What is Hamster Kombat?

What is Hamster Kombat?

Hamster Kombat is a tap-to-earn crypto game on Telegram where players take the role of a hamster CEO running a virtual cryptocurrency exchange. Since its launch on The Open Network (TON) in March 2024, the project has gained over 300 million players and a strong social media following.

Gameplay mechanics are simple: players engage in fast tapping to generate in-game currency, which they can use to upgrade their exchange and unlock new features. Additional elements like daily challenges, referral bonuses, and limited-time events add variety to the game.

Its HMSTR token debuted in September 2024 with a massive airdrop, distributing 60% of the supply to players. Meanwhile, seasonal updates keep the experience fresh, with Season 2 set to introduce game development mechanics and new airdrop rewards.

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How Does Hamster Kombat Work?

Hamster Kombat combines simple tapping mechanics with strategic decision-making similar to traditional mobile games. Here's an overview of its core features, based on the whitepaper:

• Gameplay Mechanics: The game revolves around generating Hamster Coins (virtual tokens) through tapping, which serves as the primary resource for upgrades and progress.
• Crypto Market Simulation: Players simulate running a crypto exchange by making decisions about marketing, licensing, and talent acquisition to boost their virtual business.
• Ecosystem Rewards: By linking TON wallets, players convert their in-game earnings into HMSTR tokens, usable within the game or tradable on real crypto exchanges like Binance.
• Progression Systems: Daily challenges, leaderboards, and time-limited events encourage competition and consistent engagement.
• CEO Levels: There are 11 CEO levels in Hamster Kombat, including Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Epic, Diamond, Legendary, Master, Grandmaster, Lord, and Creator.
• Seasonal Expansions: Each season introduces fresh gameplay elements; for instance, the second season will add game development mechanics and new token rewards.

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How to Play Hamster Kombat

Starting your journey in Hamster Kombat is straightforward, but maximizing your success requires some strategy. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:

1. Join the Game on Telegram: Search for the "Hamster Kombat" bot in Telegram, and follow the setup instructions to create a profile.
2. Tap to Earn Coins: Start generating Hamster Coins by tapping. The faster you tap, the more coins you accumulate. Using automation software might get you penalized.
3. Upgrade Your Exchange: Use your earnings to invest in upgrades like better marketing, more productive team members, and essential licenses to boost passive income (on coins).
4. Complete Daily Challenges: Participate in features like Daily Combos and Daily Cipher puzzles to earn bonus coins and increase your rewards.
5. Invite Friends: Boost your earnings by sharing your referral link. The more active your referrals, the higher your rewards.
6. Link Your TON Wallet: Secure your crypto wallet to convert in-game coins to HMSTR tokens during airdrop events.
7. Seasonal Content: Stay engaged with Web3 updates, events, and crypto rewards. Season 2 introduces game development mechanics, allowing you to build your own virtual game studio.

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Advanced Gaming Tips

For advanced players, prioritizing specific cards like "License Philippines" or "HamsterStore Launch" can exponentially increase your profit-per-hour (PPH) due to their high return on investment.

Focus on completing the Daily Combo early, but use tactical card upgrades to achieve the target with minimal coin expenditure. Additionally, maximize the value of boosts by timing them during high-yield tapping sessions or while participating in time-limited events.

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Hamster Kombat Daily Combo Strategy

Another cool feature is Hamster Kombat Daily Combos, which requires players to select three upgrades from PR & Team, Markets, Legal, Web3, and Specials to win up to 5 million Hamster coins. Every midnight, players watch YouTube and TikTok tutorials, as well as blog posts, that reveal these combinations.

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HMSTR Tokenomics

The HMSTR token underpins the Hamster Kombat vision, aligning player incentives with long-term platform sustainability. Its well-crafted tokenomics focus on community rewards thanks to the following structure:

• Fixed Token Supply: HMSTR has a total supply of 100 billion tokens, ensuring scarcity and a clear distribution strategy.
• Airdrop Distribution: 60% of the token supply was distributed to over 131 million eligible players, based on engagement metrics, rewarding consistent players and active community contributors.
• Deflationary Measures: 2.3 million accounts were flagged for cheating had their tokens burned, redistributing value to honest players and reducing overall supply.
• Immediate Access and Vesting: Players can access 88.75% of their airdropped tokens immediately, with 11.25% locked for 10 months, ensuring stability and reducing sell pressure.
• Ecosystem Allocation: Remaining tokens are reserved for liquidity provision, squad rewards, ecosystem grants, and partnerships aimed at expanding the HMSTR utility.
• Long-Term Vision: HMSTR’s utility will extend beyond Hamster Kombat to power future games, an NFT marketplace, and a proposed layer 2 on The Open Network (TON).
• Governance: A DAO structure governs decisions, with 1.1 billion HMSTR tokens recently voting to proceed with the L2 initiative (over 88% of the voting power came from just two accounts).

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Hamster Kombat Airdrop

Hamster Kombat’s Season 1 airdrop, launched on September 26, 2024, was promoted as "the largest airdrop in crypto history." However, many players expressed disappointment, with some labeling the rewards as “dust”, as most allocations were valued at just $10 despite extensive gameplay.

The upcoming Season 2 airdrop, scheduled for summer 2025, introduces new reward metrics, including diamonds earned during the Interlude Season. This season aims to shift the gameplay focus toward game studio-building mechanics and expand the experience beyond Telegram’s platform.

While the first airdrop faced delays due to technical challenges, the development team is collaborating with TON to ensure a flawless and fair distribution process for all players.

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Social Media Growth

Hamster Kombat's social media expansion is unparalleled, with over 300 million players globally and 50 million active daily users. Its YouTube channel set a world record by reaching 10 million subscribers in just six days, now sitting at over 36.1 million subscribers across 17 regional channels.

With 46.3 million Telegram subscribers and 13.4 million followers on X (Twitter), the game’s social media dominance positions it as a frontrunner in achieving its goal of onboarding 1 billion users to Web3.

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Founders

The development team behind Hamster Kombat has remained anonymous, fueling speculation about their identities and intentions. Despite this, the founders have shared a vision of advancing financial literacy and blockchain education globally.

Interestingly, industry insiders suggest that Eduard Gurinovich, known for his successes with CarPrice, a used car marketplace, and Expload, a blockchain video streaming platform, might be one of the key figures behind the Hamster Kombat project.

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Final Thoughts

Hamster Kombat’s launch, while initially marred by mixed reactions to its record-breaking airdrop, has demonstrated resilience and adaptability, positioning itself as a key player in the booming $300 billion gaming industry.

With a vision to onboard a billion users into GameFi, the project capitalizes on Telegram’s massive 950 million-user base and plans to extend its blockchain footprint with an upcoming layer 2 network.