Ah, the humble casino. Never has such a simple pastime been so glamorous and glitzy. While most casino games are essentially based on luck – roll the dice, spin the wheel, or play the cards and see whether fortune favours you – that doesn’t mean casino gaming isn’t immensely fun and exciting.
Luckily, if you’re not inclined or able to get out and enjoy the casino experience for yourself, there are plenty of ways to do so without leaving the comfort of your own home. Gaming offers an excellent method for vicariously enjoying casino gaming, but where to begin? Here are the best casino games available on every major gaming platform in 2021.
PC: Casino gaming websites
If you’ve got a gaming PC – or even just a laptop or less powerful desktop – then we have good news for you: you’ve got access to the best possible facsimile of casino gaming that there is. Online casino gaming websites give you a great opportunity to enjoy some of the great casino games without needing to actually visit casino premises.
Where should you begin, though? Luckily, the internet has you covered there, as well. There are lots of websites that aggregate all the best casinos around and tell you which ones are worth your time and money. If you’re interested in finding out where to start with online casino gaming, click here – you won’t regret it.
PlayStation 5: Prominence Poker (also on PS4)
Despite being a PlayStation 4 game, Prominence Poker is fully playable on PS5 thanks to backwards compatibility, and it’s a great game to enjoy on Sony’s new superpowered hardware. It offers a pretty convincing poker simulation, complete with advanced enemy AI and beautiful graphics to enjoy as you play.
Prominence Poker may not be the most accurate casino sim around – after all, it’s not actually set in a casino – but the way in which it replicates poker rules is pretty much unparalleled. If you love poker and you want the best possible poker experience, Prominence Poker takes some beating.
PlayStation 4: The Four Kings Casino and Slots (also on PS5)
Unlike Prominence Poker, The Four Kings Casino and Slots is actually a full-blooded representation of a real-life casino (albeit with a slightly more cartoony aesthetic). You can create your own 3D avatar with which to navigate the surprisingly detailed and immersive world of the game, exploring, making connections, and checking out casino games aplenty.
The games on offer here don’t deviate too much from the template – you’ll be playing games like keno, blackjack, and Texas hold’em, among others – but they’re all well-crafted and faithful recreations of real-life casino games. You’ll also be able to unlock new items for your avatar as you play, so although you can’t earn real money in The Four Kings Casino and Slots, you can earn the next best thing: prestige.
Xbox Series X and S: Pure Hold’em (also on Xbox One)
As you might expect from the title, Pure Hold’em is all about one casino game in particular: hold’em poker. It offers six different tables, each of which pits you against devious AI for the chance to win big at the table and prove your poker superiority. Visually, Pure Hold’em is top-notch, with shimmering surfaces, sharp cards, and beautifully detailed environments.
Of course, that would mean nothing if the poker sim at the heart of the game wasn’t accurate, but luckily, that’s not the case here. It’s obvious that the developers of Pure Hold’em have tried their absolute hardest to create a poker sim with perfect verisimilitude, and it’s difficult to imagine how it could have gone any better than this. As an added bonus, Pure Hold’em actually does take place inside a casino, too!
Xbox One: Grand Theft Auto Online (also on Xbox Series X and S)
We’ll have to wait just a little longer for that Xbox Series X and S optimised version of Grand Theft Auto V and Online, but for now, you can still enjoy everyone’s favourite open-world consequence-free violence sim on Xbox One. Aside from the meaty single-player offering, Grand Theft Auto Online offers frankly staggering value for money, especially when it comes to the Diamond Casino & Resort content.
As the name suggests, the Diamond Casino & Resort add-on for GTA Online presents a fully-featured casino, complete with chips to cash, games to enjoy, and other players to meet. There’s also a heist set in the building, which the in-game description says is impregnable, suggesting that you’re going to need a serious team of experts if you want to crack it and make off with the loot.
Nintendo Switch: Vegas Party
As a more over-the-top rendition of Las Vegas, Vegas Party isn’t really the game for you if you’re looking for a super-serious and accurate casino sim. However, it’s perfect for anyone who likes to inject a little light-hearted fun and humour into their casino gaming. It’s a party game akin to Mario Party, but it takes casino games as its subject instead of that franchise’s wackier offerings.
Your goal is to reach the end of the Las Vegas Strip before your opponents do. In order to do so, you’ll have to take on diverse casino minigames like baccarat, poker, and blackjack across 17 different casino environments. Make no mistake: while Vegas Party isn’t particularly realistic, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a tense thrill ride!
