Crypto Kitties

What is CryptoKitties?

CryptoKitties is a collecting and breeding game built around digital cats on Ethereum. It was launched in 2017 by Dapper Labs, whose site lists more than 2 million kitties and more than 400,000 players and describes it as the first consumer collectible of its kind to break through. Each Kitty's appearance is set by a unique set of genes, which parents pass on to the Kitties they breed.

How to play

Players buy Kitties on the marketplace or breed new ones. Breeding pairs two of your own Kitties, or one of yours with a public sire offered by another player. A new Kitty's generation is the higher generation of its two parents plus one, so two Gen 3 parents produce a Gen 4 Kitty, and the official guide recommends breeding Kitties of the same generation. Owners can put a Kitty up for a siring auction, which lets other players breed with it, or for a sale auction with a starting price, ending price and duration they choose. Players can also make offers in ETH on any Kitty, even one that is not for sale, and the owner can accept or decline. Offers expire after three days.

Platforms and costs

CryptoKitties is played in the browser at its official site, and purchases are confirmed in a Dapper transaction window. Every action requires a gas fee paid to the Ethereum network, which is the only fee the official guide mentions. A newly bought Kitty can take a few minutes to appear on a player's profile, depending on how busy the network is.