History Main / GaidenGame

** ''VideoGame/RyuGaGotokuIshin'' is a gaiden game that portrays the life and times of real-world historical figure UsefulNotes/SakamotoRyoma as portrayed by Kiryu and other ''Yakuza'' characters.

** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxkn-dcy01k Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name]]'' is a gaiden game that takes place in the interim between ''VideoGame/Yakuza6'' and ''VideoGame/LikeADragon8'', detailing Kiryu's exploits since the conclusion of ''6''.

** The action games serve this role: ''VideoGame/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero'', ''VideoGame/MortalKombatSpecialForces'' (starring Jax), and the more recent ''VideoGame/MortalKombatShaolinMonks'' with Liu Kang and Kung Lao. ''Mythologies'' serves as a distant prequel to the events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' while also setting up the elder Sub-Zero's [[ArchEnemy enmity with Scorpion]] and [[spoiler:eventual transformation into Noob Saibot]], whereas ''Shaolin Monks'' is a BroadStrokes retelling of [[VideoGame/MortalKombat1 the first]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombatII two games]] with a noticeable changes to the narrative (though ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' makes a nod or two its way all the same). No one likes to talk about ''Special Forces'', but it was eventually and definitely rendered [[CanonDiscontinuity officially non-canon]] by ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' and its corresponding comics.

** The upcoming game ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'' will be a direct sequel to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild''.

* Because EverythingsBetterWithPenguins, this TurnBasedStrategy series has a platformer spin-off for the PSP called ''VideoGame/PrinnyCanIReallyBeTheHero'' starring everyone's favorite explosive waterfowl squad.

* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPaperJam'', as a {{crossover}} with ''VideoGame/PaperMario'', is one to both series simultaneously, but moreso the former. As confirmed by WordOfGod, to keep the budget down, several musical themes are reused from earlier games and the settings and characters draw more from the main platformer games than other installments before. Adding to this, it's the only ''Mario & Luigi'' game to eschew NumberedSequels in its Japanese release.

* ''VideoGame/NieR'' is one of ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'', with the former taking place after the most bizarre ending of the latter (Caim and Angelus chase an EldritchAbomination into modern day Tokyo and and after defeating it are blown to hell by fighter jets). Drakengard's joke ending becomes [[CerebusRetcon very serious]] for Nier. [[spoiler:Caim, Angelus, and their quarry brought magic into the real world... and magical diseases like [[DepopulationBomb White Chlorination Syndrome]] [[ApocalypseHow against which a world without magic had no defense]]...]]
** ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' is a DistantSequel (as in, ''thousands'' of years in the future) to the original ''[=NieR=]'', and other than Emil being a supporting character and a vague allusions to the previous game, there's no need to have played the original to appreciate ''Automata'' (though it does make certain details about [[spoiler:the Devola and Popula that appear in ''Automata'']] way more of a MetaTwist.)

** Much the same is true of ''Manga/{{Dragonball}} Z Gaiden: Plan to Eliminate the Saiyans''. Its story has no bearing on the manga or anime, though Toei did produce a companion {{OVA}}.
** As well as ''VideoGame/ZoidsLegacy'', which is like a MegaCrossover {{fanfic}} of all the series continuums in video game form.

** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIf'' started off originally as a gaiden game of sorts in the SMT universe, taking place just before ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI''. It later became canon when the protagonist appeared in ''VideoGame/{{Persona|1}}'' and ''VideoGame/Persona2'', and started the IntercontinuityCrossover that occurs throughout the Megaten franchise. Part of this crossover is with the ''VideoGame/DevilSummoner'' games which goes into detail sometimes as to ''why'' the events of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'' didn't happen, and the protagonist of ''If'' later works for the famed Kuzunoha detective agency from ''Devil Summoner'' by the time of ''Persona 2'', whose protagonist also [[ItMakesSenseInContext is implied to be possessing someone]].
** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' may sort of count; despite the fact that it was originally meant to be the fourth game in the main series, it doesn't have a clear-cut connection with the previous three entries (which themselves were pretty closely linked together); Amusingly enough, it turned out that the ''actual'' ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' isn't all that connected to the other main series games either[[note]]WordOfGod actually stated that the prerequisite for an SMT game to be considered part of the main series is for it to "occur in Tokyo". Strange Journey, despise being a strong constestant for the 4th title, instead got branded as a Gaiden Game exactly because it doesn't happen anywhere remotely close to Japan. Which wasn't the case for SMTIV. ''IV Apocalypse'' also had a crossover DLC where the heroes of ''I, II, III Nocturne and IV'' team up, confirming some degree of continuity which ''Strange Journey'' lacks other than some easter eggs.[[/note]].
** There are more spinoff games than there are main series games. Hell, there are more games in the ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' series [[CashCowFranchise than in the main series.]] There are even ''Persona'' spinoffs (a spinoff ''of'' a spinoff,) including a browser-based RPG, and a long series of cell phone games based on ''VideoGame/Persona3'' (including one focusing on [[RobotGirl Aigis]] 10 years before the start of the game).

* There are two Japan-only games in the ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' series called, quite simply, ''Suikogaiden volumes 1 and 2''. These games are basically side-stories featuring a previously-unknown character from Harmonia named Nash Latkje (who would later appear as a Star of Destiny in ''VideoGame/SuikodenIII''). The two games take place around the time of ''VideoGame/SuikodenII'', the first starting before and ending during ''II'', and the second taking place shortly after the end of ''II''. In both games, Nash interacts with various characters from ''Suikoden II'', giving more perspective on many of the lesser-known characters. Lastly, ''[[VideoGame/SuikodenTactics Suikoden Tactics/Rhapsodia]]'' is another example, set just after ''VideoGame/SuikodenIV''.

** There are three Gaiden games with each of them a part of the three major continuties ("Classic", [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha Alpha]], and [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration Original Generation]]). The first Gaiden game ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsGaiden Super Robot Wars Gaiden: Lord of Elementals]]'' told of the origins of the Masou Kishin characters, a group of [[OriginalGeneration Banpresto-created originals not seen anywhere else]]. ''Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden'' focused on TimeTravel and wasn't necessary for players to enjoy the previous Alpha game (most likely because Banpresto wanted an excuse to show off obscure mecha series, since it was full of them). ''Super Robot Wars Original Generation Gaiden'' fits this trope because it was shorter than the average [=SRW=], including several extras such as a battle viewer and a card game. It's also downplayed, though, since all three are essentially ''sequels'' that happen to have the word "gaiden" in their name. ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha'' depends on the player having some foreknowledge of the events set in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsEX'' or ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsGaiden'' for background on the Masou Kishin characters, otherwise one can get too confused at the references they make to Alpha's back story. ''Alpha Gaiden'' is heavily referenced in the proper sequel ''Alpha 2'', where the [[Manga/GetterRobo Dinosaur Empire]] is defeated for the third time, and the finale ''Alpha 3'' assumes the player knows of Sanger Zonvolt's role at the Earth Cradle, despite the fact it was supposed to be highly secretive. Hell, the fact the [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Titans]] are more or less liberally screwed and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Char Anzable's]] disillusionment with humanity DEPENDS on the events of Alpha Gaiden. In short, Banpresto's definition of "gaiden" means a game that provides story details bridging the gap and answering the EpilepticTrees present in the other games in continuity. In fact, there's very little an "Original Generation 3" couldn't reference the events of ''Original Generation Gaiden'', considering both the effects on existing characters and all the {{EarlyBirdCameo}}es present in that game.

** Amusingly, a remake of the original ''Super Robot Wars Gaiden'' has been announced, only it now carries the "OG Saga" subtitle instead. Thus, the name "Gaiden" has become reserved for half-sequels while "OG Saga" is given to the actual Gaiden Games.

* The ''VideoGame/WorldOfMana'' series has a number of titles not in the main series -- ''VideoGame/LegendOfMana'', ''VideoGame/ChildrenOfMana'', and ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMana''. But what's more interesting is that the original game, released as ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure'' in the US....was actually called ''Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden'' (and was in fact the first game released in the US to have a Chocobo in it!).
* The ''VideoGame/{{Worlds of Ultima|TheSavageEmpire}}'' series were gaiden games taking the fantasy-based ''VideoGame/UltimaVI'' engine (and main character) to other settings, such as [[VideoGame/UltimaWorldsOfAdventure2MartianDreams Mars]]. ''VideoGame/UltimaUnderworld'' was also a gaiden game, being a side story set in the main ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' world, because with the second installment directly bridging ''VideoGame/UltimaVII'' and ''VideoGame/UltimaVIIPartII'' (in fact, the PC starts the latter with a quest item obtained in ''[=UU2=]'' with no in-game explanation of where it came from). There are also the two console games from the mid 90s, ''Ultima: Runes of Virtue'' and ''Ultima: ROV 2''. Both games are set in the usual ''Ultima'' game world, and feature characters and towns familiar from the parent series. But both games are more like action games than [=RPGs=], and neither one is part of the official ''Ultima'' chronology. They are, like ''Underworld'', a separate mini-series of their own.

* ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' has a [[VideoGame/MetalSlugAdvance canon gaiden game]] on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, detailing a new training facility that was overrun by Morden's forces. Best of all, two of the trainees, playable characters Walter and Tyra, single-handedly take it all back.

* ''VideoGame/TimeCrisis: Project Titan'', ''Crisis Zone'', and ''VideoGame/RazingStorm''. Project Titan was a PSX-only sequel starring Richard Miller. It most definitely took place after 1 (note Wild Dog's mechanical arm); how long is uncertain. It doesn't affect anything that happens afterward, so it's no surprise you don't hear about it. Crisis Zone and Razing Storm are unrelated games which use the TC2-and-later engine.

** The numbering of the four * .5 games (''VideoGame/TouhouSuimusouImmaterialAndMissingPower'', ''VideoGame/TouhouBunkachouShootTheBullet'', ''VideoGame/TouhouHisoutenScarletWeatherRhapsody'', ''VideoGame/DoubleSpoilerTouhouBunkachou'', ''VideoGame/TouhouShinkirouHopelessMasquerade'', ''VideoGame/TouhouShinpirokuUrbanLegendInLimbo'', ''VideoGame/TouhouHyouibanaAntinomyOfCommonFlowers'', and ''VideoGame/HifuuNightmareDiaryVioletDetector'') would imply that they're all gaiden games to the main series (Touhou 12.3, ''VideoGame/TouhouHisoutensokuChoudokyuuGinyoruNoNazoOOe'', is an ExpansionPack to SWR), especially since none of them use the same gameplay system ([=IaMP=], SWR, HM, [=ULiL=], and [=AoCF=] are 2D {{Fighting Game}}s, and [=StB=], DS, and VD are {{Boss Rush}}es where you take pictures instead of fighting back). However, of the eight, [=StB=] and DS are the only ones [[ExcusePlot without an actual plot]] -- whereas the events and new character introduced in [=IaMP=] are acknowledged in the [[AllThereInTheManual canon books]] ''Perfect Memento in Strict Sense'', ''Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red'', and ''Silent Sinner in Blue'' (SWR was made after those books came out).
** [=IaMP=] boss character Suika Ibuki appears in ''VideoGame/TouhouChireidenSubterraneanAnimism'', and the game actually elaborates on some of [=IaMP=]'s plot (that is, where the oni all went). Iku Nagae and Tenshi Hinanai from [=SWR=] are both in ''The Grimoire of Marisa''. The newest Gaiden Game, Touhou 12.8 ''VideoGame/YouseiDaisensouTouhouSangetsusei'', is a direct continuation to a chapter of a Touhou manga, ''Strange and Bright Nature Deity''. Basically, ''Touhou'' is undergoing ContinuityCreep.

* The ''Dead or Alive [=XTreme=]'' games are (even more) {{fanservice}}y gaiden games of ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive''.
* ''Jet Set Radio Future'' is this to ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio''. It doesn't continue off of or add to the continuity of the original game. If anything, it's set in an [[AlternateContinuity alternate timeline]].

* Because EverythingsBetterWithPenguins, TurnBasedStrategy series ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' has a platformer spin-off for the PSP called ''VideoGame/PrinnyCanIReallyBeTheHero'' starring everyone's favorite explosive waterfowl squad.
* ''VisualNovel/DisgaeaInfinite'' (also for the PSP) can also be considered a Gaiden Game to the series. You also play as a Prinny in this game, however the approach is different than in the previous title.

** The bonus case, only present on the DS version (the original Japan-only GBA version ends at the fourth case), features a case where only 5 characters (Phoenix, Edgeworth, Gumshoe, the Judge and the Bellboy) from the rest of the series appear, the rest being completely new. This is due to the case taking place between the first and second games, and the writers couldn't mess with the continuity already set by the sequels which had already been released in Japan. The plot and characters feel perfectly like a sidestory. The fifth case has been fully worked into the canon with ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'' featuring Ema as the game's Gumshoe.

* ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}''
** ''VideoGame/{{Judgment}}'' and its sequel ''VideoGame/LostJudgment'' are spinoffs of the ''Yakuza'' franchise focused on a new protagonist, private detective Takayuki Yagami. While taking place in ''Yakuza'' locales like Kamurocho and Ijincho, and with major events [[spoiler:such as the dissolution of the Tojo Clan in ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'']] referenced in the background, Yagami's plots tend to run parallel to the ''Yakuza'' series and no major characters from ''Yakuza'' show up beyond the odd unnamed shout out [[spoiler: and Tianyou Zhao's brief cameo in ''Lost Judgment'']].
** ''VideoGame/RyuGaGotokuIshin'' is a gaiden game that portrays the life and times of real-world historical figure UsefulNotes/SakamotoRyoma as portrayed by Kiryu and other ''Yakuza'' characters.
** ''VideoGame/YakuzaDeadSouls'' is a gaiden game taking place after ''VideoGame/Yakuza4'' that pits Kiryu and company against [[ZombieApocalypse the walking dead]].
** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxkn-dcy01k Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name]]'' is a gaiden game that takes place in the interim between ''VideoGame/Yakuza6'' and ''VideoGame/LikeADragon8'', detailing Kiryu's exploits since the conclusion of ''6''.

* ''VideoGame/DestroyAllHumansBigWillyUnleashed'' is a Gaiden Game in the ''VideoGame/DestroyAllHumans'' series.

** When Koji Igarashi took over as producer of the games (starting with 2002's ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaHarmonyOfDissonance''), he declared that the Nintendo 64 games ( ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania 64}}'' and its UpdatedRerelease ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLegacyOfDarkness''), and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCircleOfTheMoon'' for the Game Boy Advance were side-stories to the main ''Castlevania'' storyline. The UsefulNotes/GameBoy game ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLegends'' on the other hand, is no longer part of the canon.

** The ''VideoGame/KidDracula'' games for the Famicom and UsefulNotes/GameBoy were never intended to be canon, though the BigBad, Galamoth, would later appear in the regular series.
* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'' is a two-disc set. The second disk, which you may think will extend the story, doesn't. It fits this trope by giving you a gaiden game in form of Lucia, letting you play as her for the parts of the story where she wasn't interacting with Dante. It makes little enough sense what she's doing that it could easily be considered a wholly different game played in the DMC format.

* Every ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' game between ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII III]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV IV]]'' (''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity Vice City]]'', ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas San Andreas]]'', ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoLibertyCityStories Liberty City Stories]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCityStories Vice City Stories]]'') was a gaiden game; they all took place in the same universe and had some recurring characters, but took place in three different decades (''VCS'' in 1984, ''VC'' in 1986, ''SA'' in 1992, then ''LCS'' in 1998, leading up to ''III'' in 2001) and locations. Other than a few characters who appear in multiple games, the storylines are completely unrelated and don't affect one another. ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' totally remakes the universe with a brand new Liberty City, though Vice City and San Andreas are confirmed to exist. ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' in turn is a Gaiden Game for IV, not being officially confirmed to be a separate continuity from ''IV'' like it was from ''III''.
** There's also ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoAdvance'' for GBA, takes place a year before the events of [=GTA3=] and features some of the characters.
** The main reason for Vice City becoming a Gaiden Game (and thus initiating a sequence of Gaiden Games) is most likely because it was initially planned to be an expansion pack for GTAIII instead of a stand-alone game, with early announcements in game magazines calling it "Grand Theft Auto III: Vice City".
* The ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' anime franchise has quite a few Gaiden Games, most of which are spinoffs of [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam the original series]] and depict events that take place at the same time as White Base's adventures but in different parts of the world. The best-known of these include ''Rise from the Ashes'' (set in Australia), ''Blue Destiny'' (set in North America), and more recently ''Gundam 0081'' (which takes place between the original series and ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory Gundam 0083]]''). Some other games shift between this and a full-on LicensedGame - ''Zeonic Front'' and ''[[VideoGame/GundamVsSeries Federation vs. Zeon]]'' on UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 alternate between missions totally separated from the events of the anime and missions that put you right in the middle of major battles from the anime.

* The original ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' trilogy for the NES, along with the arcade game released alongside the first NES installment, weren't actually side-stories to anything. In Japanese, the series was originally known as ''Ninja Ryūkenden'' (Ninja Dragon Sword Legend). The use of "gaiden" in the English version is an example of GratuitousJapanese, since the developers were not sure how to localize the Japanese title ("Ninja Dragon" was considered one point, but Data East beat them to it with their beat-'em-up ''Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja'', and a literal translation was considered to be [[LongTitle too long]]). With that cleared up, ''Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword'' could be considered one to the Xbox series.

** The ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilGunSurvivor Gun Survivor'']] series could also count, though they have slightly more credible ties to the canon. Some even seem to be retcon vehicles.

* The first three ''Franchise/TombRaider'' games were eventually re-released as the ''Tomb Raider Gold'' series, and each game got its own Gaiden Game. ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderI TR1]]'' had ''Unfinished Business'', ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderII TR2]]'' had ''The Golden Mask'' and ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderIII TR3]]'' had ''The Lost Artifact''.

** After the original game, the following titles, ''Guilty Gear X'' and the ''Guilty Gear XX'' [[CapcomSequelStagnation installments]], were officially designated as sidestories like the novels, drama [=CDs=], and ''Guilty Gear Xtra'' manga, with ''Guilty Gear 2: Overture'' being touted as the "true" continuation of the first game's story. WordOfGod says they're still very much in-canon, with ''Accent Core Plus'' telling (part of) the story of how certain characters got to where they are [[TimeSkip by the time of]] ''Overture''.

** Chronicles of the Sword is an AlternateUniverse, set on a fictitious continent with fictitious countries, and starring the Soul cast as mere cameos with no storyline relevance. It's not part of the main canon.
** ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' has the "Libra of Souls" story mode, which takes place concurrently with the rebooted story, focusing on a player-created character as their journey to save their soul from the corruption of the Evil Seed takes them across Europe.
* The first ''VideoGame/StreetFighterEX'' originally had the WorkingTitle ''Street Fighter Gaiden'' and the plot of the ''EX'' series (what little it has) is considered a side-story to ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'' and/or ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII''.
* ''VideoGame/StreetFighterOnlineMouseGeneration'' is a one-off game in the series that has no connection to the main series.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Tag'' games, which bring back almost every character that appeared in the series up until that point, regardless of what happened to them in canon.

* Though chronologically a sequel, ''VideoGame/BioShock2'' qualifies as the game is from the perspective of a [[HumongousMecha Big]] [[PoweredArmor Daddy]], specifically a prototype named Delta. The gameplay is similar, but the mechanics and weaponry are modified slightly to give the feel of controlling one, and you also have a relationship with [[CreepyChild Little Sisters]] similar to that of the Big Daddies themselves. The storyline also give some additional insight into the concept and technology of the Big Daddies as well.
* ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' outdoes its predecessor even more in this regard. Setting-wise, it takes place in an AlternateUniverse, and instead of the {{underwater city}} of Rapture circa the 1960s, it's in the [[FloatingContinent flying city]] of Columbia in 1912. Instead of being a horror-leaning ImmersiveSim, it's [[ActionizedSequel a bright and action-packed swashbuckling shooter]]. It does retain a political and philosophical bend, but instead of deconstructing IndividualismVsCollectivism, it tackles themes of [[TheFundamentalist fundamentalism]], [[FullCircleRevolution mutual extremism]], as well as more personal themes like redemption and forgiveness, driven by how ''Infinite'' is also vastly more character-focused, [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter with the playable Booker DeWitt being a major entity and player in his own narrative instead of just a blank slate]]. It also mixes the series' broader examination [[VideoGamesAndFate on the limits of free will]] with the paradigm of [[HistoryRepeats constants]] and [[ForWantOfANail variables]], which ends up being a big reason for why this is ''still'' ultimately a ''VideoGame/BioShock'' game.
* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty 4: VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, in relation to the versions released on UsefulNotes/XBox360, PC, and UsefulNotes/{{PS3}}. The game features similar missions, but featuring characters from other teams operating either in parallel or in support of the teams from the main release. Every "main" release in the series from there til ''Black Ops II'' was followed by a handheld, mobile, and/or, in one case, [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 last-gen version]] that acts as a side-story to the main game; the aforementioned last-gen version, for ''World at War'', is notable in that it and the DS version both included a British campaign like every other UsefulNotes/WorldWarII-based game in the series had, whereas the 360, [=PS3=], and PC version had its British campaign and associated assets cut.

** ''VideoGame/UnrealTournamentIII'' could be considered a Gaiden Game for the rest of the ''UT'' games - it still plays like they do, but it actually has a storyline beyond "[[ToBeAMaster become the Champion]]" and as such might be the closest we'll have to an actual ''Unreal 3''.

* ''VideoGame/DeadRising2'' focuses on Chuck Green, who's trying to survive a [[ZombieApocalypse zombie outbreak]] in Fortune City Nevada, and keep his daughter from becoming a zombie. ''Dead Rising 2: Off the Record'' is this, as the main character is Frank West, TheHero from the first ''VideoGame/DeadRising'', and this version includes several new [[NonPlayerCharacter survivors]] and [[BossFight psychopaths,]] more weapons combinations, the ability to collect money from busted slot machines (in the original, slot machines could be broken, but they did not give any money), a new zone making the map bigger than in the original game, as well as new plot twists, (here [[spoiler: [[SparedByTheAdaptation Rebecca Chang is only wounded]] and the villain is [[EvilAllAlong the leader]] of [[ZombieAdvocate C.U.R.E.]]]])

* ''VideoGame/GargoylesQuest'' has the Japanese title ''Red Arremer: Makaimura Gaiden''; it is a spinoff of ''VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins'', or ''Makaimura'' in Japanese.

* There's a couple in the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' series. ''VideoGame/TailsAdventure'' springs to mind. In the Japanese manual, its said to take place before Tails' fateful meeting with [[HeterosexualLifePartners his iconic partner in crime fighting]]. In the English version it's treated as a BusmansHoliday but in both, its still Tails's [[ADayInTheLimelight day in the limelight.]]
** There's also ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'' and the two games from the ''VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries'' (''Secret Rings'' and ''Black Knight'').
* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand2SixGoldenCoins'' share the same basic platforming elements like ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', but take some liberties with the story, settings and items. Instead of rescuing Peach from Bowser like usual, Mario takes a trip to a neighbour country of the Mushroom Kingdom to save a different princess from an evil alien in the first game. In the sequel, Mario has to take back his private island from his evil counterpart, Wario. The [[VideoGame/WarioLandSuperMarioLand3 third game]] distances itself completely from Mario and gives birth to the ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' series instead. Notably, none of the games were designed by Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto, but were well-received nonetheless.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManNetworkTransmission'' is a Gaiden Game for the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' series which takes between the first two installments, but rather use the RPG combat mechanics of its predecessor and then-upcoming sequel, it goes back to the roots of ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' side-scrolling action platforming with light ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}''-styled exploration. It also features a [=NetNavi=] based on the franchise's BreakoutCharacter Zero and a storyline that revolves around a viral outbreak relating to him, however, in the later installments of the ''Battle Network'' series, [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome he is seen or never mentioned ever again]] after this game.

* ''VideoGame/HaloWars'' is a RealTimeStrategy spin-off/prequel to the main ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' series.

* ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' is somewhat of a Gaiden Game for ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', being set 10 years after the "present" time in the latter and retaining only a handful of characters, all of whom show up in three scenes or fewer. What really makes it gaiden, though, is the fact that, in the end, the entire point of the story is to resolve a hanging plot thread from its predecessor (see UrbanLegendOfZelda). ''Radical Dreamers'' was a Japan-only text adventure Gaiden Game to ''Chrono Trigger'' released on the SNES' Satellaview addon. It was later overhauled, greatly expanded, turned into a proper RPG... and became ''Chrono Cross''.
* The ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' GameMod ''VideoGame/{{Zodiac|DeusEx}}'' has JC Denton's brother Paul Denton investigate a separate conspiracy.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has a couple {{DLC}} missions that don't star the Grey Warden: ''Leiliana's Song'', which explains how the secretive nun came to Ferelden, and ''Darkspawn Chronicles'', a WhatIf where the Warden didn't survive the joining and the Darkspawn won the war.

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' is an odd case of a Gaiden Game that is more of a sequel to its predecessor (''VideoGame/Fallout2'') than [[VideoGame/Fallout3 the actual sequel]] is: ''3'' was made by a different developer (Bethesda) than Black Isle, the developers of the first two, and moved the setting to the opposite end of the country. ''New Vegas'''s developer (Obsidian) had many key members in common with Black Isle, takes place closer to familiar ground, and incorporates many elements from the cancelled ''[[VideoGame/FalloutVanBuren Van Buren]]'' project that was originally going to be ''Fallout 3''. Additionally, most of the add-ons for ''3'' and ''New Vegas'' have a separate map from the main game, as well as a self-contained story.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' originally was informally referred to as a Gaiden Game before being treated as a direct sequel. Largely existing as an exercise in producing a sequel and light-hearted enough to occasionally take the piss out of its premise and characters, it was mainly dismissed in the West for being much sillier than its predecessor, and for deviating too much from the Final Fantasy formula. Then there's ''Last Mission'', a {{roguelike}} which is included as an extra with the International and HD Remaster versions, and can more properly be considered this, though it also is considered a WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue.

** The spinoff games to the ''VII'' universe could be considered Gaiden Games, including the [=PS2=] sequel ''VideoGame/DirgeOfCerberus'', and two prequels, ''VideoGame/BeforeCrisis'' for mobile phones and ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' on the PSP. Fans are divided how much material has been stapled on as a cash grab and how much was simply cut for time.

* The handheld titles of the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series are frequently considered Gaiden Games to the "main" series, perhaps because of their tendency towards {{Word Salad Title}}s and the fact that they're on handhelds, rather than consoles. This is not the case; these games are all full installments of the series which build upon the story of the games and lead directly into the next "main" game. ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' makes more sense if you've played ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]'' and the games released after ''Kingdom Hearts II'' are ''quite clearly'' building up to a climax that's resolved in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII''.
** Played straight with ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded'' to a degree. The main purpose of the game is to reveal the content of [[SequelHook the letter written by Mickey to Sora]] at the end of ''Kingdom Hearts II'' and how Mickey found out about the fate of Aqua, Terra and Ventus, [[InternalReveal something the player already knows]] if they played ''Birth By Sleep'' previously. Most of the actual plot (Mickey creating a data Sora to restore Jimminy's journal by defeating bugs) has little bearing on the MythArc and is never alluded in the next game ''Dream Drop Distance''. It does contain a few relevant points that are obviously setting up for future games though, including the first mention of the Book of Prophecy; Maleficent and Pete gaining knowledge of such a thing; and Mickey seeing all the people Sora has to help which includes Xion, a character he previously would have had no reason to be aware of at all, and that fans may have expected not to see again.
* ''VideoGame/LufiaTheRuinsOfLore'' is one to the ''{{VideoGame/Lufia}}'' series, dealing with a subplot from ''VideoGame/LufiaIIRiseOfTheSinistrals'' rather than the overarching plot of the rest of the series. Even its Japanese name is ''Estpolis Gaiden''.

* ''VideoGame/NieR'' is one of ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'', with the former taking place after the most bizarre ending of the latter (Caim and Angelus chase an EldritchAbomination into modern day Tokyo and and after defeating it are blown to hell by fighter jets). Drakengard's joke ending becomes [[CerebusRetcon very serious]] for Nier. [[spoiler: Caim, Angelus, and their quarry brought magic into the real world... and magical diseases like [[DepopulationBomb White Chlorination Syndrome]] [[ApocalypseHow against which a world without magic had no defense]]...]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Judgment}}'' and its sequel ''VideoGame/LostJudgment'' are spinoffs of the ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' franchise focused on a new protagonist, private detective Takayuki Yagami. While taking place in ''Yakuza'' locales like Kamurocho and Ijincho, and with major events [[spoiler:such as the dissolution of the Tojo Clan in ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'']] referenced in the background, Yagami's plots tend to run parallel to the ''Yakuza'' series and no major characters from ''Yakuza'' show up beyond the odd unnamed shout out [[spoiler: and Tianyou Zhao's brief cameo in ''Lost Judgment'']].

* ''VideoGame/{{Growlanser}}'' II it could be argued is more of a addendum to the first game than a full on sequel. For starters it has many elements that cause it to stick out in comparison to the rest of the series, such as having a voiced protagonist, a lack of a continuous over-world, no base building, plus a significantly shorter length (It can be beaten in around 15-20 hours in comparison to the 60-70 of the rest of the games in the series.) It also assumes knowledge the player is aware of the events of the first game (which is ironic because it [[NoExportForYou never left Japan.]])

* It could be argued that ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}} 2'' and ''3'' were Gaiden Games, not to ''Xenosaga'', but rather to ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}''. There's a lot of legal difficulties in the connections between those, so just look at the ''Xenosaga'' article on Website/TheOtherWiki to learn more about the connections (and lack thereof).

* It could be argued that ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}} 2'' and ''3'' were Gaiden Games, not to ''Xenosaga'', but rather to ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}''. There's a lot of legal difficulties in the connections between those, so just look at the ''Xenosaga'' article on Wiki/TheOtherWiki to learn more about the connections (and lack thereof).

* The first three ''VideoGame/TombRaider'' games were eventually re-released as the "Tomb Raider Gold" series, and each game got its own Gaiden Game. [=TR1=] had Unfinished Business, [=TR2=] had Golden Mask and [=TR3=] had Lost Artifact.
** The downloadable game ''Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light'' seems to also be this, not taking place in the continuities of the original Core Design series or the Crystal Dynamics-developed games.

** The action games serve this role: ''VideoGame/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero'', ''VideoGame/MortalKombatSpecialForces'' (starring Jax), and the more recent ''VideoGame/MortalKombatShaolinMonks'' with Liu Kang and Kung Lao. ''Mythologies'' serves as a distant prequel to the events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' while also setting up the elder Sub-Zero's [[ArchEnemy enmity with Scorpion]] and [[spoiler:eventual transformation into Noob Saibot]], whereas ''Shaolin Monks'' is a BroadStrokes retelling of [[VideoGame/MortalKombat1 the first]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombat2 two games]] with a noticeable changes to the narrative (though ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' makes a nod or two its way all the same). No one likes to talk about ''Special Forces'', but it was eventually and definitely rendered [[CanonDiscontinuity officially non-canon]] by ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' and its corresponding comics.

* The ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' GameMod ''VideoGame/{{Zodiac}}'' has JC Denton's brother Paul Denton investigate a separate conspiracy.

** ''VideoGame/Halo3ODST''; despite that ''3'' in the title (and being based off ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}''[='s=] engine), it actually takes place during ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'', and involves an almost totally different cast of characters. The reason why it has that ''3'' in its title is because it was originally planned to be merely an add-on that still required ''Halo 3'' to play. But as the game grew and grew and more and more tweaks to the game engine were made[[note]]the VISR system, the whole NAV/map/waypoint system, Firefight game mode, making groups of opponents patrol and thus successfully navigate large areas, and so on[[/note]], Bungie decided to make it a stand-alone product for half the price of a normal retail game. Then Microsoft "interfered" and added a second disk containing the multiplayer portion from ''Halo 3'' along with all the DLC map packs, and upped the price to that of a normal retail game.

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' is an odd case of a Gaiden Game that is more of a sequel to its predecessor (''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'') than [[VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}} the actual sequel]] is: ''3'' was made by a different developer (Bethesda) than Black Isle, the developers of the first two, and moved the setting to the opposite end of the country. ''New Vegas'''s developer (Obsidian) had many key members in common with Black Isle, takes place closer to familiar ground, and incorporates many elements from the cancelled ''[[VideoGame/FalloutVanBuren Van Buren]]'' project that was originally going to be ''Fallout 3''. Additionally, most of the add-ons for ''3'' and ''New Vegas'' have a separate map from the main game, as well as a self-contained story.

** ''[[VideoGame/HaloSpartanAssault Spartan Assault]]'' is a side-story interquel which takes place between ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}''.
** ''[[VideoGame/HaloSpartanStrike Spartan Strike]]'' is a side-story which takes place both concurrently with the beginning of ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'' and around the end of ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'':
** The numbering of the four * .5 games (''Immaterial and Missing Power'', ''Shoot the Bullet'', ''Scarlet Weather Rhapsody'', ''Double Spoiler'', ''Hopeless Masquerade'', ''Urban Legend in Limbo'', ''Antinomy of Common Flowers'', and ''Violet Detector'') would imply that they're all gaiden games to the main series (Touhou 12.3, ''Hisoutensoku'', is an ExpansionPack to SWR), especially since none of them use the same gameplay system ([=IaMP=], SWR, HM, [=ULiL=], and [=AoCF=] are 2D {{Fighting Game}}s, and [=StB=], DS, and VD are {{Boss Rush}}es where you take pictures instead of fighting back). However, of the eight, [=StB=] and DS are the only ones [[ExcusePlot without an actual plot]] -- whereas the events and new character introduced in [=IaMP=] are acknowledged in the [[AllThereInTheManual canon books]] ''Perfect Memento in Strict Sense'', ''Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red'', and ''Silent Sinner in Blue'' (SWR was made after those books came out).
** [=IaMP=] boss character Suika Ibuki appears in ''Subterranean Animism'', and the game actually elaborates on some of [=IaMP=]'s plot (that is, where the oni all went). Iku Nagae and Tenshi Hinanai from [=SWR=] are both in ''The Grimoire of Marisa''. The newest Gaiden Game, Touhou 12.8 ''Great Fairy Wars'', is a direct continuation to a chapter of a Touhou manga, ''Strange and Bright Nature Deity''. Basically, Touhou is undergoing ContinuityCreep.

* The ''Dead or Alive [=XTreme=]'' games are (even more) [[{{Fanservice}} fanservicey]] gaiden games of ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive''.

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty 4: VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, in relation to the versions released on UsefulNotes/XBox360, PC, and UsefulNotes/{{PS3}}. The game features similar missions, but featuring characters from other teams operating either in parallel or in support of the teams from the main release. Every "main" release in the series has since been followed by a handheld, mobile, and/or, in one case, [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 last-gen version]] that acts as a side-story to the main game; the aforementioned last-gen version, for ''World at War'', is notable in that it and the DS version both included a British campaign like every other UsefulNotes/WorldWarII-based game in the series had, whereas the 360, [=PS3=], and PC version had its British campaign and associated assets cut.

* ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' has a canon gaiden game on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, detailing a new training facility that was overrun by Morden's forces. Best of all, two of the trainees, playable characters Walter and Tyra, single-handedly take it all back.

* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'' does this in a similar way to the Touhou examples - and inverts it. How does it invert it? 1, 2, and 3 are basically RPG games. ''EBF 3.3: Bullet Heaven'' is a BulletHell game.

** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIf'' started off originally as a gaiden game of sorts in the SMT universe, taking place just before ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI''. It later became canon when the protagonist appeared in ''VideoGame/{{Persona|1}}'' and ''VideoGame/Persona2'', and started the IntercontinuityCrossover that occurs throughout the Megaten franchise. Part of this crossover is with the ''VideoGame/DevilSummoner'' games which goes into detail sometimes as to ''why'' the events of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'' didn't happen, and the protagonist of ''If'' later works for the famed Kuzunoha detective agency from ''Devil Summoner'' by the time of ''Persona 2'', whose protagonist also [[ItMakesSenseInContext is implied to be posessing someone]].

** Played straight with ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded'' to a degree. The main purpose of the game is to reveal the content of [[SequelHook the letter written by Mickey to Sora]] at the end of ''Kingdom Hearts II'' and how Mickey found out about the fate of Aqua, Terra and Ventus, [[InternalReveal something the player already knows]] if they played to ''Birth By Sleep'' previously. Most of the actual plot (Mickey creating a data Sora to restore Jimminy's journal by defeating bugs) has little bearing on the MythArc and is never alluded in the next game ''Dream Drop Distance''. It does contain a few relevant points that are obviously setting up for future games though, including the first mention of the Book of Prophecy; Maleficent and Pete gaining knowledge of such a thing; and Mickey seeing all the people Sora has to help which includes Xion, a character he previously would have had no reason to be aware of at all, and that fans may have expected not to see again.

** Played straight with ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded'' to a degree. The main purpose of the game is to reveal the content of [[SequelHook the letter written by Mickey to Sora]] at the end of ''Kingdom Hearts II'' and how Mickey found out about the fate of Aqua, Terra and Ventus, [[InternalReveal something the player already knows]] if he played to ''Birth By Sleep'' previously. Most of the actual plot (Mickey creating a data Sora to restore Jimminy's journal by defeating bugs) has little bearing on the MythArc and is never alluded in the next game ''Dream Drop Distance''. It does contain a few relevant points that are obviously setting up for future games though, including the first mention of the Book of Prophecy; Maleficent and Pete gaining knowledge of such a thing; and Mickey seeing all the people Sora has to help which includes Xion, a character he previously would have had no reason to be aware of at all, and that fans may have expected not to see again.

* ''VideoGame/DestroyAllHumans Big Willy Unleashed'' is a Gaiden Game in the ''Destroy All Humans!'' series.

* ''VideoGame/{{Daxter}}'' takes place before the main events of ''VideoGame/JakIIRenegade''. The game is ADayInTheLimelight for the sidekick, Daxter, without Jak having a playable role.

* ''EverQuest Online Adventures'' takes place 500 years before the first ''VideoGame/{{Everquest}}''. ''Lords of EverQuest'' is an [[RealTimeStrategy RTS]]. ''Champions of Norrath'' and ''Champions: Return to Arms'' are action games set in the [=EverQuest=] universe. The Pocket PC games ''Hero's Call'', ''Hero's Call 2'' and ''War On Faydwer'' share some thematic connections to the main games.

** ''VideoGame/FalloutShelter'' is an base building game that's a side game made to hold the fanbase over until fallout 4

* The original ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' trilogy for the NES, along with the arcade game released alongside the first NES installment, weren't actually side-stories to anything. In Japanese, the series was originally known as ''Ninja Ryūkenden'' (Ninja Dragon Sword Legend). The use of "gaiden" in the English version is an example of GratuitousJapanese, since the developers were not sure how to localize the Japanese title ("Ninja Dragon" was considered one point, but Data East beat them to it with their beat-'em-up ''Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja'', and a literal translation was considered to be [[OverlyLongName too long]]). With that cleared up, ''Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword'' could be considered one to the Xbox series.