Nyan Heroes has reached a new milestone during its ongoing Playtest 4 phase, becoming one of the top 100 most-played games on the Epic Games Store. Developed by 9 Lives Interactive, the web3-enabled, free-to-play third-person shooter gained notable traction, with the ranking officially confirmed in a post made on April 7th. Although its position in the rankings may have changed since then, reaching this level of engagement at any point during a pre-release testing phase reflects growing interest in the project.

Playtest 4 is part of what the developers are calling “Airdrop 4,” a limited-time event that allows players to access the game and earn rewards for free. The test period includes a prize pool of 6.7 million $NYAN tokens, which will remain open until April 14th. The playtest is available exclusively on Windows PCs through the Epic Games Store.

Nyan Heroes Playtest 4 Offers $6.7 Million Prize Pool

About Nyan Heroes

Nyan Heroes is a hero-based team shooter where cats pilot giant mechs in strategic battles. Built on Solana, the game blends thrilling combat with web3 mechanics, allowing players to earn $NYAN tokens through gameplay. As one of the more anticipated blockchain shooters, Nyan Heroes continues to expand its in-game economy while offering new competitive and casual experiences for players.

Significant Gameplay Updates

The fourth playtest represents the most significant content update for Nyan Heroes to date. Among the new features is a gameplay mode titled Fishball, which introduces a competitive ball-control mechanic. In this mode, teams compete to be the first to score five points by carrying and throwing a ball into the opposing team’s goal. When a player holds the ball, their movement abilities are disabled, encouraging team-based coordination. 

If the score is tied when time expires, the game enters Sudden Death mode, during which players' Cat Pilots can no longer respawn, and the match is decided by either scoring a goal or eliminating the opposing team. A new map, Tokyo, has been added to support the Fishball mode. The map features urban design elements, chokepoints, and environmental cover to support tactical gameplay. For this playtest, Tokyo is only accessible through the Fishball mode.

In addition, a new customization system called MODS has been introduced. This system allows players to apply upgrades to their Guardians using in-game resources known as Memory Units. Each Guardian has a total of 25 Memory Units available for upgrade slots. MODS come in different rarities and offer a variety of effects, including health boosts, area-of-effect damage, overshields, and lifesteal. MODS can be earned after every match, with guaranteed drops for victories and a 50 percent chance for losses. Each MOD can be leveled up to improve its performance.

Nyan Heroes Playtest 4 Offers $6.7 Million Prize Pool

New Characters and Weapons

Playtest 4 also introduces two new playable characters: a Guardian named Gizmo and a Cat Pilot named Coco. Gizmo adds a new dimension to tactical play by collecting scrap from defeated opponents to gain temporary armor. Gizmo’s abilities include deploying up to three turrets that replicate the player’s primary weapon and throwing a floating platform for additional protection.

The character's ultimate ability, called Scrap Goliath, creates a large scrap-constructed statue that provides explosive area damage and temporary armor to nearby teammates. Coco, the newly added Cat Pilot, features new visual animations and voice lines. The character brings further diversity to the game’s cast, although detailed gameplay impacts of Coco’s inclusion are still being explored by the player community.

Nyan Heroes Playtest 4 Offers $6.7 Million Prize Pool

Over $6 Million $NYAN Tokens

Participation in Playtest 4 is open to all players with access to the Epic Games Store. The game can be downloaded for free, and players who take part in the current testing phase have the opportunity to earn rewards from the total pool of 6.7 million $NYAN tokens, which was valued at approximately $115,000 at the time of writing. The prize pool is divided into three separate categories.

The Challenger Tier rewards players who complete at least 50 matches and accumulate MEOW points by participating in daily and weekly missions. The top 5,000 players in terms of MEOW points will receive rewards. Players holding Genesis Nyan or Guardian NFTs receive a multiplier that increases their point totals. The Leaderboard Tier is based on match wins.  To qualify, players must win at least 25 matches, with the top 3,000 ranked players receiving a portion of the reward pool.

The player who finishes in first place will receive 250,000 $NYAN tokens. The Genesis Tier is specifically targeted at players who hold both a Genesis Nyan and Guardian NFT. Players need to accumulate more than 20,000 MEOW points to access this tier, and additional multipliers are applied based on the rarity and matching status of the NFT pair. These NFTs can be obtained through platforms such as Magic Eden.

Nyan Heroes Playtest 4 Offers $6.7 Million Prize Pool

Final Thoughts

Nyan Heroes continues to develop ahead of its planned official release in winter 2025. With web3 integration, token-based incentives, and regular gameplay updates, the game is positioning itself within a growing segment of blockchain-enabled competitive gaming. Playtest 4 has provided a window into how the game may evolve over time, and early signs suggest increasing interest and engagement from the community.