History Main / MiniGame

* ''TyTheTasmanianTiger: Bush Rescue'' included an entire mini WackyRace game, with a fairly large roster of selectable characters and a number of tracks. While they could be played in the main game, the "cart mode" was accessable straight from the main menu without having to be unlocked. (Playing the main game did get more tracks, though.)
* ''LocoRoco 2'' has several unlockable mini-games including a whack-a-mole type game, a crane game, and an [[UnexpectedShmupLevel Expected Shmup Level]].
* ''LaMulana'' has two minigames, both of which are, just like ''La Mulana'' itself, tributes to past MSX games. One of them is a dating sim-like game that eventually turns into a brief round of ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}''. The other, ''[=PR3=]'', is a ''Parodius'' clone, and is required to complete the BonusLevelOfHell.
* ''MushroomMen'' not only has several mini-games in the main game (including one that's a homage to the original ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'', it includes several mini-games in the "gallery" menu (like pachinko, memory, and a maze-building game) for the fun of it.

Mini Games vary so widely that it's difficult to summarise them all, but they ultimately divide into two categories - mandatory and not mandatory. A mandatory Mini Game is one you have to succeed at just to continue the game (such as hacking in ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' and ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}''); a non-mandatory Mini Game is one which is optional (such as Triple Triad in ''Main/FinalFantasyVIII''). Occasionally a Mini Game might be so optional it isn't even accessed via the story, and has to be accessed via the main menu. Completing a Mini Game can give the player rewards in the main game, or be required for Main/HundredPercentCompletion. If the Mini Game is [[Main/LuckBasedMission luck-based]], and needs to be beaten in order to continue the game, it's time to grind up some money, tape down the controller and go and do something else for a few days.

* After the success of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'''s Triple Triad game (the rules of which changed as you progressed through the game), all ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games succeeding it contain a card or collectible game with number-based rules. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' contained a particularly incomprehensible multiplication-based Main/MindScrew which, unfortunately, was required to win a powerful Dress Sphere on top of Main/HundredPercentCompletion. Apart from this, ''Main/FinalFantasy'' games have oodles of Mini Games. Again, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' had the most, feeling at times like a Mini Game package. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' had some very high-quality ones, including a painfully-addictive motorcycle game, a clever strategy game, and a submarine combat game.

** The Tron Light Cycles, which killed This Troper countless times on his first play through.

* A few characters who started out as platformers are now in the minigame business, namely {{Rayman}} (''Raving Rabbids'') and Wario (''Warioware'')

* ''Shenmue's spiritual successor, ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'', had myriad ways to kill time when not beating the snot out of gangsters, including [[BettingMiniGame casino games like Blackjack and Poker, slot machines and pachinko]], [[FishingMinigame fishing]], UFO Catchers, batting cages, table tennis, golfing, arcade games, karaoke, hitting the hostess clubs, and more.

** In ''Kirby Super Star,'' three of the eight games were mini-games. ''Gourmet Race'' was a mini race-game where you raced against King Dedede to collect food. ''Megaton Punch'' was a timing game, and the last was a quick-draw game. ''Kirby Super Star Ultra'' added more.
** The "bosses" in ''Kirby: Canvas Curse'' were actually special varieties of mini-games. After fighting the boss, you could play the mini-game later for fun.

* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' has three mini games you could play in the Dark Carnival campaign. The first one is a shooting gallery where you shoot Moustachio and his cronies for points in order to get Gnome Chompiski, which would get everyone an achievement if he is seen all the way to the end of the campaign. Another mini game has you test your strength against Moustachio buy smashing a red button with a melee weapon to hit a bell, but you could only succeed by taking an adrenaline shot beforehand and smacking the bell gets you an achievement, but alerts a horde. The last game is basically whack-a-mole with the park's mascot instead of a mole and you gain points if you smack or shoot the characters popping out. Getting 42 points nets you an achievement and a horde.
* ''TheConduit'' requires the player to solve a minigame to unlock secret weapons caches.

* After the success of ''Main/FinalFantasyVIII'''s Triple Triad game (the rules of which changed as you progressed through the game), all ''Main/FinalFantasy'' games succeeding it contain a card or collectible game with number-based rules. ''Main/FinalFantasyX-[[Main/GaidenGame 2]]'' contained a particularly incomprehensible multiplication-based Main/MindScrew which, unfortunately, was required to win a powerful Dress Sphere on top of Main/HundredPercentCompletion. Apart from this, ''Main/FinalFantasy'' games have oodles of Mini Games. Again, ''Main/FinalFantasyX-[[Main/GaidenGame 2]]'' had the most, feeling at times like a Mini Game package. ''Main/FinalFantasyVII'' had some very high-quality ones, including a painfully-addictive motorcycle game, a clever strategy game, and a submarine combat game.
** Sphere Break, said unfortunate mini-game in X-2, has the benefit of being a LuckBasedMission where ContinuingIsPainful and the [[GlobalCurrencyException tokens required to play]] are not readily available from [[GuideDangIt any obvious source]]. Fortunately, the only opponent worth playing (the one with the Dress Sphere) is [[SaveScumming standing right next to a save point]] and playing to win is substantially easier than practicing (since a good amount of possible, otherwise correct moves have the side effect of eating your tokens and making it impossible to ever play again, which you don't have to worry about in your last game). [[OnlySmartPeopleMayPass You also have to be really good at adding and multiplying small numbers quickly]], which no amount of grinding or online walkthroughs can help you with.
** It should be emphasized that ''FinalFantasyVII'' ran a gamut of mini games in and of itself, with varying levels of quality. One mandatory example required you to perform [[Main/CPRCleanPrettyReliable CPR]] on a little girl through use of a pressure gauge, which may be the dumbest idea for a mini game ever. Another pit your party's lead female hero against the resident [[TheEmpire Evil Empire's]] lead female villain in a bitch-slapping fight, which may be the ''best idea for a Mini Game ever''. Previously, there was an interesting puzzle sequence involving getting her out of a chair she was tied to with only the use of her head and legs.
** ''FinalFantasyIX'' had a horribly implemented card game that most people don't remember because it wasn't clearly explained, there were no rewards outside of a card player ranking, and the ranking system made it so difficult to max out that the only person in the world who bothered to do it discovered that the game designers never even anticipated it happening as he was rewarded with a glitch.
*** Oddly, it was this card game that Square chose to include with their [=PlayOnline=] service, alongside ''Final Fantasy XI''.
** Final Fantasy X's lightning dodging minigame and blitzball minigame deserve special credit for both being mandatory to access the most powerful weapons for two characters, and being about as fun as being struck by lightning and a drowning simulator would sound.
** Even the original ''FinalFantasy'' had a minigame, if you get on the ship and press B enough times.

* ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'' includes a FishingMinigame, and ''VideoGame/DarkCloud 2'' added fish races ("Finny Frenzy") and a golf-like minigame called "Spheda".

* ''Any'' minigame in ''VideoGame/MassEffect'', from opening a safe to [[spoiler: ''disarming a nuclear bomb'']] consists of pushing the A, B, X and Y buttons at the right time. Except for resetting the AI core, which was just a simplified TowersOfHanoi puzzle.

* ''Any'' minigame in ''MassEffect'', from opening a safe to [[spoiler: ''disarming a nuclear bomb'']] consists of pushing the A, B, X and Y buttons at the right time.
** Except for resetting the AI core, which was just a simplified TowersOfHanoi puzzle.

GameWithinAGame is a subtrope in which Mini Game is a in-{{Verse}} game playable by PlayerCharacter.

[[folder:Real Time Strategy]]
* ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' Wings of Liberty's campaign has the Lost Viking game inside of the cantina, which is a BulletHell type shooter.

[[/folder]]

[[/folder//

[[folder:Real Time Strategy]]
* ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' Wings of Liberty's campaign has the Lost Viking game inside of the cantina, which is a BulletHell type shooter.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Platform]]
* It has been argued that ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' is a mini game. Short? Yep. Side-story to an existing series? Yep. Same engine as an existing series? For the most part. Released in a package alongside various other games, including a continuation of the previously mentioned existing series? Yep.
* ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' games often have mini-games.
** In ''Kirby Super Star,'' three of the eight games were mini-games. ''Gourmet Race'' was a mini race-game where you raced against King Dedede to collect food. ''Megaton Punch'' was a timing game, and the last was a quick-draw game. ''Kirby Super Star Ultra'' added more.
** The "bosses" in ''Kirby: Canvas Curse'' were actually special varieties of mini-games. After fighting the boss, you could play the mini-game later for fun.
** ''Kirby's Dreamland 3'' had one mini-game per world that you needed to beat to earn a PlotCoupon. After beating the game, you unlocked "Mini Game Mode," where you got to play through all five at once.
** ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' had no real minigames to speak of in the main game, but included 3 little multiplayer mini-games in a side mode. They actually had their own little goals to complete, but didn't affect the main game.
* ''TyTheTasmanianTiger: Bush Rescue'' included an entire mini WackyRace game, with a fairly large roster of selectable characters and a number of tracks. While they could be played in the main game, the "cart mode" was accessable straight from the main menu without having to be unlocked. (Playing the main game did get more tracks, though.)
* ''LocoRoco 2'' has several unlockable mini-games including a whack-a-mole type game, a crane game, and an [[UnexpectedShmupLevel Expected Shmup Level]].
* ''LaMulana'' has two minigames, both of which are, just like ''La Mulana'' itself, tributes to past MSX games. One of them is a dating sim-like game that eventually turns into a brief round of ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}''. The other, ''[=PR3=]'', is a ''Parodius'' clone, and is required to complete the BonusLevelOfHell.
* ''MushroomMen'' not only has several mini-games in the main game (including one that's a homage to the original ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'', it includes several mini-games in the "gallery" menu (like pachinko, memory, and a maze-building game) for the fun of it.
* ''[[VideoGame/ApeEscape Ape Quest]]'' is an RPG, but uses minigames in addition to RandomEncounters.
** Another ''VideoGame/ApeEscape'' example would be ''Mesal Gear Solid: Snake Escape'', a ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' clone (no pun intended) starring a Solid Snake monkey named Pipo Snake. ''Mesal Gear'' was actually marketed more aggressively than the actual ''VideoGame/ApeEscape 3'' and was probably responsible for most of its sales.
* The ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' series has had a few mini games, ranging from a roulette type game to target shooting to golf in the earlier games, and some strange little mini games used to get the coins to buy items for boss battles in ''VideoGame/WarioLand 4''
* The ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series had the toy/sovenir room, which came with various weird interactive stuff to mess around with and quite a few full length mini games of some of the microgames in the main game itself. Two of these that appeared quite often, Paper Plane and Pyoro, were actually made into standalone games and released for the DSi's download service.
* A few characters who started out as platformers are now in the minigame business, namely {{Rayman}} (''Raving Rabbids'') and Wario (''Warioware'')
[[/folder]]

* The ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros series'' has a tradition of having a shooter minigame during the credits. In ''Brawl'', you can actually earn extra coins with this. Brawl also has the Coin Launcher minigame, which lets you use said coins to shoot things and earn extra trophies and stickers.
* ''RomancingSaGa3'' had 3 of them 2 were limited only to Mikhail's Scenario: A War Game in which you could control an army which starts off as retaliation against a coup to actually assailing an enemy fortress and holding it for a brief time. You could play the game with other characters but it could only be played twice; one is being paid as a mercenary for an army, and the other is distracting the enemy forces to allow you to sneak into the PointOfNoReturn. Another was a simulation where you control the kingdoms' assets and rule over provinces, this also allowed you to make armor; some that required materials. The third MiniGame involved you creating a company and buying out commodities in 3 rounds; [[spoiler: The first was to make your company large, the second was to defeat a company importing illegal goods, and the last was to defeat human businesses that allied themselves with the Abyss demons. You get paid 10,000 after completing each round and it also allows you to recruit a character after you clear the first round.]]
* A few characters who started out as platformers are now in the minigame business, namely {{Rayman}} (''Raving Rabbids'') and Wario (''Warioware'')

* ''LaMulana'' has two minigames, both of which are, just like ''La Mulana'' itself, tributes to past MSX games. One of them is a dating sim-like game that eventually turns into a brief round of ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}''. The other, ''[=PR3=]'', is a ''Parodius'' clone, and is required to complete the BonusLevelOfHell.


* ''MadWorld'' has 'Bloodbath Challenges', [[CrossesTheLineTwice incredibly bloody]] sessions of cruelty that involve killing {{Mooks}} with special props and weapons. Some are more difficult than others.


* ''MushroomMen'' not only has several mini-games in the main game (including one that's a homage to the original ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'', it includes several mini-games in the "gallery" menu (like pachinko, memory, and a maze-building game) for the fun of it.
* ''Vexx'' includes two different varieties of mini-game in the main game, with several different levels: A "ring battle" game, and a "platform battle" game. While they're single-player only, they pit you against three CPU enemies, which suggests that multiplayer might have been planned at one point.
* What's the mini-game equivalent of a mini-game? ''VideoGame/MarioParty Advance'' was already a mini-game game, but included even ''smaller'' games (more like toys) called "Gaddgets." Some of them were actual mini-mini games (like one where you tried to pick the right-colored wire to not blow up a bomb, one where frogs race to catch a fly, and others), but others were more just for fun. One, for example, let you decorate a cake, one translated messages into Morse, one created different foods based on the ingredients you picked, and one let you smash things for fun.

* ''[[VideoGame/ApeEscape Ape Quest]]'' is an RPG, but uses minigames in addition to RandomEncounters.
* Another ''VideoGame/ApeEscape'' example would be ''Mesal Gear Solid: Snake Escape'', a ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' clone (no pun intended) starring a Solid Snake monkey named Pipo Snake. ''Mesal Gear'' was actually marketed more aggressively than the actual ''VideoGame/ApeEscape 3'' and was probably responsible for most of its sales.
* The ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series had the toy/sovenir room, which came with various weird interactive stuff to mess around with and quite a few full length mini games of some of the microgames in the main game itself. Two of these that appeared quite often, Paper Plane and Pyoro, were actually made into standalone games and released for the DSi's download service.
* The ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' series has had a few mini games, ranging from a roulette type game to target shooting to golf in the earlier games, and some strange little mini games used to get the coins to buy items for boss battles in ''VideoGame/WarioLand 4''.
* ''TheConduit'' requires the player to solve a minigame to unlock secret weapons caches.

* The ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' series has a number of mini-games, most relating to the Thief and his abilities. ''Shadows of Darkness'' and ''Dragon Fire'' each had separate mini-games used to disarm traps, while ''Trial by Fire'' had a tightrope-walking mini-game that appears optional at the start, but makes a comeback as part of the Thief's endgame. ''Wages of War'' had Awari, a boardgame based off of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oware Oware]], a real game played in Ghana.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' has three mini games you could play in the Dark Carnival campaign. The first one is a shooting gallery where you shoot Moustachio and his cronies for points in order to get Gnome Chompiski, which would get everyone an achievement if he is seen all the way to the end of the campaign. Another mini game has you test your strength against Moustachio buy smashing a red button with a melee weapon to hit a bell, but you could only succeed by taking an adrenaline shot beforehand and smacking the bell gets you an achievement, but alerts a horde. The last game is basically whack-a-mole with the park's mascot instead of a mole and you gain points if you smack or shoot the characters popping out. Getting 42 points nets you an achievement and a horde.
* ''VideoGame/EscapeFromTheMindmaster'' had five mini-games that tested your memory and reflexes.

* The ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' series have worked in more and more as they go. Most are optional, and those that are mandatory are usually mandatory ''once'', with optional repeats. In ''San Andreas'' there are two different rhythm Mini Games, one for dancing on foot, and one for dancing in a low rider.
** The infamous "Hot Coffee" section is a rhythm minigame (though this is only available in early versions of ''San Andreas'' before the morals police forced its removal).
** Both ''San Andreas'' and the three games that make up the ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' series contain multiple minigames including pool, bowling, arcade games, air hockey, darts, car races, casino and card games, arm-wrestling and ''San Andreas'' even has two triathlon events that one can compete in, [[AllThereInTheManual if one knows where to find them and when]]. ''Liberty City Stories'' and ''Vice City Stories'' also have a few mini games, but nowhere near as many.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}/Canis Canem Edit'' had a variety of Mini Games to play as lessons. This involved rhythm Mini Games for Chemistry, fighting Mini Games for Gym, and timed anagram games for English. All were actually pretty good fun.
** Not to mention the literal games that you have to complete in order to get 100%.

* It has been argued that ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' is a mini game. Short? Yep. Side-story to an existing series? Yep. Same engine as an existing series? For the most part. Released in a package alongside various other games, including a continuation of the previously mentioned existing series? Yep.
* The ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros series'' has a tradition of having a shooter minigame during the credits. In ''Brawl'', you can actually earn extra coins with this. Brawl also has the Coin Launcher minigame, which lets you use said coins to shoot things and earn extra trophies and stickers.
* ''RomancingSaGa3'' had 3 of them 2 were limited only to Mikhail's Scenario: A War Game in which you could control an army which starts off as retaliation against a coup to actually assailing an enemy fortress and holding it for a brief time. You could play the game with other characters but it could only be played twice; one is being paid as a mercenary for an army, and the other is distracting the enemy forces to allow you to sneak into the PointOfNoReturn. Another was a simulation where you control the kingdoms' assets and rule over provinces, this also allowed you to make armor; some that required materials. The third MiniGame involved you creating a company and buying out commodities in 3 rounds; [[spoiler: The first was to make your company large, the second was to defeat a company importing illegal goods, and the last was to defeat human businesses that allied themselves with the Abyss demons. You get paid 10,000 after completing each round and it also allows you to recruit a character after you clear the first round.]]
* A few characters who started out as platformers are now in the minigame business, namely {{Rayman}} (''Raving Rabbids'') and Wario (''Warioware'')

* ''LaMulana'' has two minigames, both of which are, just like ''La Mulana'' itself, tributes to past MSX games. One of them is a dating sim-like game that eventually turns into a brief round of ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}''. The other, ''[=PR3=]'', is a ''Parodius'' clone, and is required to complete the BonusLevelOfHell.
* ''AnimalCrossing'' had "minigames" that were entire NES games.

* ''MadWorld'' has 'Bloodbath Challenges', [[CrossesTheLineTwice incredibly bloody]] sessions of cruelty that involve killing {{Mooks}} with special props and weapons. Some are more difficult than others.
* ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' games often have mini-games.
** In ''Kirby Super Star,'' three of the eight games were mini-games. ''Gourmet Race'' was a mini race-game where you raced against King Dedede to collect food. ''Megaton Punch'' was a timing game, and the last was a quick-draw game. ''Kirby Super Star Ultra'' added more.
** The "bosses" in ''Kirby: Canvas Curse'' were actually special varieties of mini-games. After fighting the boss, you could play the mini-game later for fun.
** ''Kirby's Dreamland 3'' had one mini-game per world that you needed to beat to earn a PlotCoupon. After beating the game, you unlocked "Mini Game Mode," where you got to play through all five at once.
** ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' had no real minigames to speak of in the main game, but included 3 little multiplayer mini-games in a side mode. They actually had their own little goals to complete, but didn't affect the main game.
* ''LocoRoco 2'' has several unlockable mini-games including a whack-a-mole type game, a crane game, and an [[UnexpectedShmupLevel Expected Shmup Level]].
* ''MushroomMen'' not only has several mini-games in the main game (including one that's a homage to the original ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'', it includes several mini-games in the "gallery" menu (like pachinko, memory, and a maze-building game) for the fun of it.
* ''Vexx'' includes two different varieties of mini-game in the main game, with several different levels: A "ring battle" game, and a "platform battle" game. While they're single-player only, they pit you against three CPU enemies, which suggests that multiplayer might have been planned at one point.
* What's the mini-game equivalent of a mini-game? ''VideoGame/MarioParty Advance'' was already a mini-game game, but included even ''smaller'' games (more like toys) called "Gaddgets." Some of them were actual mini-mini games (like one where you tried to pick the right-colored wire to not blow up a bomb, one where frogs race to catch a fly, and others), but others were more just for fun. One, for example, let you decorate a cake, one translated messages into Morse, one created different foods based on the ingredients you picked, and one let you smash things for fun.
* ''TyTheTasmanianTiger: Bush Rescue'' included an entire mini WackyRace game, with a fairly large roster of selectable characters and a number of tracks. While they could be played in the main game, the "cart mode" was accessable straight from the main menu without having to be unlocked. (Playing the main game did get more tracks, though.)
* ''[[VideoGame/ApeEscape Ape Quest]]'' is an RPG, but uses minigames in addition to RandomEncounters.
* Another ''VideoGame/ApeEscape'' example would be ''Mesal Gear Solid: Snake Escape'', a ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' clone (no pun intended) starring a Solid Snake monkey named Pipo Snake. ''Mesal Gear'' was actually marketed more aggressively than the actual ''VideoGame/ApeEscape 3'' and was probably responsible for most of its sales.
* The ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series had the toy/sovenir room, which came with various weird interactive stuff to mess around with and quite a few full length mini games of some of the microgames in the main game itself. Two of these that appeared quite often, Paper Plane and Pyoro, were actually made into standalone games and released for the DSi's download service.
* The ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' series has had a few mini games, ranging from a roulette type game to target shooting to golf in the earlier games, and some strange little mini games used to get the coins to buy items for boss battles in ''VideoGame/WarioLand 4''.
* ''TheConduit'' requires the player to solve a minigame to unlock secret weapons caches.

* The ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' series has a number of mini-games, most relating to the Thief and his abilities. ''Shadows of Darkness'' and ''Dragon Fire'' each had separate mini-games used to disarm traps, while ''Trial by Fire'' had a tightrope-walking mini-game that appears optional at the start, but makes a comeback as part of the Thief's endgame. ''Wages of War'' had Awari, a boardgame based off of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oware Oware]], a real game played in Ghana.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' has three mini games you could play in the Dark Carnival campaign. The first one is a shooting gallery where you shoot Moustachio and his cronies for points in order to get Gnome Chompiski, which would get everyone an achievement if he is seen all the way to the end of the campaign. Another mini game has you test your strength against Moustachio buy smashing a red button with a melee weapon to hit a bell, but you could only succeed by taking an adrenaline shot beforehand and smacking the bell gets you an achievement, but alerts a horde. The last game is basically whack-a-mole with the park's mascot instead of a mole and you gain points if you smack or shoot the characters popping out. Getting 42 points nets you an achievement and a horde.
* ''VideoGame/EscapeFromTheMindmaster'' had five mini-games that tested your memory and reflexes.
* ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' Wings of Liberty's campaign has the Lost Viking game inside of the cantina, which is a BulletHell type shooter.