History Main / GaidenGame

* When Koji Igarashi took over as producer of the ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' games (starting with 2002's ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaHarmonyOfDissonance''), he declared that the Nintendo 64 games ( ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania 64}}'' and its UpdatedRerelease ''Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness''), and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCircleOfTheMoon'' for the Game Boy Advance were side-stories to the main ''Castlevania'' storyline. The GameBoy game ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLegends'' on the other hand, is no longer part of the canon.
** In Japan, ''Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness'' was titled ''Akumajō Dracula Mokushiroku Gaiden: Legend of Cornell'', making it a Gaiden Game to the earlier N64 title, whose Japanese title was ''Akumajō Dracula Mokushiroku''.

* 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 ''[[GundamVsSeries Federation vs. Zeon]]'' on 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.

* ''VideoGame/SailorMoonAnotherStory'' was not so much a franchise distancer as a nod that it is not canonical to the Manga/SailorMoon mythos in very BroadStrokes.

* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' has ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'' and ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations''. These games still further the 2012 plot, but only games with new ancestors and new settings count as numbered sequels. Brotherhood and Revelations both show the rest of Ezio's life from ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', while Revelations has some missions that show key moments from Altair's life, the character of the first game.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass'' is a side-game/sequel to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''. That was then followed by ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks''

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass'' is a side-game/sequel to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty 4: ModernWarfare'' for the NintendoDS, in relation to the versions released on XBox360, PC, and 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.

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

Subtrope of SpinOff. Also of note is that having Gaiden in its title doesn't necessarily mean the game pertains to this trope. Even if you exclude ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'', which has a troubled approach with its ''gaiden'' status. See the respective entry below.

* ''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]] does: ''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 ''Van Buren'' project that was originally going to be ''Fallout 3''.

* Back in the 1990's many PC and Amiga titles were made into a ChristmasSpecial Gaiden Game, usually released in some gaming magazine's cover disk as a present for fans. The games that got this treatment included ''VideoGame/FireAndIce'' (coverdisk for the Christmas 1992 issue of ''Magazine/AmigaPower''), ''VideoGame/{{Lemmings}}'' and ''VideoGame/JazzJackrabbit'' (the latter of which actually got two separate Christmas editions, the 1994 "Xmas Edition" and the 1995 "Holiday Hare"). This also happened in the 1980s with ''Moley Christmas'', a ''VideoGame/MontyMole'' game exclusively distributed with a ZXSpectrum magazine with a self-referential plot.

* Back in the 1990's many PC and Amiga titles were made into a ChristmasSpecial Gaiden Game, usually released in some gaming magazine's cover disk as a present for fans. The games that got this treatment include at least ''VideoGame/{{Lemmings}}'' and ''VideoGame/JazzJackrabbit'' (the latter of which actually got two separate Christmas editions, the 1994 "Xmas Edition" and the 1995 "Holiday Hare"). This also happened in the 1980s with ''Moley Christmas'', a ''VideoGame/MontyMole'' game exclusively distributed with a ZXSpectrum magazine with a self-referential plot.

* ''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]] does: ''3'' was made by a different developer (Bethesda) than the first two (Black Isl) and moved and the setting to the opposite end of the country, while ''New Vegas'''s developer (Obsidian) had many key members in common with said first developer, takes place closer to familiar ground, and incorporates many elements from the cancelled ''Van Buren'' project that was originally going to be ''Fallout 3''.

** Not only that, but Drakengard's joke ending becomes ''SeriousBusiness'' 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/FalloutNewVegas'' is an odd case of a Gaiden Game that feels more like a sequel to its predecessor (''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'') than [[VideoGame/{{Fallout3}} the actual sequel]] does, due in part to the fact that ''3'' moved the setting to the opposite end of the country while ''New Vegas'' takes place closer to familiar ground.
** That's because F:NV is in a large part an adaptation of what the TRUE Fallout 3 (the cancelled Black Isle 'Van Buren' project) was supposed to be, since it was made by the same people (Obsidian is made up from Black Isle veterans). If anything, Bethesda's Fallout 3 is the unfortunately named Gaiden game.

* ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania}}'': When Koji Igarashi took over as producer of the ''Castlevania'' games (starting with 2002's ''Harmony of Dissonance''), he declared that the Nintendo 64 games ( ''Castlevania64'' and ''Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness''), and ''Circle of the Moon'' for the Game Boy Advance were side-stories to the main ''Castlevania'' storyline. The GameBoy game ''Castlevania: Legends'' on the other hand, is no longer part of the canon.

* While not directly linked to another game, ''Indiana Jones & the Fate of Atlantis'' could be considered a Gaiden Game to the Indiana Jones series of movies.
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil Gaiden'' was the actual name of the game. Its ending has since been decanonized without doubt.

* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankSizeMatters'', ''VideoGame/SecretAgentClank'', and ''VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked''.

* Because EverythingsBetterWithPenguins, TurnBasedStrategy series ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea}}'' has a platformer spin-off for the PSP called ''Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?'' starring everyone's favorite explosive waterfowl squad.

** The series will, however, gain a true Gaiden Game in the form of the currently nameless browser based game.

* The ''Worlds of Ultima'' series were Gaiden Game's taking the fantasy-based Ultima VI engine (and main character) to other settings, such as Mars. ''Ultima Underworld'' was also a Gaiden Game, being a side story set in the , because its plot directly bridged ''Ultima VII'' and ''Ultima VII Part 2'' (in fact, in the latter the PC starts with a quest item obtained in [=UU2=] with no in-game explanation of where it came from).

* ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' has had a minor constellation of GaidenGame treatments--at least two of them being released (along with a ComicBookAdaptation of ''IV'') fully [[FleetingDemographicRule seven years after the original release]]. These last two, ''Breath of Fire IV - The Sword of Flame & the Magic of Wind'' and ''Breath of Fire IV: Faeries Light Key'', are two separate side-stories of ''IV''. There's also a spinoff of the fishing minigame from ''IV'' as well as a "Great Dalmuti"/"Millionaire" game featuring characters from ''IV''. Unfortunately, due to the platform these were released on (Qualcomm's BREW OS, which is only common in Japan) these are likely to remain NoExportForYou permanently--much to the vexation of the English-speaking ''IV'' fandom.

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' is an odd case of a GaidenGame that feels more like a sequel to its predecessor (''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'') than [[VideoGame/{{Fallout3}} the actual sequel]] does, due in part to the fact that ''3'' moved the setting to the opposite end of the country while ''New Vegas'' takes place closer to familiar ground.

** [=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 GaidenGame, 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.

** ''Gyakuten Kenji'' (or ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth''), a GaidenGame where you play as Miles Edgeworth, Nick's rival. It follows the same general formula except that Edgeworth is actully on the map as a sprite and walks around rather then looking at a static image. There is no court segments (Unless the case taking place in a court house counts), but witnesses are still cross examined in much the same manner as the main series. It now has its own sequel, becoming a Gaiden Series.

** In Japan, ''Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness'' was titled ''Akumajō Dracula Mokushiroku Gaiden: Legend of Cornell'', making it a GaidenGame to the earlier N64 title, whose Japanese title was ''Akumajō Dracula Mokushiroku''.

* While not directly linked to another game, ''Indiana Jones & the Fate of Atlantis'' could be considered a GaidenGame to the Indiana Jones series of movies.

* ''DestroyAllHumans! Big Willy Unleashed'' is a GaidenGame in the ''Destroy All Humans!'' series.

* ''MeltyBlood'', the rather popular 2D Fighter GaidenGame to ''Tsukihime'', which follows a plotline that didn't quite make it into the actual visual novel.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' orginally was informally referred to as a GaidenGame 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.

* The spinoff games to the ''VII'' universe could be considered [[GaidenGame 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 series will, however, gain a true GaidenGame in the form of the currently nameless browser based 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 [[GaidenGame Gaiden Games]].
* ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' is somewhat of a GaidenGame 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 GaidenGame 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 ''Worlds of Ultima'' series were GaidenGame's taking the fantasy-based Ultima VI engine (and main character) to other settings, such as Mars. ''Ultima Underworld'' was also a GaidenGame, being a side story set in the main Ultima world but with a completely different interface and gameplay. ''Ultima Underworld II'' was ''not'' a GaidenGame, because its plot directly bridged ''Ultima VII'' and ''Ultima VII Part 2'' (in fact, in the latter the PC starts with a quest item obtained in [=UU2=] with no in-game explanation of where it came from).

** Arguably, the Prime games are gaiden to the series itself, making Hunters a gaiden game of a gaiden game.

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

* The aptly named ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia Fire Emblem Gaiden]]'' is a side-story to the original ''Fire Emblem'' game, while ''Fire Emblem: Thracia 776'' is one to ''Genealogy of Holy War''. The two titles are generally considered full instalments in the ''Fire Emblem'' series, being the second and fifth respectively, though there are some portions of the Japanese fanbase who don't consider ''Gaiden'' to be a full ''FE'' game. Also present are the {{Satellaview}} instalments in the series, which are briefer games focusing on small groups of the cast of the first/third game doing things in the intervening time period between Dolhr's victory and the start of the first/third games; they were later remade and included as a bonus in ''New Mystery of the Emblem''.

* ''Fire Emblem: Gaiden'' takes place on a different continent than the first and third game and is a gaiden game to then both story and gameplay wise.

* 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 Desnsetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden'' (and was in fact the first game in the US to have a Chocobo in it!).

* The ''VideoGame/SeikenDensetsu'' series has a number of titles not in the main series -- ''LegendOfMana'', ''ChildrenOfMana'', and ''HeroesOfMana''. But what's more interesting is that the original game, released as Final Fantasy Adventure in the US....was actually called ''Seiken Desnsetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden'' (and was in fact the first game in the US to have a Chocobo in it!).

* ''Trilby: VideoGame/TheArtOfTheft'' is Yahtzee's Gaiden Game for the ChzoMythos series, featuring as it does one of the main characters years before the series proper starts, and an UnexpectedGameplayChange to stealth platforming.