If someone told you that millions of people would be tapping a cartoon coin inside Telegram and that this would turn into one of the fastest-growing blockchain projects ever, you might think they were joking. But that is exactly what happened with Notcoin.$NOT
This little tap-to-earn game, built by the Open Builders community and backed by the TON Foundation, exploded in popularity almost overnight. By turning blockchain into something you could literally tap on your phone, @The Notcoin Official became an unexpected gateway into Web3 for millions of people who had never touched crypto before.
From Inside Joke to Global Craze
Notcoin started quietly in late 2023, almost as a meme. The closed beta launched in November, pitched as a fun, slightly absurd game where you could mine Notcoin by tapping an animated coin in Telegram. No wallet setup. No complicated onboarding. Just tap and earn.
People loved it. Within weeks, hundreds of thousands had joined. By the official launch on January 1, 2024, momentum was already building. Telegram’s massive user base meant that one invite link could spread like wildfire through group chats. Friends were challenging each other, bragging about their balances, and forming teams overnight.
How the Game Works and Why It Is So Addictive
Here is the magic: you open the @notcoin_bot in Telegram and you see a shiny coin bouncing around. Every tap earns you one Notcoin. That is it.
But there is more under the hood:
Energy Limits – You cannot just tap forever. There is an energy bar that runs out, making you wait or find boosts.
Boosts and Power-Ups – Spend coins to recharge energy, activate Turbo for faster earning, or even unlock an auto-tapper.
Quests and Referrals – Complete tasks or invite friends for extra rewards.
Squads and Leaderboards – Team up with others and climb the rankings for bragging rights and bonuses.
It is simple but addictive. And because it is built on the TON blockchain, all of those taps are part of a bigger ecosystem something most players did not even realize at first.
The Numbers That Shocked Everyone
The growth was ridiculous. On day one, 1 million players joined. Within a week, it was over 4 million. In less than a month, around 20 million.
At its peak, up to 5 million people were tapping coins in a single day. For perspective, that is more than the daily active users of some major video games. And this was all happening inside a messaging app.
The best part? Notcoin spent 0 on marketing. The game grew entirely by word of mouth, Telegram group invites, and sheer curiosity.
Turning Taps Into Real Tokens
From the start, the developers hinted that in-game Notcoins would eventually be turned into a real cryptocurrency. In May 2024, they delivered.
The NOT token launched on the TON blockchain, and millions of players woke up to find their taps had turned into real crypto. The conversion rate was 1,000 in-game Notcoins equals 1 NOT. Exchanges like KuCoin and Binance quickly listed it, and for a while, $NOT was one of the hottest tokens on the market.
Most importantly, the majority of tokens went straight to the players about 78 percent of the supply, making it one of the most community-owned crypto launches ever.
Challenges After the Hype
Like any viral hit, the initial frenzy cooled. By early 2025, Google search interest had dropped and the token price had come down from its early highs. Many casual players moved on.
The team knew they had to evolve if they wanted Notcoin to survive long-term.
The Next Phase: Not Games
In 2025, the creators unveiled Not Games, a full Web3 gaming ecosystem built around the NOT token.
Here is what is coming:
Multiple Games, One Currency – NOT will be used across all new titles, from casual clickers to NFT adventures.
Play-to-Win Competitions – Regular tournaments with NOT prizes.
Player Marketplace – Buy, sell, and trade in-game assets with other players.
New Content – More games like Lost Dogs and Not Pixel Battle to keep things fresh.
This expansion is meant to turn Notcoin from a one-off hit into a sustainable platform for Telegram-based gaming.
Why Notcoin Mattered
Notcoin proved that Web3 does not have to be complicated to win over the masses. By hiding blockchain tech behind a simple, social, and addictive game, it managed to onboard tens of millions of people into crypto without them even realizing it.
Whether Not Games becomes the next big thing or not, Notcoin’s story will be remembered as one of Web3’s boldest experiments and a reminder that sometimes the simplest ideas make the biggest impact.