GameFi

On January 17, The Sandbox token SAND rose nearly 15% after a tight consolidation. The surge came with spot volume around $140 million and Open Interest near $25 million, while price closed above the 20- and 50-day EMAs. Holder counts kept climbing through mid-January, signaling broader participation.

On 18 January 2026, GameFi project Axie Infinity saw its AXS token more than double in a week and jump 43.58% in 24 hours to about $1.86, with daily trading volume near $971.2 million against a market cap of roughly $313.7 million. The rally coincides with heavy spot and futures activity and upcoming structural changes such as a reputation-based Axie Score system and the bonded AXS (bAXS) token, which are drawing renewed attention to GameFi tokens.

On January 17 2026, Axie Infinity's AXS token surged about 64% in a single day to roughly $2.02 and has gained over 100% in the past week, while its market cap sits above $346M and 24-hour trading volume exceeds $997M. The broader GameFi segment now holds around $7 billion in market capitalization, up 6.3% in 24 hours, with tokens such as RON, SAND, SLP, MANA and ILV also recording double-digit daily and weekly gains.

On January 10, 2026, reports highlighted that a UK-based crypto entrepreneur connected to Paradox Metaverse was linked to what authorities described as the largest illegal drug operation in the country. According to The Guardian, MHRA officers raided a Northampton unit last October, seizing thousands of unlicensed Alluvi pens, raw chemicals, equipment, and £20,000 in cash.

PEPENODE's presale is scheduled to conclude on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at a final token price of $0.0012161 after raising $2.6 million with 24 hours remaining. The project touts staking at 522% APY and plans exchange listings alongside a virtual mining launch, as the market shows Bitcoin near $92,000 and Ethereum around $3,200.

In the first week of 2026, Bitcoin trades around $93,000 to $94,000 and Ethereum hovers near $3,300 as risk appetite cautiously returns. Against this backdrop, three presales are drawing attention: Bitcoin Hyper has raised $30.1 million at $0.013535 per token with 39% staking rewards, PEPENODE has collected $2.58 million at $0.0012161 with a 526% APY, and Maxi Doge has brought in $4.4 million. These projects target themes such as Bitcoin Layer 2 scaling, mine-to-earn GameFi, and high-volatility meme trading.

PEPENODE’s mine-to-earn GameFi presale has raised $2,587,005.74, with tokens priced at $0.0012161. The project issues virtual Miner Nodes to reward participation without hardware, and analysts have flagged potential upside following its token generation event and exchange listings. Presale timing is nearing completion, and post-launch features include a burn mechanism tied to in-game rig upgrades.

Bitcoin is edging back toward $90,000 and Ethereum has moved above $3,000 amid record daily transactions, while altcoins gain traction with coins like Solana up 3.07% over 24 hours. Against this backdrop, Bitcoin Hyper, PEPENODE and Aerodrome Finance stand out with active presales, high staking yields and strong on-chain or market metrics as traders position for a potential January bull phase.

PEPE rallied 36% in 24 hours after trader James Wynn outlined a scenario for a $69 billion valuation, implying nearly 30x from around $2.4 billion. The piece also highlights PEPENODE, a mine-to-earn GameFi project with six days left in its presale and more than $2.51 million raised so far.

After a strong move the previous day, Bitcoin is trading above $86,600 with some traders watching for a potential break toward $90,000, while Ethereum is hovering just under $3,000. At the same time, Chiliz has climbed about 55% over the past month and 7.7% week-on-week, with its price near $0.044 and market cap approaching $450 million. Against this backdrop, presale projects like Bitcoin Hyper and PEPENODE, along with established metaverse token Decentraland, are attracting attention for their mix of utility and growth potential.