Comparative Guide to Crash vs Tap Games

As what can only be described as iGaming lifers, one of the easiest questions to answer is why we love the industry. It never stops evolving.

Just when you’re tempted to think you’ve seen it all, some designer, developer or quiet tech-genius will be inspired by the gods and deliver something completely engaging and immersive out of left field.

When we were first introduced to the blockchain and virtual assets, we could see it becoming the crypto casino industry we see today. But no one predicted the creation of crash games, or that this would spin off an equally entertaining tap game vertical.

What Are Crash Games?

Early Bitcoin casinos didn’t have the technical bandwidth that complex games like slots and table games needed to run smoothly.

This meant that providers looked to develop a unique gaming experience that was instantly recognisable by its audience (of tech and finance guys, not gamblers), and that didn’t require a lot of processing power to be enjoyed.

The result was the crash game, which emulated the rise and fall of the Bitcoin price chart. This created a visual display that its core audience immediately grasped and only required a solid colour background and a climbing line graph to convey the intent of the new game of chance.

The Crash Gameplay Loop:

Actually playing a crash game is as simple as playing a slot machine, only without all the paylines and bonus features. You choose your bet setting, select whether to play a single hand or multiple hands at once, and hit play. From there, you simply watch the graph climb as the win multiplier increases.

The challenge is predicting when to exit the game. Exit too soon, and you walk away with a small win multiplier, missing out on a bigger win. Leave it too late and watch your potential payout disappear as your bet crashes.

Popular Crash Games:

Some of the newer crash games have traded in the simple graph for hot air balloons, jets, spaceships, and even a stuntman on a motorcycle. However, the top titles are those that still deliver the same core experience, such as Aviator (Spribe), JetX (SmartSoft Gaming), and High Flyer (Pragmatic Play).

What Are Tap Games?

Tap games are a new category of RNG games that cater to players who were attracted to the concept of crash titles but didn’t enjoy the instant decision-making they required.

It’s one of the few recent developments where people are looking to slow things down. Generally, all we see is a demand for quicker resolutions and faster turnaround times.

But tap games allow players to manually choose when to take the next step, putting game progression in their control. Now you can weigh the odds and decide how far you want to push your luck, and then either cash out or play on when it suits you.

Tap games allow you to trade action and stress for a more casual gaming experience while maintaining the same risk-reward format.

The Tap Gameplay Loop:

When playing these slower-paced games, you select your bet size and risk level (generally low, medium or high), and hit ‘Play’. Your in-game avatar will move one step across the game screen and then stop. If you’re hit by a car or struck by lightning, your game ends. If you survive, your win multiplier increases, and you are faced with a choice: cash out your winnings or risk it all on one more step?

What is worth noting is that each step is not a separate game. A full game runs from when you hit play to when you either cash out or lose. There is no additional cost for continuing to tap.

Popular Tap Games:

With the click-by-click progression of tap games, chicken-themed titles were a perfect fit. The most common game screen is a road where each click is another step across a busy highway. Risk one more step to reveal a bigger win multiplier, or play it safe and go home to count your chickens. Popular titles include Chicken Kitchen (Bet on Games), ChickenX (Million Games), and Chicken Road (InOut Games).

Quick Look at How They Compare

Here is a side-by-side view of some of the core elements of each game type:

The biggest difference between crash and tap games is the speed at which decisions need to be made, making it easier to choose the format that best matches your playing style.

Which Format is Best For You?

When it comes to choosing between crash and tap games, it isn't a matter of which style is better or worse. Where crash games ask, "When do I leave?", tap games ask, "Do I take one more step?" The real decision maker is how you answer that question.

Ultimately, crash players tend to be:

• Risk-takers
• Competitive players
• Gambling streamers

While tap game fans tend to be:

• Casual players
• Mobile-first gamers
• Fans of instant-win experiences

Whichever camp you fall into, our trusted Bitcoin casinos will not only have a great selection of both game types but also offer generous bonuses to extend your play sessions.