Gaming of all kinds is hotter now than it has ever been before. There has been a genuine explosion of interest in all forms of gaming all around the world.

Two of the most popular of the many types of games on the market are video games and slots. However they often seem to have totally different fan bases and there has not been much historical crossover between them.

That is changing now though. Some of the best video games of this era incorporate slot games into the play, as well as other casino gaming options. 

It is partly a reflection of the growing interest in those games and partly because the tension of gambling can add spice to an action or role-playing game. That makes it worth highlighting the best ones to feature slots as part of their play.

So let’s take a look at them.

GTA V

Grand Theft Auto is a serious contender for the biggest game franchise in the world. Every new instalment of the open-world action-adventure series hits the top of the charts on its release.

Grand Theft Auto V was game number seven in the main series and hit the shops in 2013. The setting is San Andreas and there are three main characters – all of them criminals – that gamers can opt to play as.

However the element of the game that interests us here is the slots. They are to be found within the fictional Diamond Casino and Resort and this venue features lots of slot games, just as a real-world casino would.

The slots in the game function exactly like they would in an actual casino too. Whatever character you are playing as puts money in and either wins or loses.

Of course, they are not real-money slots. What is being wagered is the currency from the game world not hard cash from this world.

Therefore any winnings cannot be converted into spending money outside of the game. The slots are not just an empty gimmick though: all money won by playing them can be used by the protagonist within the game universe to get things they need to complete their missions.

GTA V is available for all of the main gaming consoles as well as Windows PCs, so anyone can play it.

Fallout: New Vegas

The Fallout series of games are all role-playing ones that take place in different futuristic post-apocalyptic landscapes. New Vegas is a spin-off from the main series and the central character is simply known as The Courier.

He is delivering a package to New Vegas – which replaced the old Las Vegas after a nuclear war – but is robbed and left for dead. The point of the game is to recover that package while navigating the battle for control of the city.

New Vegas makes its money from casinos and gambling, just like the actual Vegas. That means there are lots of casinos in the game, including the Atomic Wrangler Casino, Vance Casino and Gomorrah.

They feature realistic simulations of the games found in actual casinos: with slots prominent among them. Again, the point of these in-game casinos is to take a chance and maybe win money that can be used to buy anything from armour to food.

That means they are an important part of the game universe, but are different from online slots in that you cannot win money for use outside of the game. 

Fallout: New Vegas was released by Obsidian Entertainment in 2010. It can be played on PlayStation and Xbox consoles or Windows PCs.

The Sims 3

This is the third game in the series that is all about creating characters of your own, but it is the first to feature slots as part of the game world. One of the features of the world in The Sims 3 is a gambling venue called the Lucky Simoleon Casino.

It has several slots including the Triple Riches Slots O’Jackpots one. It is part of the goals and wishes feature that was added to the franchise with this game.

If your goal is to make your chosen Sims characters wealthy overnight, playing the slots at this casino is one way to achieve it. Once more, there is no real-world money involved in the betting; it is purely an in-game experience.

It is possible that this simulated slots play will appeal to fans of the real thing, even though they do not have the chance to win actual cash. The game again makes the slots a natural and purposeful part of the game, rather than a pointless sideline.

This 2009 game is available for all consoles and both Windows and Mac PCs.These titles prove that slots can work in any genre of game not just casino.