7 New Projects to Watch in 2025: From AI-Powered Rewards to P2E Gaming on TON

The Calm Before the Storm

I’ve been watching BTC flirt with $99k again—same level it hit back in May. Trump’s unpredictable stance on the Middle East? Still a wildcard. As someone who once held through LUNA’s collapse without flinching (yes, I still have that spreadsheet), I’m not chasing momentum right now.

Instead, I’ve redirected my energy toward projects with strong fundamentals and clear utility. This isn’t about FOMO—it’s about smart allocation.

Pengu Clash: Play-to-Earn Meets GameFi Momentum

Pengu Clash is not just another Telegram game—it’s a viral phenomenon with over 2 million users already on TON. Think of it as PvP ice hockey meets flying dice. Three core modes: Darts (precision throws), Bomber (minefield chaos), and Monster (survival against a rampaging beast).

The twist? You earn rewards via gameplay—and yes, those can be cashed out. Even better: King Mode just dropped, and NFT skins have appreciated nearly 4x since launch.

This isn’t gambling; it’s behavioral economics in action. And if you think “gaming” isn’t crypto-ready? Let me remind you—Web3 thrives where engagement lives.

Vibes: The Rise of “Mouth Mining”

The “mouth mining” trend is no joke anymore. After Kaito redefined influencer economy models, platforms like Vibes are turning social proof into yield.

Connect your X account, post content you believe in—and watch your influence generate tokens backed by USDC liquidity pools. No keys. No gatekeeping. Just organic virality turned into value.

It’s not for everyone—but if you have a following or ideas worth sharing? This is how content earns today.

Upside: Where Predictions Pay Off

Upside blends friend.tech’s concept with a fresh twist: instead of buying someone’s identity key, you buy votes for content.

Create a thread? Upload an article or video link. Set a starting price at $0.01 per vote—max 1M votes per piece.

If it goes viral?

• Voters get 80% of the prize pool;
• Creators earn 15%;
• Share boosters take home 5%;
• Early investors profit from low-buy-high-sell trades—with zero fees.

Backed by Jason Choi and Arthur Hayes? That’s more than vibes—it’s validation.

Yieldoor & Ultraviolet: DeFi With Directional Clarity

Yieldoor has $1M TVL already—a solid start for a DeFi yield platform offering vaults and market liquidity pools across major chains.

But what excites me most is Ultraviolet—the new yield engine built on Berachain via Infrared Protocol. Though its site isn’t live yet, Smokey The Bera himself followed them on X: yeah… that speaks volumes.

These aren’t random picks—they’re aligned with growing ecosystem momentum and chain-specific innovation.

Solid.xyz & Pango: Utility Beyond Hype

Solid.xyz promises something rare in DeFi today: non-custodial stablecoin yields—no lockups, no middlemen. It’s essentially the ‘savings account’ every self-custody advocate has wanted but never had at scale. Waitlist open now—set your X bell alerts if you want early access.

And then there’s Pango—an AI-powered Chrome extension that turns daily work habits into data fuel for training agents—and rewards in return.* The team includes Chakra Labs veterans; past speakers at Akash Accelerate included Haseeb Quorashi and Illia Polosukhin.* The future of productivity + crypto synergy is here—and it doesn’t require quitting your job to participate.