Games get inspiration from many different parts of culture, and though there aren’t many games where players can directly play casino games on their Xbox, there are some games that heavily feature blackjack, poker, or other casino options.

A lot of people are drawn to huge immersive games like GTA, and you may already know that GTA simulates whole cities complete with clothing stores, gas stations, car shops, and even casino games.

A look at the Xbox store will show there are options for casino game enthusiasts, too, with some focusing on a virtual experience of a casino floor.

Why Are Casino Mini-Games Popular?

The number of people playing online casino games has continued to grow in recent years. Studies show that the number of people who engage in some form of gambling has now grown into the billions (yes, billions). This shows the appeal some simple games have, even relatively simple concepts such as blackjack have a big appeal in the 21st century, among these super high-quality HD simulator games.

Developers want to embrace this and create something people are familiar with, which can lead to introducing casino games into their console games. We explore some of the top examples.

GTA 5 – The Diamond Casino and Resort

Grand Theft Auto players will tell you that once a game like this is released, that is not the end of it. The game continues to evolve and change and updates come out, such as the one in 2019 that brought The Diamond Casino and Resort. In the fictional Los Santos, it seems right that there is a casino.

Players can take their avatars in and play simulations of poker, blackjack, and roulette. The money used is the in-game currency, GTA dollars, so people aren’t directly betting their own USD.

GTA 5 has continued to grow with the developers adding new aspects to the game in regular updates, even though the game first came out back in 2013. The fictional area of Los Santos is loosely based on some of the West Coast cities in the US, and as well as casinos, there are luxury penthouses, and players can even get involved with fictional businesses through their game, in addition to the heists and other aspects of the game people have associated with GTA’s franchise for decades now.

Red Dead Redemption

Most gaming fans will instantly see the connection between Red Dead Redemption and GTA. They are the two flagship franchises made by the same developers, Rockstar Games. Red Dead Redemption started life as Red Dead Revolver which came out on the original Xbox console back in 2004.

Within RDR, there are numerous ways that players can use their virtual currency to gamble. This includes some traditional casino mini-games such as blackjack and Texas Hold ‘Em, but there are also some other games such as arm wrestling (really) and players can bet on the outcomes of those. It boils down to whether one character in the game can beat another!

Red Dead Redemption (often just called Red Dead by its fans) is another massive, multi-award-winning game. It is set in the Wild West in the early 1900s. People praise the storyline and the open-world design, which is reminiscent of other Rockstar titles.

Fallout

The Fallout Games are another franchise that has become known for including gambling games as mini-games.

The main game follows the futuristic aftermath of a “great war” when there is nuclear fallout following this warfare.

Gambling is actually a skill within the skill tree of the game, and players can use this within the game to try and win and gain more supplies.

The mini-games are very basic and simplistic but they can add another aspect to the game. A lot of developers are trying to create a more realistic experience of a world where players can explore in their own time and do some of the normal things that the characters might do day-to-day.

The Four Kings Casino and Slots

Released in 2020, this is the only game on our list that you could refer to as a full casino simulator. It has all the games you’d expect and different tables players can choose to join. The Four Kings Casino and Slots is a game that only uses virtual currency, with nothing that has any intrinsic value, so it is not the same as betting in an online casino but there are simulations of some of the games within.

Casino games are often a simple little detail developers can introduce that allows them to create something that is much more in-depth and has a little nod to other games their players enjoy. Whether it is in the modern Los Santos or the saloon bars in Red Dead Redemption, the story of gambling in games tends to reflect the way that casino games have evolved in real life.