Crypto is fragile when writing. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and most top-10 coins are bleeding, posting near-double-digit losses over the past week of trading. Although there are pockets of confidence among some holders, how this week closes will likely shape the trajectory of the next few trading weeks.
Interestingly, while the broader crypto markets continue their notoriously volatile dance, two established giants of the GameFi sector, The Sandbox (SAND) and Axie Infinity (AXS), are remarkably resilient, posting what can only be described as impressive gains.
To put it in numbers, AXS crypto is up +25% in the last 24 hours, extending gains towards the elusive $3 level. On the other hand, SAND USDT is among the best cryptos to buy this week. It is shaking off the weakness of Q4 2025, adding nearly +15% in the past week alone.
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What’s Driving Axie Infinity AXS Crypto?
Axie Infinity, once the poster child of the play-to-earn (P2E) phenomenon, is pushing higher in January after what can only be described as a painful four years. AXS crypto is still down -98% from all-time highs, but there are hints that buyers are back, and may reverse part of those sharp losses.
At the core of this resurgence is a decisive “supply shock”. Earlier this month, the Axie Infinity team implemented a critical change, officially disabling Smooth Love Potion (SLP) rewards within its Origins game mode.
SLP emissions in Origins will cease starting January 7.
The current reward structure has created an opportunity for automated farming.
Allowing this to continue negatively impacts the long-term economy.
You can still deposit SLP for crafting and morphing as usual. pic.twitter.com/ziQGOW8lS2
— Axie Infinity (@AxieInfinity) January 5, 2026
This move, designed to combat persistent inflation, slashed daily SLP token emissions. For years, SLP’s inflationary pressures had stifled growth, leading to a “farm and dump” mentality. The drastic reduction in supply signals a renewed commitment to long-term economic stability.
Further bolstering confidence is the introduction of bAXS. It is a new utility token specifically designed for in-game spending and staking. This addition aims to create more intrinsic value within the ecosystem, moving away from a single, overly leveraged token.
Lunacians, we are on the verge of a massive evolution in how we secure our digital nation.
bAXS (Bonded AXS) is backed 1:1 by AXS, and designed to keep value circulating within our ecosystem and rewarding our citizens.
This is the start of a transformative year for Axie… pic.twitter.com/rpqAt1DZ1G
— Axie Infinity (@AxieInfinity) January 17, 2026
Complementing these economic pivots, the impending launch of Atia’s Legacy is massive. It will be an MMO-style expansion, promising to re-engage dormant players and attract new ones with a richer gaming experience.
Atia’s Legacy isn’t like any other MMORPG.
It’s being entwined with the Axie Infinity ecosystem and IP, powered by AXS.
If you’d like to hear more about this, make sure to join our Discord Lunacian Lounges 👇
🔗: https://t.co/JnmEa4vhng pic.twitter.com/dCgEnL5zJk
— Axie Infinity (@AxieInfinity) January 18, 2026
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The Sandbox: Are They Building The Metaverse Infrastructure of Tomorrow?
Like AXS crypto, SAND is peeling back losses, and buyers are upbeat about what’s to come this year. While the metaverse mania is gone, SAND is ticking higher due to Sandbox games, but mostly because of the team’s pivoting and efforts to establish an infrastructure layer for the open metaverse.
The launch of SANDchain, an Ethereum Layer 2 solution like Arbitrum and Base, is also massive for The SandBox. On this layer-2, users will transact without incurring huge costs, making the creation, buying, and selling of virtual LAND and assets more accessible and cost-effective.
However, what’s perhaps even more transformative is The Sandbox’s major partnership with Rosebud AI. This collaboration has integrated advanced generative AI tools directly into the platform, empowering users to construct intricate 3D environments and assets using simple text prompts.
💙 The Sandbox 2025 in one thread 🧵👇
The Sandbox 3.0 @TheSandboxGame launched with a bold goal: build the leading global distribution ecosystem for digital culture & IP, powered by Web3 + AI.
📈 400k+ creators, 8M users
🤖 AI creation tools + vibe coding with @Rosebud_AI
📱… pic.twitter.com/5CBhtypOn5— Sebastien 🏞 (@borgetsebastien) December 19, 2025
Leveraging AI lowers the barrier to entry for aspiring creators, democratizing metaverse development and promising an explosion of user-generated content.
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Maxi Doge: Is This The “Giga Chad” of Meme Coins?
Like AXS and SAND, Maxi Doge, which is a go-to “giga chad” meme coin, is carving out its own niche.
Although meme coin activity is down, battered by falling crypto prices, MAXI crypto is still trying to capture the attention of degens. These traders are always on the lookout for the next 100X cryptos. By branding itself as a “maximized” or “giga chad” version of the original Dogecoin, MAXI leans heavily into the high-risk, high-reward degen trading culture.
Maxi Doge utilizes the imagery of a body-building Shiba Inu to symbolize “strength and the grind” inherent in aggressive bull markets and leveraged trading. Its appeal lies in offering high-yield staking rewards. Stakers currently receive +69% APY when they lock up their MAXI. The idea is to incentivize token lock-ups.
MAXI is deflationary and has raised over $4.5M to date. You can buy MAXI crypto on its official site and DEXes like Uniswap.
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