The fast-paced, cat-mech-themed shooter Nyan Heroes has reached a major milestone during its latest pre-alpha playtest, briefly ranking among the Top 100 most played titles on the Epic Games Store.
Developer 9 Lives Interactive shared this achievement on April 7 via the game’s official X account. Although the ranking may have fluctuated since, its appearance on the list—even for a short period—demonstrates increasing attention from both web2 and web3 gaming audiences.
The Playtest 4, which runs until April 14, offers free-to-play access to a highly anticipated update packed with new features, competitive modes, and a chance to earn from a $6.7 million $NYAN token prize pool.
What is Nyan Heroes?
Nyan Heroes is a free-to-play third-person hero shooter built on the Solana blockchain.
In the game, players control powerful mech suits known as Guardians, each piloted by a feline companion with its own unique personality and abilities. Whilst the game features competitive multiplayer gameplay in the style of titles like Overwatch or Apex Legends, it also integrates blockchain elements that allow players to earn rewards through in-game performance.
Developed by Australian studio 9 Lives Interactive, the game aims to bridge the gap between traditional gamers and the web3 ecosystem, offering optional NFT ownership, token rewards, and community-driven airdrops.
What’s new in Playtest 4?
Available to anyone with an Epic Games Store account, Playtest 4 represents the game’s biggest update to date, introducing a host of new gameplay elements, systems, and improvements:
- New Game Mode: Fishball — Fishball is a high-energy, team-based mode where players battle to control and deliver a ball into the opposing team’s goal. Once a player picks up the ball, their movement ability is disabled, forcing strategic passing and positioning. The first team to five goals wins, with a Sudden Death overtime phase activating if the match is tied when the timer runs out.
- MODS System — A new upgrade system allows players to enhance their Guardians using MODS, which are unlockable power-ups that can be earned after every match. MODS come in five rarities and are powered by Memory Units, with each Guardian having a limited capacity. Upgrades can include effects like healing, overshields, lifesteal, or area damage, adding a deeper level of strategy to every match.
- New Guardian: Gizmo — Gizmo is the latest Guardian to join the roster. This mech is designed for utility and control, able to scavenge scrap from fallen enemies to gain temporary armour. Gizmo can deploy up to three turrets that clones its primary weapon, and can also summon a Scrap Goliath—a giant support drone that provides area healing and deals explosive damage to enemies.
- New Cat Pilot: Coco — A fresh feline face, Coco, has also been introduced, complete with new voice lines and animations.
- New Map: Tokyo — The new Tokyo map, currently exclusive to Fishball mode, offers an urban battlefield filled with tight corridors, vertical play opportunities, and multiple chokepoints.
How to participate in the playtest?
Players participating in Playtest 4 can compete for a share of a 6.7 million $NYAN prize pool, valued at over $100,000. Rewards are split into three main categories:
- Challenger Tier – Complete 50 matches and daily/weekly missions to earn MEOW points. The top 5,000 players by MEOW score receive token rewards, with multipliers granted to Genesis NFT holders.
- Leaderboard Tier – Compete for wins. The more matches you win, the higher your rank. The top player will receive 250,000 $NYAN, with smaller prizes awarded further down the leaderboard.
- Genesis Tier – Designed to reward those who hold a Genesis Nyan & Guardian NFT pair. More than 20k MEOW points needs to be accumulated to unlock the tier, whilst multipliers are said to only be applied “for matching pairs of Nyan and Guardian NFTs.”
Although an exact release date has not been confirmed, Nyan Heroes is expected to launch in winter 2025.
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