Top 5 Video Games That Feature Gambling

Video games and gambling have a close crossover, particularly now that online casinos are upping the ante on efforts to make their selection of gambling games more engaging. But video games have long drawn on concepts from the world of gambling, both explicitly and implicitly, to make their games more enjoyable.

Whether it’s a online roulette or online blackjack from a casino-based video game, or gambling mini-games as a way of increasing your points in-game so you can level up quicker, there have long been opportunities in certain games for the gamblers among us.

Our top 5 videos games which feature gambling look at games that have incorporated these ideas, often with compelling results. So without further ado, let’s see how many of them you’ve had the chance to play.

5. The Witcher 3

If there was a game that summed up 2015, The Witcher 3 would probably have been it. The complex storylines and intriguing gameplay made this a hugely addictive game, and its legions of fans even today are testament to its impressive narrative and game arc.

The card game known as Gwent plays an important side role in the game, the ideal way to kill some time between slaying monsters, as well as being a key feature when moving between areas in the game world. Collecting cards to build a strong deck was the name of the game, and it provided a mini-challenge alongside the main arc of the story that gamblers – particularly poker fans – will find extra enjoyable.

4. Final Fantasy VIII

If you haven’t thoroughly explored the Final Fantasy series, you’re either not a fully-fledged gamer, or you’re a little on the young side to have grown up with it – lucky you. Frankly, given the sheer amount of game time that has been created under the Final Fantasy banner, it would be surprising if it didn’t make an appearance on this list in some form or another.

Triple Triad is a great little gambling game, which spans across a 3×3 grid, where you take it in turns with the AI to compete in a gambling-style game to have the highest value cards. When you lay down a card, it’s compared to the card in the next square, with the higher value card winning the day. The aim is to get the most cards of your colour down on the board to walk away with the prize.

3. Red Dead Redemption

From the makers of the global smash Grand Theft Auto series, Red Dead Redemption was always set to be amongst the most popular games of its generation. In it, you have the opportunity to sit down for a few rounds of poker, following the tried and tested Texas Hold’em format. If you think you can get away with it, you’re able to cheat your opponent, and potentially walk away with even more of his cash. Beware though – if you get caught, it won’t go down too well. Expect yourself to be challenged to an immediate fight to the death. Sometimes, apparently, honestly is the best policy.

Liar’s Dice also makes an appearance, a diced based gambling game that’s a bit rough around the edges, but exciting nonetheless.

2. Watchdogs

The drinking game and poker play in the saloon is one of my favourite scenes in Watchdogs, a game that for me, at least, certainly lived up to all its hype. The drinking game is pretty good fun, though you pay to play through each round, and the poker tables dotted throughout the game world make for a welcome mini-game break from the main action.

The game developers clearly recognised that players would enjoy the chance to pit their wits against opposing characters…plus it’s a good way to bump up your game bankroll, so what’s not to like?

1. Fallout New Vegas

Of all the recent games to feature gambling elements in recent years, none is more enjoyable than Fallout New Vegas. Good ‘Luck’ statistics certainly help you out as you trot around the baron remains of Las Vegas, post-apocalypse of course. These casinos aren’t quite as honest as you might expect however, so you need your wits about you if you don’t want to get cheated out your money, or worse – become a victim of their downright thievery.

The graphics in Fallout New Vegas complement a game that’s as gripping as any of the others in the series, and make for a particularly haunting backdrop in which to play your favourite casino games. For that reason, it tops our list of the best video games to feature gambling in recent times.