The Best NFT PFP Avatars for 2023

Digital collectibles offering more than profile pics and status

There’s a lot more to NFTs than profile pictures and status-harvesting on Twitter. Owning an NFT in 2022 can be a gateway to exclusive platforms, unique avatar characters and VRM files that only the holder can use. We’ve got a breakdown of the best NFT avatars to own in 2022 with genuine utility and access to a whole community.

Contents

[embedded content]

CloneX

The CloneX avatars by RTFKT Studios are an integral part of the Nike Web3 empire, giving holders access to airdrops, image rights and any new updates to the metaverse world the sports brand is creating.

RTFKT Studios has already dropped a virtual “living” space as an NFT to Clone holders, and they’ve enabled the ability to clone the NFT for use in other virtual worlds.

[embedded content]

On top of this, RTFKT has given Clone holders full commercial rights over their NFTs. This means anyone who holds one can use it in whichever creative endeavor they pursue. The company has also set up a Discord channel for 3D Files for users to download, customize and use across different platforms.

Made by the team behind the Metakey NFT collection, we have the Metakrew. As things stand, these NFT avatars are the most affordable ones in this list.

They are currently only profile pictures but the project was launched with the explicit intent to create 3D avatars that can access all virtual worlds and roam freely across them.

[embedded content]

Furthermore, the NFTs will become usable in an upcoming, standalone virtual world called New Ganymede. Gameplay footage was revealed in a trailer on May 1st, 2022. With the game still in its early stages, now might be your best chance to get involved.

Yuga Labs

When their new game and virtual world Otherside launches, Yuga Labs will grant everyone who holds one of their NFTs access to the platform. Yuga owns the rights to all five of the collections below and each one has utility and value, alongside being an entry ticket to Otherside.

[embedded content]

Bored Ape Yacht Club

This was Yuga Labs’ first collection and they began life as simple, flat images. Since then, Yuga has added more utility, including access to Otherside. They’ve designed the NFTs so that holders have the ‘ownership and commercial usage rights’ over them. In effect, holders can use their Ape NFTs in any other compatible virtual world.

Mutant Ape Yacht Club

The Mutant Apes are a 20,000-strong collection of NFTs that were created as an off-shoot from the collection above. 10,000 were given to every BAYC holder, in a one-for-one airdrop. 10,000 more sold in a public auction to whoever was willing to pay. Owning a Mutant Ape gives holders eligibility for special airdrops, such as the ApeCoin giveaway in March 2022.

Bored Ape Kennel Club

These launched in April 2021 as the third collection in the Bored Ape family. They were given out to BAYC holders who could claim them for free. Around 400 Ape holders didn’t claim their Kennel Clubs so there are 4,602 in the collection.

Owning a Bored Ape Kennel Club is a great complement to owning a BAYC or MAYC, and can turbo-charge airdrops giveaways so that holders get even more.

CryptoPunks

As the OG blue-chip collection, CryptoPunks’ utility resides in the NFTs themselves, not in what holding them can give you. They are tokenized stores of value that have kept (relatively) high price tags through the 2022 bear market.

Meebits

Even though Meebits weren’t the first 3D avatars on the market, they did popularize the concept quite a bit. Meebits launched in May 2021 as a free drop to CryptoPunks holders. When a Meebit NFT owner goes to the official website, they can download the 3D files for free. This allows them to integrate their Meebit into various virtual worlds.

[embedded content]

As one of the first projects to introduce many of the collection utilities we now take for granted, it’s safe to say that Meebits started a trend.

FLUF World

Similar to other NFT avatars in this list, holders of the bunnies from FLUF World can walk around in other virtual worlds.The Flufs will be made for both voxel-formed landscape and worlds that support industry-standard VRM files. The team has already introduced Thingies, a type of pet.

In addition, they will allow Flufs to make Fluflets. More importantly, these avatars will be integrated with various games, there are DeFi options for passive income and the team will organize regular virtual parties. The FLUF World avatars and the Thingies are also associated with Futureverse, an upcoming gaming world.

CryptoAvatars

CryptoAvatars isn’t an NFT collection, by definition. Rather, it’s a company that creates custom NFT avatars. They do this in collaboration with artists, communities, and other creatives.

The team behind CryptoAvatars, Polygonal Mind, were responsible for the 3D-style Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs. Everyone knows about the Apes and the huge impact the collection had on the Web3 space when they dropped in 2021.

[embedded content]

If you’re looking for a custom avatar, completely tailored to your liking and you have the cash for it, CryptoAvatars is the crew to reach out to.

Visitors of Imma Degen (VOID)

The Visitors of ImmaDegens is a collection of 9,999 unique NFTs stored on the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), a peer-to-peer network for efficiently sharing and distributing large files. These tokens grant holders access to the VOID universe and offer a range of membership benefits, including a downloadable 3D rigged model that can be used for various purposes.

Some users have even created gameplays of Grand Theft Auto using their VOIDs. In addition to being compatible with Somnimum Space, a virtual reality world on the Ethereum blockchain, the 3D nature of these NFTs allows for a wide range of real-life applications.

[embedded content]

The popularity of Imma Degens is reflected in the decreasing number of sellers and the proliferation of videos and derivatives showcasing the collection. Overall, it seems that most holders are not looking to sell their Imma Degens for profit but they are currently at one of their lowest price points. So maybe now is the time to get involved.

World of Women

World of Women is a collection of 10,000 NFTs featuring digitally illustrated portraits of women from diverse cultural backgrounds. The project aims to celebrate representation, inclusivity, and diversity within the community. 

The images for each NFT were created using a generative art algorithm that combines hand-illustrated traits and elements, resulting in a unique digital portrait for each token.

[embedded content]

In addition to offering aesthetically pleasing art, World of Women aims to promote diversity and representation in the NFT industry. A portion of the proceeds from the primary sale of each NFT is donated to support non-profit causes, including organizations working to provide education to women globally.

World of Women also has its own space inside The Sandbox. It’s a curated zone for educating people, especially women, about Web3. You can learn how to leverage the power of blockchain technology and begin to monetize it. They will also be playable as NFT avatars inside Otherside.

Ready Player Me

Ready Player Me is a platform that allows users to integrate avatars into their apps or games quickly and easily. They want to create an open and interoperable metaverse made up of many virtual worlds. As such, they’ve created a way for users of Ready Player Me to purchase and access NFTs that are compatible with their platform and others.

[embedded content]

They share revenue from NFT sales with their partner apps and worlds, then funnel the funds back into Ready Player Me to create better experiences. Once you purchase a Ready Player Me-compatible NFT, you can wear it indefinitely in the metaverse and verify your assets on the website before importing them into supported apps and games.

VOX

The Gala Games ecosystem is well-established as a dominant force in blockchain gaming. And VOX avatars are central to their mission. At the moment, VOX holders can use their avatars in Gala Games’ VOXverse. Simcity creator and computer games legend took over as the head of the project in December 2021.

[embedded content]

VOX avatars also have some utility inside other Gala Games titles. Holders can use them to boost their daily earnings in Town Star and Mirandus. Most impressively though, VOX owners can export a 3D file of their NFT and use it inside non-Gala Games platforms.

VOX has also entered into partnerships with big name entertainment brands to add extra value to their platform. Their collaborations with Trolls and The Walking Dead give players the opportunity to buy NFTs based on those two titles. Playing the game with those avatars will give stat boosts and increased earning potential in selected Gala Games games.