Video Game Mini Games You Can Play In Real Life

Video games, as meta as it might sound, sometimes have their own games inside of them. Some of these mini-games sometimes become so popular that they develop a cult following in their respective fandoms. They can even steal the show with how embarrassing it is to play them or how controversial they can be, like with the brutal cockfighting mini-game in "Far Cry 6." Some seem so well-thought-out that they might as well be their own games. Sometimes, they even end up with their own real-life counterparts. 

Many video games become popular enough to officially translate into board games, card games, and similar non-electronic versions. For example, "Animal Crossing," "Pokemon," and "Mario" are just a few games that have their own Monopoly adaptations. However, mini-games within larger titles don't get much attention, even though they often translate real-life games into a virtually playable version. The opposite can happen, too, where video game mini-games inspire real-life adaptations. Not all of them are official, but they're still out there for fans to enjoy outside of a screen. These are some video game mini-games that you can play in real life.

"The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" introduces a card game called Gwent into Geralt's world. The titular Witcher and most of the NPCs in "The Witcher 3" world can play Gwent with each other. However, there's no need to be familiar with "The Witcher" in order to play the game in real life. Players without a gaming background might miss out on understanding the lore behind the magic and monsters on the cards, but Gwent is still enjoyable to anyone who loves a good strategy game.

Reddit user Adef25 created their own printable versions of the cards for fans. All you need to do to play Gwent in real life is print and cut the cards from their thread. Adef25 personally chose to print the fronts and backs separately and glue them together, although others can print double-sided if they want. The full deck includes 44 Northern Realm cards, 44 Nilfgaardian cards, 44 Scoia'tael cards, 44 Monster cards, 29 Neutral Faction cards, and all the card backs. It also includes 5 additional instructional cards with text taken from the official Gwent instructional booklet.

Since Adef25 created their thread in 2016, CD Projekt Red developed a Gwent mobile game and even released a limited-edition Gwent playing deck. Worst case scenario, you can download the mobile game if you don't have a printer. Superfans can also find the official playing cards online through resell sites like eBay — for a price.

In "Assassin's Creed Valhalla," Orlog just represents one of many mini-games from the "Assassin's Creed" series. Still, it's the only one so far to attract enough attention to launch a successful Kickstarter and make its way into real life. In fact, the Yahtzee-like Viking game surged past its goal of 70,000 CAD in only 35 minutes after its launch. 

PureArts created the first Deluxe Edition Orlog Dice Game set, which sold for about $200. However, its Kickstarter campaign took affordability into consideration and priced the new sets at around $35. PureArts has also worked on figurines and miniatures for games such as "Cyberpunk 2077," "Dark Souls," and other "Assassin's Creed" titles with Ubisoft in the past, so it makes sense that the company would agree to partner with Ubisoft for its Orlog campaign.

Pure Arts closed its pledges on September 5. In its most recent Kickstarter update, it described its aggressive production schedule to meet its planned December delivery date. Orders might be closed for now, but it seems like the door might open again after the first wave of orders for fans who missed out.

"Fall Out: New Vegas" brought the post-apocalyptic streets of Vegas to life in more than one way. Taking place in the Mojave Wasteland, an area that vaguely represents southwest states like California, Nevada, and Arizona the game thrust players into a harsh world full of robots, wandering bandits, and corruption. In "New Vegas," Sin City is just a soot spot in a post-apocalyptic world. That being said, it also has some fun mini-game and gambling options — like Caravan. 

Obsidian Entertainment specifically designed Caravan as a fictional card game for "Fallout: New Vegas," but the game uses a simple deck of playing cards and can be replicated in real life. Pagat, a card-playing site, lists two versions of Caravan that "Fallout" fans can play with friends using standard cards. The first version attempts to copy the game almost exactly as it's played in "Fallout: New Vegas" and the second plays loose with the rules and includes several changes. Alternatively, the eBook "How to Play Caravan" suggests other variants and strategies for players to look into, too.

Obsidian Entertainment also included physical Caravan decks with its New Vegas Collector's Edition of the game. Fans can still find these elusive packs circling on sites like Amazon and eBay, but they're much more expensive and less available than a cheap deck of cards.