Let’s talk about the elephant in the room – investors are buying cryptos for one main reason: to chase insane gains in the crypto space. Many people talk about the underlying tech for many of these projects. But most of us are in it for the potential to turn a few thousand bucks into a life-changing amount.

The crypto market is a goldmine of opportunities. However, many newbies make a crucial mistake. They look at the top cryptocurrencies by market cap, see their low prices, and think, “Wow, Bitcoin (BTC-USD) is trading around $68,000, and this meme coin is just 1 cent – I’m getting in on the ground floor!” Sorry to burst your bubble, but those ships have sailed. The real money is in finding the hidden gems, the under-the-radar projects that could be the next Ethereum (ETH-USD) or Solana (SOL-USD).

Of course, I’m not saying you should avoid the big cryptos altogether. They’re the backbone of the crypto ecosystem, and they’ll continue to grow steadily. But if you’re looking for those elusive 5,000% gains, you need to venture into riskier territory. The downside risk is not for the faint-hearted in this space, to be sure. If you have that in mind, let’s take a look at the top under-the-radar cryptos to buy for massive gains!

Pyrin (PYI-USD)

Pyrin (PYI-USD) was listed on CoinMarketCap back in February, and it’s already gained significant traction since then. However, the crypto token has cooled off and declined over the past week.

But that doesn’t mean Pyrin won’t increase further going forward. Crypto projects associated with Kaspa (KAS-USD) have been some on some of the most incredible runs lately, and I think Pyrin can follow in Kaspa’s footsteps in the coming months. That’s especially true once altseason kicks in and sends smaller cryptocurrencies surging higher.

This decentralized Kaspa fork integrates Blake3 with BlockDAG and GhostDAG technology, delivering scalable and near-instant transactions at a minimal cost. The team has also pioneered a groundbreaking proof-of-work algorithm called PAIW aimed at more efficient resource utilization. Pyrin seeks to offer high throughput, low latency, and security through ASIC resistance and built-in smart contract functionality — all secured by its cutting-edge consensus mechanism.

Kaspa is already a multi-bagger, even after the recent pullback, with potential for further upside if this bull run continues. Projects like Alephium (ALPH-USD) are now capitalizing on similar blockDAG tech, and Pyrin follows suit, bringing fresh innovations like PAIW to the table. It currently has a modest $26 million market cap. But with the right catalysts, I wouldn’t be surprised if Pyrin reaches a valuation similar to Alephium’s down the line. Of course, as with any crypto investment, a healthy dose of risk tolerance is required.

LittLab Games (LITT-USD)

When it comes to the crypto gaming space, LittLab Games (LITT-USD) is a project that’s caught my eye. LITT is a micro-cap project focused on developing esports titles. Its first game, Cyber Titans, an auto-battler, was released in May after two years in development. What differentiates LITT from other gaming coins is its sole focus on the lucrative esports market. Major franchises like League of Legends generate billions annually from tournaments and events.

By targeting this space exclusively, LITT aims to create the first true “esports publisher” in crypto. Its doxed team includes veterans from gaming and blockchain with experience shipping titles. The project’s tokenomics also appear reasonable, with only 14% of the overall supply allocated to the team, and slow monthly distributions expected, to prevent dumping.

Now, I should mention that the trading volume with this crypto is quite low, and the LITT isn’t traded on any major exchanges yet. But that’s often the case with promising projects in their early stages. Once the altseason comes around, gaming cryptos could see a big boost to the upside. It’s thus important to take some positions in gaming cryptos like LITT if your portfolio size allows you to do so without spending too much on fees. The potential upside could be substantial if this project gains traction.

Mintlayer (ML-USD)

I’m quite bullish on layer-2 projects, and many of them have delivered parabolic returns in past bull runs. Mintlayer (ML-USD) could be one of them, as it currently trades with a market cap of just $25 million. For those new to crypto, let me summarize layer-2s. They’re high-speed networks that run parallel to a specific blockchain and allow for cheaper transactions. They can make transactions cheaper by bundling transactions and sending them through all at once. This is in contrast to most individual transactions which are paid for individually when transacting directly on a layer-1 blockchain.

These layer-2 solutions aren’t mainstream yet, but they definitely could be as blockchains get congested and fees rise to exorbitant levels. What makes me bullish on Mintlayer is that it’s specifically focused on scaling Bitcoin transactions. If you believe Bitcoin dominance will continue, then Mintlayer is a solid bet, in my opinion.

The team behind Mintlayer seems competent, and the project’s technology appears promising. Of course, as with any crypto investment, especially in a relatively unknown project, you need to do your own due diligence and invest within your risk tolerance profile. But if you’re looking for potential moonshot bets in the layer-2 space, Mintlayer is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Small, low-volume cryptos

On Low-Capitalization and Low-Volume Cryptocurrencies: InvestorPlace does not regularly publish commentary about cryptocurrencies that have a market capitalization less than $100 million or trade with volume less than $100,000 each day. That’s because these “penny cryptos” are frequently the playground for scam artists and market manipulators. When we do publish commentary on a low-volume crypto that may be affected by our commentary, we ask that InvestorPlace.com’s writers disclose this fact and warn readers of the risks.
 Read More: How to Avoid Popular Cryptocurrency Scams

On the date of publication, Omor Ibne Ehsan did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.