As the gaming industry moves forward, developers tend to make their games more realistic, both in graphics and gameplay. To be more immersive, mature-rated games often include gambling as it adds a certain depth to video games. Even though the following titles have their excellent plot and narrative, it’s hard to dismiss the fun that gambling minigames bring to the table.
Fallout New Vegas
It’s a sacrilege to make a game titled after Las Vegas and not include gambling in it. Luckily, Obsidian Entertainment knew exactly what they were doing. Fallout New Vegas has tons of casinos and even more quests as well as achievements to fuel the fun of players for thousands of hours.
The Sin City-inspired game has casinos for every players’ level of wealth and their willingness to take risks. If you are low on money, the Vikki and Vance or Free Side’s Atomic Wrangler Casino should be your choice. If you just came back from a loot-filled adventure, try the Gomorrah, the luxurious Ultra-Lux, or the suave Tops Casino. And if you’re part of the high-roller crowd, the Lucky 38 Casino is the best pick for you.
New Vegas has lots of casino games, from the humble slot machine to blackjack and roulette. The developers even took their spin on gambling by including their card game called Caravan. Though many people find Caravan hard to get into and just plain confusing, it shows the developers’ dedication to honoring the game they make and the city whose name it borrows.
The casino’s chance of winning is based on an in-game stat called “Luck”. So before diving into gambling, try maxing your Luck to 10, or equipping gear that adds Luck to your stats. The differences between 1 Luck and 10 Luck are quite drastic, make sure you have a high value to ensure a fruitful time in the casinos.
GTA San Andreas
Most people are aware of the Grand Theft Auto San Andreas video game by Rockstar Games. The video game is all about exploring the world and taking part in nefarious activities while enjoying a well-written plot and loveable characters. Among the offered experiences, players can also try out gambling.
GTA San Andreas casinos have many games for players to participate in, which include slot machines, blackjack, and roulette. You can even play online casino poker inside arcade centers. Aside from the minigames, gambling plays a huge role in the plot development in the middle of the game, where CJ has to illegally rob a competitor’s casino and then deal with the consequences. The game’s casinos feature the most options in the Grand Theft Auto franchise when it comes to gambling and that is probably why it is remembered as one of the most popular games to this day.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar’s masterpiece Red Dead Redemption 2 will forever remain in people’s hearts as the best game of the decade. The game deserved this title not only for its realistically stunning visuals, detailed world, memorable characters, and convincing narrative but also its simple yet fun gambling mini games.
Casinos host a variety of classic games such as blackjack and Texas Hold’em-themed poker in every saloon, tavern, or parlor house in the game. It stays true to the Wild West world that whenever you can find a place to sit down and eat, there’s a high chance you’ll find a gambling table just around the corner. And if you are a daredevil who is not afraid of cutting your finger off, there are high-risk, high-reward Five Finger Fillet, or Knife games scattered around the world for you to join in.
Each NPC, including your character, reacts whenever they win or lose. Which makes it even more fun when you bully someone out of a poker game or bluff your way to victory. Furthermore, Red Dead Redemption 2 incentivizes gambling further by introducing in-game cosmetics, which are only achievable through gambling. That is why Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the best Rockstar games out there.
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
With a captivating storyline and intriguing gameplay, it’s not surprising that the Witcher 3 is hailed by many gamers as the greatest game of its time. A big part of the game is slaying monsters. However, the game also features Gwent, a wonderful card game that brings even more excitement to the franchise.
Gwent is a mini card game with some gambling elements that plays an important role in the world exploration aspect of The Witcher 3 since quests related to the card game tie to the most iconic and beautiful locations in the game, such as Novigrad and Skellige. In this intriguing minigame, you battle other NPCs players with a deck of cards, each illustrating famous lore characters, and monsters. When you win against these NPCs, you get rewarded with unique cards that will add strength to your deck. Overall, Gwent is a deck-building game that gamblers, especially poker players, will find interesting. On that note, be on the lookout for dialog options that will initiate this game of cards.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Warhorse Studios promised an immersive medieval adventure for Kingdom Come: Deliverance and they fulfilled it successfully. Experience the Kingdom of Bohemia in the 15th century through the eyes of Henry, the protagonist with a tragic background. Players can immerse themselves in melee combat, archery, or enjoy a pint of ale in the nearest tavern. On top of that, you can also take part in Farkle, a simple yet addictive gambling game.
Farkle is a dice game with rules that are close to that of a modern game called Dice 10000. Its gambling features allow participants to bet on their dice. After players make their bets, they will each take turns rolling a set of 6 six-sided dice. Only 1 and 5 can be scored independently, whose values are 100 and 50 respectively. Any other dice value from 2 to 4 and 6 is only legitimate for scoring in pairs of three or a straight. The game also made it very intuitive by including an in-game guide to Farkle.
Moreover, you can win special dice, including loaded ones, from opponents or purchase them from certain merchants around the game world. These dice not only add more spice to the already fantastic minigame but some also leverage your chances.
