real-world value. Optimized mining configurations can earn more PEPENODE tokens, and higher-performance setups will unlock higher-tier reward pools, including PEPE and FARTCOIN.

This creates a connection between the game's inherent loops of gradual, restrained structural design and a real economic system. Players stay engaged due to the game's sufficient replayability, while they receive rewards because the system operates effectively.

PepeNode takes things further than traditional tycoon games. It binds system design with an economic model that will not self-destruct through usage.

Most early GameFi projects reward activity by issuing new tokens: the more players there are and the longer they play, the more the token supply expands, leading to inflation that dilutes rewards, prompting players to leave en masse—this has been the classic decline path of blockchain projects.

In contrast, PepeNode’s design ensures that player growth does not equal indiscriminate value expansion. In gameplay, nearly all key actions—including obtaining nodes, upgrading facilities, and optimizing performance—require PEPENODE tokens. Crucially, 70% of these tokens used for upgrades will be permanently burned.

As a result, growth does not drive inflation; instead, it tightens the economic model: as more players continue to build and upgrade, the circulating supply does not inflate but gradually contracts, avoiding uncontrolled expansion.

This shift also alters player behavior: the quickest strategy of “digging out rewards and running” is no longer optimal—further investment becomes the better option. A stronger system structure will unlock greater output, further opening gateways to higher-tier rewards.

Currently, the window to participate in the PepeNode pre-sale is closing. To get in before the deadline, visit the pre-sale page to purchase PEPENODE, accepting ETH, BNB, USDT (ERC-20 and BEP-20), or even via credit/debit card.

For wallet connections, players can use Best Wallet, considered one of the top-performing crypto and Bitcoin wallets in the market today. PepeNode has also been listed in Best Wallet’s new project filtering tool, "Upcoming Tokens," enabling users to purchase, track, and claim tokens after the project launches.

The project claims its smart contract has been audited by Coinsult and asserts that the code has "zero errors."

To stay updated, follow PepeNode on X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram.