The best mini games that provide the most enjoyable diversions
The top mini-games within games that we think you may discover in virtual worldsThe finest mini-games within games are those that will make you halt in your tracks on the way to taking down a major antagonist or discovering what lies ahead. You can occasionally run upon a mini-game that entirely engulfs you in any number of virtual worlds. What begins as a brief break in the action develops into a full-fledged diversion from the main game, and you find yourself unable to leave it. Playing a game within a game has a certain meta quality, and there are a tonne of great adventures that have amazing minigames. This list concentrates on the more meta form of minigames within games, while there are many more types of minigames in games, including fishing, business management, and more.There are so many fun games to play within games, ranging from large, expansive RPGs that provide their own distinctive analogue games to simply giving a minigame on an arcade machine one more go or finding playable easter eggs. We’ve selected some of the finest mini-games in games you may uncover and play on your journeys, including those from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Stardew Valley, the Yakuza series, and many more.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
It’s uncommon to find a card game in a video game universe that’s so fantastic that it even inspires a whole spin-off, but Gwent did exactly that. Given how much fun playing it is, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. We’ve lost track of how much hours we’ve spent in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt facing off against opponents dispersed over the globe. There are a tonne of unique cards and deck configurations to experiment with thanks to the many factions that have been drawn from the Witchers universe. Between your adventures with Geralt, play a game of Gwent, which has strong hero cards and other troops with their own spells and abilities.
2. Orlog from Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
There is no greater activity to engage in while you’re not trying to defeat the Order of the Ancients or expanding your colony in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Orlog is a dice-based war simulation game that was totally built from scratch for the Viking adventure and is based on old dice games. Each side of the die includes a symbol that can cause damage, protect you from an assault, or steal tokens used to get one of the gods’ favours, which are helpful upgrades and manoeuvres that can help you win. The goal is to eliminate every stone on the other team’s side, which serves as the player’s health. Orlog’s design is straightforward and efficient, making it simple to learn and play. A tangible version of the game has even been produced.
3. Stardew Valley: The Prairie King’s Journey
Nothing beats playing a round of Journey of the Prairie King at The Stardrop Saloon in Stardew Valley after a hard day of caring to the farm, exploring the cave, or fishing at the beach. You control a little cowboy in a pixelated top-down arcade shooter who is assaulted by a variety of opponents coming from all sides. It’s all too easy to lose a lot of time attempting to complete each stage with the variety of weapons and boosts available, such as coffee that helps you go quicker, a shotgun that fires multiple rounds, and the potent waggon wheel that blasts off in many different directions.
4. Demontower’s “Night in the Woods”
Do you dare ascend the Demontower’s steps? You may surely give it a shot by playing Mae in Night the Woods. You can play the 2D game as Palecat for as long as you desire after you get access to the laptop in Mae’s room. With a variety of adversaries attacking you, it’s actually a rather difficult minigame that can be difficult to win. You must go through several chambers in an area until you uncover a key that enables you to proceed to the next level in this game, which has nine stages and a boss battle to win. Although it’s one of the most difficult games you’ll play in virtual worlds, its design and many endings make it a really memorable side trip from the main plot.
5. Wolfstone 3D’s Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
Is there anything more meta and unforgettable than realising you’re playing an earlier version of a game? As some may recall, Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus allows you to do exactly that by allowing you to play the original Wolfenstein 3D on an arcade machine while onboard Eva’s Hammer. You may locate the arcade machine with the game “Wolfstone 3D,” which is essentially the original Wolfenstein 3D game, in the Club Kreisau bar aboard your ship. Since you can play the old game in its entirety within the environment of The New Colossus, it’s almost like buying two games for the price of one. and “certainly are realistic” visuals. It’s such a cute throwback to the past of the series, and Wolfenstein: The New Order has another memorable appearance of it in the form of an Easter egg.
6. Triple Triad from Final Fantasy 8
Triple Triad, the well-known card game played in the Final Fantasy 8 universe, may be played for hours on end. Every unit has a varied set of characteristics and components thanks to a wide variety of player cards, including those featuring the game’s key characters. It can take some time to get acclimated to how the game, which is played on a 3 × 3 grid, works, but once you do, it can quickly turn into a time waster. The more victories you have, the more cards you may receive to use against other opponents. In the more modern Final Fantasy 14, Triple Triad has been given a revised appearance and polish. It’s the type of card game that would be great to have and play with other Final Fantasy enthusiasts in person.
7. The Grenade Brothers’ “A Way Out”
As you are aware, Sometimes you simply need to cut down and spend too much time playing an arcade game with your friend after you’ve just escaped from jail and are running from the law. You have plenty of opportunity to undertake little side tasks with your partner in A Way Out because it is a two-player cooperative experience. You spend some quality time with your fellow escapee playing games like Connect Four, arm wrestling, and sitting on a seesaw. But eventually you stumble upon a Pong-like arcade game called Grenade Brothers, which plays similarly to Pong. While it may seem quite straightforward, playing it against my partner player is a lot of fun, and we have admittedly spent much too much time doing so. For a while, this game kept us from paying attention to the plot.
8. Intermission in the Final Fantasy 7 remake: Fort Condor
The PS5 version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade has a new supplementary tale in addition to Cloud’s travels. In addition to introducing the endearing Wutai Ninja Yuffie and setting the stage for the much awaited part 2, Episode Intermission also included the inclusion of a really entertaining minigame. You engage in combat with a rival on a board in Fort Condor. To win, you must eliminate the king piece on the other side using a range of troops since each type of board has a different set of powers or benefits. You will receive more troops to test your strategic prowess against the next player with each victory. Even better, you get to confront some of the adventurers Cloud encountered in Midgar.
9. Second Squid Beatz in Splatoon
Playing Squid Beatz 2 is so much fun in part because of the excellent music in Splatoon 2. Visit the Squid Beatz 2 arcade game in Inkopolis Square when you need a break from splattering ink with your weapon of choice. In a rhythm game, you must press the appropriate button in time with the music while listening to some upbeat music. To try out additional songs and see if you can beat the Beatz, there are several methods to unlock new tracks in-game. Squid Beatz was included in the original game but required an amiibo to access; thankfully, it is now freely available in the second game.
10. Grognak and the Ruby Ruins from Fallout 4
Nothing distracts you more from the savage ghouls and super mutants as you explore the crumbling remains of the Commonwealth than playing a few games on your dependable Pip-Boy. The Wasteland offers a wide variety of minigames to play that are modelled by some of the most well-known arcade games ever created. Fallout 4 has a tonne of entertaining mini-games to play, such as Red Menace, which is modelled by Donkey Kong, and Zeta Invaders, which gives Space Invaders a Fallout twist. But Grognak and the Ruby Ruins is the one minigame to which I keep returning on my Pip-Boy. The game is based on the comic book series that can be found in Fallout and is a text-based adventure. Just a pleasant little diversion from the crazy world, that’s all.
11. Five Finger Fillet from Red Dead Redemption 2
In the mood to lose a finger? In Red Dead Redemption 2, you may attempt to accomplish precisely that while wearing Arthur Morgan’s cowboy boots. Alternately, if you’d like, you may test it out while playing as John Marston in the first Red Dead Redemption. You’ll be putting a knife quite close to your fingers in this minigame, as the game’s name somewhat implies. Make sure to press each button in the correct order; else, you risk cutting your finger. You will win the round if your speed is faster than the other player’s. Even though it might be challenging to learn, it feels great when you can sprint quickly without bumping into any fingers. You could play a game of blackjack or dominoes, perhaps, but nothing beats a round of five finger fillet. Simply make sure you have some bandages handy.
12. Crash Bandicoot appears in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
Near the start of the game, Nathan Drake sits down with Elena and plays a PS1 level of Crash Bandicoot in what is undoubtedly one of the game’s most iconic sequences. Of course you’re the one playing, Nathan. Yes, it is correct. You may compete against Elena’s record by playing the complete level of the traditional platformer in the game. The recent release of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time payed homage to the iconic image by showing Coco and Crash lounging on a sofa playing Uncharted 4; it was such a fantastic surprise for gamers indulging in the fourth instalment of Drake’s exploits. It’s always so cool when two video game universes merge with enduring easter eggs.
13. UFO Catcher from Yakuza 0
Minigames are a staple of the Yakuza franchise, and Yakuza 0 is no exception. Kiryu and Majima may keep occupied in a variety of ways, from playing the very entertaining cabaret club management game to singing and dancing at the disco and doing some smooth moves. As a Sega-published game, you may also visit a Sega arcade and play a tonne of authentic arcade games virtually. But the iconic UFO catcher claw machine was the one minigame that we couldn’t put down. The crane game, indeed. It might be just as hard as the actual thing to get your hands on the cuddly plush toy you want when there are lovely toys to try and win. There are some very sweet prizes available, like a Sega Mega Drive plushie that we wish we could actually buy.
14. Celeste
is a classic independent treasure. Celeste observes your efforts to assist Madeleine in her fantastic platformer from Extremely OK Games as she battles her inner demons and ascends a mountain. However, it also conceals a pretty cool easter egg. You can locate Celeste Classic, the original free version of Celeste that was created a few years before the main game, tucked away in a room. Once you’ve located the original version, you may play at any time from your game’s main menu. It is also playable on Itchio and Pico-8. When you do find the game and take a brief detour to play Celeste… in Celeste, it’s such a great experience.
15. The Revolution: Homefront – TimeSplitters 2
Another great example of a game within a game is the arcade version of Homefront: The Revolution, which contains the beloved and legendary FPS TimeSplitters 2 by Free Radical Design. You may discover the game cabinet and play a few complete levels of TimeSplitter 2’s narrative mode in the hidden section of the Restricted area called The Bourse. Homefront was first created by Crytek UK, the firm formerly known as Free Radical Design, before Dambuster; they are the same programmers that worked on TimeSplitters 2. It’s undoubtedly a really entertaining little easter egg that lets you play an early-2000s first-person shooter in a 2016 game of the same genre. Homefront: The Revolution is still the only method to play the vintage game on a more recent platform even though several years have passed. But now that Free Radical has reformed, it appears like the show may soon return.
