2026-01-14 16:43:01

The Crypto Token Extinction Wave: 11.6M Digital Assets Wiped Out in 2025

According to CoinGecko's latest report, the crypto market witnessed a staggering collapse with over 11.6 million token projects failing throughout 2025—the most severe purge the industry has ever recorded. What does this mean for traders and hodlers? The numbers tell a critical story.

This massive token die-off isn't random noise. It signals we're deep into a late-cycle market phase where speculation meets reality. Weak projects with hollow fundamentals simply can't survive when liquidity dries up and investor appetite shifts. You're seeing the market's natural immune system at work—filtering out the noise and leaving only projects with genuine utility.

For the community, it's a double-edged sword. Yes, it's brutal for those holding bags of failed tokens. But it also means the survivors—projects with real adoption, solid teams, and sustainable mechanics—become increasingly valuable. The graveyard keeps expanding, but that's exactly how mature markets evolve.

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RektDetective

· 01-17 16:21

Another wave of rug pulls, 11.6 million projects directly thrown into the trash heap --- Alright, if the market is self-cleaning, then why are so many people still getting caught --- Basically the same old story, good projects survive, trash coins die, but the question is who can tell the difference --- Wow, these numbers, it feels like all my friends' coins are in this wave --- It's just natural selection, survival of the fittest. I just want to know if mine is still alive --- So holding genuine projects makes you a winner? Sounds like armchair strategizing after the fact --- 11.6 million projects, how many dreams have been shattered here... --- Late-stage markets are like this; only when the bubble bursts can you see who’s really swimming naked

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DAOdreamer

· 01-16 19:02

1. 11.6 million tokens have died. It sounds pretty scary, but honestly, it’s just that those destined to die have died. This wave of cleansing is actually good for the ecosystem. 2. I have several zeroed-out tokens in my wallet. Looking at these numbers now, I actually feel a bit relieved haha. 3. The truly useful projects are becoming more valuable? I agree with this logic. The era of bad money driving out good money should be over. 4. The idea of natural淘汰 sounds comfortable, but in reality, how many people have lost everything... 5. The graveyard is getting bigger, and we have to accept that. Anyway, only those who survive are the real deal. 6. The number 11.6 million broke my defenses, but thinking about it, it’s true—99% of tokens have no reason to exist. 7. Late-cycle is just late-cycle. Anyway, I’ve already learned to only focus on fundamentals. 8. The double-edged sword is real... losing money on the left, buying the dip on the right. Web3 is this exciting. 9. This wave of cleansing was brutal. It feels like the entire market is reshuffling. 10. The market’s immune system? More like a slaughterhouse. But in the long run, it’s indeed healthy.

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MEVictim

· 01-16 01:10

16.1 million projects are gone. This round of cleanup is pretty harsh, but to be fair... trash coins deserve to die, only projects with real value can survive. The question is, who knows which ones are truly valuable? 2. Another wave of cleanup. It feels like we talk about this every year, but the bag of coin holders is always the heaviest. 3. These numbers look frightening, but most of them are just air coins + rugpull projects. Clearing out the bad actors is normal... as long as you haven't touched obvious trash, there's no need to panic. 4. I'm not concerned about how many coins have died; I'm worried about whether the surviving ones will continue to pump and then dump, cycle after cycle. 5. It seems like a survival-of-the-fittest game. I just want to know if those still alive now truly have potential or if they're just dying a little too slowly. 6. Natural immunity system, right? That's true, but my funds have already become part of that immunity system. 7. 11.6M projects dead... sounds exaggerated, but we need to think about how many of them actually operated? Most probably never even launched and were swept into the trash. 8. This is the current state of Web3: 99% are just for pulling the wool over investors' eyes, only 1% are genuine applications. Finding that 1% is even harder than finding a needle.

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GweiWatcher

· 01-15 09:25

11.6M projects dead? Basically, it's time to clear out the market. Garbage coins going to zero is market self-purification. Don't cry. --- Even if they are dead, what's left is real gold and silver. This reshuffle is unbelievable. --- I knew it would turn out like this. The air coins are collapsing massively, but unfortunately, some people are still bottom-fishing on bad projects. --- The market immune system is working. Are your coins still alive? --- 11.6M projects suddenly exploded? How many people's dreams have been shattered? Hahaha. --- The elimination race is ongoing. Those who can't hold on should get out. --- The real projects that survive are valuable, but the prerequisite is that you must survive until that day. --- This number is too outrageous... but indeed, it's time to clear out the inventory. --- It's not surprising that garbage died. The question is, what about your holdings?

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RamenDeFiSurvivor

· 01-14 17:13

11.6 million projects have died, where's my bag? Still not dying fast enough haha --- Honestly, this cleanup was bound to happen. I'm tired of those air coins --- The ones that survive are the real gold and silver; the rest should just be paid tuition --- Really? So many projects are gone? I need to check if my coins are still alive --- Market self-purification sounds great, but it's us who are losing money --- Late cycle, huh? Should we be bottom fishing now... or keep cutting losses --- The graveyard keep expanding, and my wallet is expanding too haha no wonder --- This is what’s called natural selection. My air coins are just casualties of natural selection --- 11.6 million? Feels like that number is even higher. I don't know how many rug pulls I've seen --- Only real projects can survive. Does my POS coin count? Does it or not?

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BlockTalk

· 01-14 17:12

1. 11 million coins died? Where's my bag haha 2. Truly amazing, it feels like new coins die every week, and the survivors are even more valuable 3. It's outrageous, after this round of cleansing, the trash coins are indeed fewer, but I still lost a lot 4. So this is market self-cleaning? Sounds impressive, but where's my money... 5. So you're saying survival bias really eats a big pie? 6. 11.6 million, oh my god, it feels like the entire crypto world is doing a big cleanup 7. Anyway, I believe it, trash coins deserve to die, just hold good projects 8. How should I put it, after being cut, I don't get as excited when I see this kind of news

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GateUser-a5fa8bd0

· 01-14 17:07

1. 16 million projects disappeared directly? I see this as a real reshuffle, garbage coins finally can't survive, but the losers are still those bagholders... 2. To put it simply, all the doomed ones are dead, only the ones still alive are valuable, but the premise is that you have to survive until that day, haha. 3. This number looks inflated, but I truly felt the harshness—holding coins is so painful. 4. Starting to talk about natural immune systems again? It's just capital harvesting, this story is really well told. 5. 11.6M sounds terrifying, but actually 99% should have died long ago, and truly valuable projects are now even more scarce. 6. Mature market? Please don't hype up the little guys, the next wave of slaughter will target these survivors. 7. Friends who got caught, count how many projects' blacklists they’ve been on in this elimination round. 8. Market immune system... sounds scientific, but it’s actually just sorry you chose the wrong one, lol. 9. From 11.6M to the few who survive at the end, just thinking about it hurts—probability is even lower than winning the lottery. 10. That’s why experienced traders say to hold onto good projects; worthless projects are just waiting to go to zero.

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BlockchainFries

· 01-14 16:53

1. 11.6 million projects are gone, the sound of cutting losses is nonstop... No wonder everyone in the group has been crying poverty every day recently. 2. NGL, this is just a shakeout. When trash coins die, it's actually good; at least next time I won't be so blind when buying. 3. Real projects are surviving, fake projects are going to the graveyard. The market is just self-repairing... The problem is, why do I keep hitting landmines? 4. 11.6M tokens gone, I just want to know how many of my bags are burning. 5. This is a clear-out, everyone. Big players are reshuffling. The projects that remain are waiting to take off. 6. I've seen cuts, but I've never seen such a large scale... But thinking about it, it makes sense—trash is still trash. 7. Isn't this just what the market should look like? Survival of the fittest. 8. Those caught in this slaughter are all paying the IQ tax. Why don't they listen to advice? 9. When the bubble bursts, sacrifices are inevitable. It all depends on who can survive until the end. 10. 11.6 million... Damn, if everyone inside is having their dreams shattered.

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ZkProofPudding

· 01-14 16:44

11.6M dead coins? Laughable, I saw it coming a long time ago. A bunch of worthless tokens should die. --- This wave of cleanup is actually a good thing. Finally, we can wipe out those rug pull projects. --- All the bags are full of dead coins. Now we can only pray that the remaining ones survive... --- It's just rationalization. Saying it's natural selection, but isn't it just the karma of over-speculation? --- Truly useful projects are not afraid at all. Those that raised millions and then ran away should have been gone long ago. --- 11.6M? That number sounds ridiculous, feels like an exaggeration. --- Every cycle in the crypto world is the same. One batch dies, another comes, nothing new.

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