History Main / MinigameZone

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* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'': Tolbi, Contigo, and even Lemuria have gambling locations.
* ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'': The Jewel Resort Casino where you can play poker, bingo or slot machines.

An area in a video game that is host to a number of minigames where the player can win items or cash, sometimes by [[BettingMiniGame betting money]] in a casino-like area. Most of it will probably be optional, but winning at some of the minigames may be part of the main quest, or give access to rare or important items. Often comes in the guise of a casino or theme park.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'': Rolling Ridge in ''Oracle of Ages'', hosted by the Gorons. In ''Oracle of Seasons'', it's Subrosia.

* Gallowmere Plains in ''VideoGame/MediEvilResurrection'', which hosts eight minigames that ultimately reward the player with the InfinityPlusOneSword if they finish them all.

[[folder:Adventure Games]]
* ''VideoGame/SierraOnline''. Lamentably mandatory in many early games, where you needed vast piles of cash and the only way to get it was a casino or slot machine. A leading cause of SaveScumming.
[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Crazd}}'' has the Crazy Carnival, where each game was available for one ticket (worth 60 coins) each.

* ''VideoGame/SecondLife'' can probably be found in many {{MMORPG}} games, but this one made these things a damn cottage industry; at least one game built in SL has been licensed for use elsewhere.
* ''VideoGame/{{Wizard 101}}'' has the Carnival.

* The ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' series. [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Casino Night Zone]] [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles and]] [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure rela]][[VideoGame/SonicHeroes ted]] [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4 stages]], which appear in nearly every game in the franchise. Even the infamous DarkerAndEdgier ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' had at least one, if not two.

* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' has the Millennial Fair in 1000 AD, meant to celebrate Guardia's millennial year. It's also quite plot-relevant for a minigame zone, as it's where Crono meets Marle and first goes back in time. It's also where your actions come back to help or hurt Crono in his trial [[spoiler:and where the party gets a clone of Crono to aid in his resurrection after he dies.]]

** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' also has the T'n'T boards, which are basically board games, where a single character rolls a dice and moves around, fighting monsters and earning prizes.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' has [[MascotMook slime]] battles, which, obviously, can only be entered by slimes, as well as the Best-Dressed Contest.

** The strip itself has three usable ones, each run by a different criminal organisation. They're functionally similar but with different aesthetics. With a standard character build you'll probably do as well as real life visitors to Vegas, but a high Luck stat will tilt the games in your favour.
** The ''Dead Money'' DLC features the Sierra Madre which ''also'' features the same games as the normal casinos, [[spoiler: but run by entirely silent holograms in an eerily silent casino]]. The sheer incongruity lends an amazingly black comedy edge to the whole thing.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' has the Gold Saucer, a theme park with a futuristic motif.

** The Calm Lands become this in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2''. In chapter 5, Luca becomes this as well, with both Blitzball and Sphere Break available for the player's amusement.

** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' has Disney Town and the Mirage Arena.

** The sequel, ''Duel Saga'', has Phorchoon Casino.
* ''VideoGame/LufiaIIRiseOfTheSinistrals'': Forfeit Island.
* In ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'', Little Fungitown has an arcade where the player can play minigames to earn yellow beans.
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' features a small casino in the Citadel.
* Half the point of the ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' "Citadel DLC". There's the Silver Coast Casino, which features Roulette, varren races, and Quasar (a game similar to TabletopGame/{{blackjack}}); the Armax Arena, where you can have holodeck matches with party members (including ones from previous games [[GuestStarPartyMember like Wrex, Jack and Miranda]]); and Castle Arcade, which has a fighting game, a whack-a-mole esque game, and a UFO catcher.
* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 2}}'':

** The original ''VideoGame/{{Persona 1}}'' also had casinos, but they were mainly in malls. While your party members would reprimand you for going there, (especially [[InsufferableGenius Nanjo]],) they're the only way you can get some of the rarer items and fusion materials.

** The series has the Game Corners, which in [=FireRed=]/[=LeafGreen=] and [=HeartGold=]/[=SoulSilver=] can spare you the effort of finding some Pokemon.

** Also, the Battle Frontier from the [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire 3rd generation]] onwards.

** Festival Plaza from ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon''. This is where the lottery shop is relocated, provides several "missions" that can be played with online guests, and other activities. Unusually, the Plaza is available any time in the game after a certain story point.

* ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheSecondStory'' Fun City.

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' Altamira, although you can't gamble because most of the group is underage. In the [=PS2=] port Regal ''was'' able to.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' has the Keterburg Casino.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' has [[{{Egopolis}} Nam Cobanda Isle]].
* ''VideoGame/WeirdAndUnfortunateThingsAreHappening'' has the Mind Mines, an area where you can earn Fortune Tickets to buy things from Uiroq by playing a minigame where you venture through the titular [[TheMaze maze-like]] mines and collect tickets in randomly-placed locations on a time limit. In addition, there are also a couple items hidden in the mines that are needed to access [[spoiler:Neo Vinclum]], the super-secret bonus area.
* ''VideoGame/WildArms1'' has their amusement park near the beginning of the game, and if you want to get valuable stat-raising items easily you'd better devote some time here before it disappears forever. They also have a gladiator-style area late in the game (a feature shared by others of the series).

* The island in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing: New Leaf'', where you can play minigames to earn silver medals, which you can exchange for exclusive items. For 50 medals, you can join Club Tortimer, which allows you to play online with players all around the world.
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS'' has the Sprite Casino.

* The Carnival in ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'' fits this trope like a glove.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' has Las Venturas, which makes sense since it's modeled after UsefulNotes/LasVegas. Not only are there casinos with several different minigames from slots to poker, there are also places to bet on horse races and slot machines in smaller bars.
* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' has several of these, and each saloon or bar contains at least one way to gamble away all your hard-earned cash.

* ''VideoGame/ActionDoom2UrbanBrawl'' has a mini-example in form of the casino floor of the Phylex Tower. You can take a break from rampaging through the evil corporation HQ and the search for your daughter to play some video blackjack or fruit machines.

* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' has a cantina full of various people with which you can play pazaak (head-to-head messed-up blackjack) and a place to sign up for swoop races.

* Half the point of the ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' "Citadel DLC". There's the Silver Coast Casino, which features Roulette, varren races, and Quasar (a game similar to Blackjack); the Armax Arena, where you can have holodeck matches with party members (including ones from previous games [[GuestStarPartyMember like Wrex, Jack and Miranda]]); and Castle Arcade, which has a fighting game, a whack-a-mole esque game, and a UFO catcher.

** VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'' expanded the concept to Pachisi Tracks and Monster Arenas.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' has several minigame locations, but many of them are found in or near the Village of Outcasts in the Dark World. The most profitable game is in the Light World's Lost Woods, where you bet 100 Rupees for the chance to win 300. [[spoiler:- You can quickly gain maximum Rupees by locating the chest with 300 Rupees; every time you enter, it will have moved one chest to the right.]]

[[folder:MMORPGs]]

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/Shenmue3 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shenmue_panda_land.png]]]]

[[quoteright:320:[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gold_saucer_entrance.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:320:[[SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer Abandon all priorities]], [[Literature/TheDivineComedy ye who enter here.]]]]

[[AC:Action-Adventure Games]]

[[AC:Adventure Games]]

[[AC:First-Person Shooter]]

[[AC:Metroidvania]]

[[AC:{{MMORPG}}s]]

[[AC:Platformers]]

[[AC:Roguelike]]
* ''Ancient Dungeons of Mystery'': The best way to accumulate a lot of money is to 'h'andle a slot machine in the casino, put a heavy object on the space bar, and leave for an hour to amuse yourself.

[[AC:Role-Playing Games]]
* ''VideoGame/BoxxyQuestTheGatheringStorm'' has the Subscription Stadium in [=YouTube=]. Half of it is a MonsterArena, and the other half is the Let’s Play Speedway, an obstacle-dodging cart minigame with tracks based on various other games.

[[AC:Simulation Games]]

[[AC:Wide Open Sandbox]]

* ''Videogame/{{Littlewood}}'': Port City Deluca contains both the Casino in which Deluca coins can be spent for a chance at winning prizes and the building associated with the in-game CardBattleGame. The latter building also the only place in which said card game can be played until the player can build a special table in their own town.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' has Hyrule Castle Town as young Link, hosting series classics like the Treasure Chest Game, the Target Shooting Gallery and the then-debuting Bombchu Bowling minigame.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'' has several games in Clock Town (notably, the ones in the East area are revamped, more difficult versions of those found in Castle Town in ''Ocarina of Time''). Several Heart Pieces can be won thanks to them.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle of Ages]]'': Rolling Ridge, hosted by the Gorons. In ''Seasons'', it's Subrosia.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'' has several minigame locations, but most are located in the sky somewhere. The place that most fits the trope, however, is Dodoh's mancannon game of chance.

* ''VideoGame/WeirdAndUnfortunateThingsAreHappening'' has the Mind Mines, an area where you can earn Fortune Tickets to buy things from Uiroq by playing a minivans where you venture through the titular [[TheMaze maze-like]] mines and collect tickets in randomly-placed locations on a time limit. In addition, there are also a couple items hidden in the mines that are needed to access [[spoiler:Neo Vinclum]], the super-secret bonus area.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' introduces the Manderville Gold Saucer in patch 2.51, with Chocobo Racing and the popular card game Triple Triad as the first available minigames to enjoy. The collection of minigames has since grown to include "Lord of Verminion" (an RTS inspired on ''Anime/LordOfVermilion''), Doman Mahjong, and various other minigames and events.

* Unlocked after beating [=DDDark=] Castle in ''VideoGame/{{Something}} Else''. It lets Luigi collect lives by playing variations of the minigame played every 100 stars. However, Luigi has to pay all of his stars in order to play. There's also a secret that lets Luigi do this without playing the mini-games.
* ''VideoGame/PacManWorld 2'''s very first level has an arcade in which you can play classic Pac-Man games. You're not allowed to play any of them though until you collect enough tokens to unlock them, so it's common for you to end up [[SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer dropping everything and going back to the first level to play a new arcade game as soon as you get enough tokens to do so]].
* In ''[[VideoGame/GanbareGoemon The Legend of Mystical Ninja]]'', Zone III is an amusement park on Awaji Island, where you can play a quiz show, concentration, ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' or a BreakingOut, as well as various [[BettingMiniGame betting games]].
* In ''VideoGame/BlenderBros,'' part of [[PlayerHeadquarters Cosmo Heaven]] is dedicated to minigames.

* ''VideoGame/WildArms1'' has their amusement park near the beginning of the game, and if you want to get valuable stat-raising items easily you'd better devote some time here before it disappears forever. They also have a gladiator-style area late in the game (a feature shared by others of the series).

* The island in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing: New Leaf'', where you can play minigames to earn silver medals, which you can exchange for exclusive items. For 50 medals, you can join Club Tortimer, which allows you to play online with players all around the world.

* ''VideoGame/DeadRising2'' takes place in an {{Expy}} of UsefulNotes/LasVegas; there are several slot machines and casino games to play, the place is also crawling with zombies. Of course you could just kill the zombies and THEN play the casino games. The giant slot machine in particular can net you $100,000 out of a $1,000 bet and that's not including the terror is reality minigames where you can also win money.

** The original ''VideoGame/{{Persona}}'' also had casinos, but they were mainly in malls. While your party members would reprimand you for going there, (especially [[InsufferableGenius Nanjo]],) they're the only way you can get some of the rarer items and fusion materials.

* ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' has a cantina full of various people with which you can play pazaak (head-to-head messed-up blackjack) and a place to sign up for swoop races.

* The ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series. [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Casino Night Zone]] [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles and]] [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure rela]][[VideoGame/SonicHeroes ted]] [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4 stages]], which appear in nearly every game in the franchise. Even the infamous DarkerAndEdgier ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' had at least one, if not two.

[[quoteright:320:[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gold_saucer.PNG]]]]
[[caption-width-right:320:[[SidetrackedByTheGoldenSaucer Abandon all priorities]], [[Literature/TheDivineComedy ye who enter here.]]]]

* In ''[[VideoGame/BanjoKazooie Banjo-Tooie]]'', all levels have at least one minigame each, but their greatest density is in [[AmusementParkOfDoom Witchyworld]], appropriately enough.

* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' has the Snake Person Fair in 1000 AD, meant to celebrate Guardia's snake person year. It's also quite plot-relevant for a minigame zone, as it's where Crono meets Marle and first goes back in time. [[spoiler:It's also where your actions come back to help or hurt Crono in his trial, and where the party gets a clone of Crono to aid in his resurrection after he dies.]]

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' There's a small casino in the Citadel.

* ''VideoGame/WildArms'' has their amusement park near the beginning of the game, and if you want to get valuable stat-raising items easily you'd better devote some time here before it disappears forever. They also have a gladiator-style area late in the game (a feature shared by others of the series).

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' introduces the Manderville Gold Saucer in patch 2.51, with Chocobo Racing and the popular card game Triple Triad as the first available minigames to enjoy.

* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' has the Millennial Fair in 1000 AD, meant to celebrate Guardia's millenial year. It's also quite plot-relevant for a minigame zone, as it's where Crono meets Marle and first goes back in time. [[spoiler:It's also where your actions come back to help or hurt Crono in his trial, and where the party gets a clone of Crono to aid in his resurrection after he dies.]]

** The first game and the [=PS2=] version of ''Chain of Memories'' both have 100 Acre Woods as the center of most Minigames. The main games also have the Olympus Colosseum, which is filled with battle mini games. Part II also has Atlantica.

An area in a video game, particularly a {{platformer}} or RolePlayingGame, that is host to a number of minigames where the player can win items or cash, sometimes by [[BettingMiniGame betting money]] in a casino-like area. Most of it will probably be optional, but winning at some of the minigames may be part of the main quest, or give access to rare or important items. Often comes in the guise of a casino or theme park.

See also SoleEntertainmentOption.

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[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'':
** The pricing games — six per episode (since 1975), although their selection in a given episode is always pre-determined. This is the bread-and-butter of the 1972 revival, with the games testing contestants on consumer knowledge (along with luck, physical skill and intuition). Prizes range from a couple of thousand dollars in merchandise to trips, cars and (depending on the game) $100,000 in cash.
** In between, the Showcase Showdown, where the three contestants spin the Big Wheel to determine who advances to the Showcases at the end of the show; highest score without exceeding $1.00 advances, but all previous winnings of each of the three contestants are safe. Achieving $1.00 in one or two spins earns a $1,000 bonus and an extra spin, which can be worth (depending on where the contestant lands) an extra $10,000 or $25,000 cash.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]

[[/folder]]