Starfield fans discuss its potential for Gwent-style card games and casinos


A building and character in Starfield.
Credit: Bethesda.

For those who’ve invested thousands of hours into the likes of Skyrim and Fallout 4, the release of Starfield, which is now pencilled in for September 6, can’t come soon enough.

Regardless of what you want to see from the next showcase of Bethesda's venture into space or how many interstellar mods you plan to install once it arrives, the idea of being able to delve into a freshly curated game filled with new quests, characters, and locations has RPG lovers of all stripes intrigued.

Currently, though, a few of the fans who’ve spent the last few months speculating and worrying about the seemingly sex-free game are discussing the possibility of being able to pause their adventures for a few rounds of cards.

Do you hope Starfield gives you the chance to utilise the gambling skills you honed on New Vegas’ strip?

Their interstellar poker-playing passions are the subject of a couple of recent threads on the Starfield subreddit, the first of which began with a post from user MartinTheTrue, who kicked things off by declaring: “(It) would be cool if we could play cards with our space crew (or companions).”

A couple of their fellow spacers appeared to like the sound of this idea, with user JimG81 saying: “I like mini-games like Gwent in The Witcher 3 or poker in Red Dead Redemption. I think they provide a good money sink and also good roleplaying opportunities for you to turn your character from a normal person into a drug-fuelled, alcoholic gambling addict.”

On the other hand, user Embarrassed-Bus-8591 argued: “I play space games to explore space. If I wanted to play chess l, I would just play chess.”

Meanwhile, user Sensquesteur brought up Fallout New Vegas’ infamous Caravan card game, suggesting that any diversions included in Starfield should probably be much easier to understand than the obscure activity the courier can engage in with various characters around the Mojave.

The first thread on the Starfield subreddit.
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Over in another thread, user Optimal_Meat2073 outlined their hopes for the game to take inspiration from one New Vegas feature, this being visitable casinos, saying: “(It) would be sweet if they threw in a seedy casino on Neon for us space degenerates.”

The second thread on the Starfield subreddit.
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One user responded by pondering whether such an establishment might even have the same rules as The Strip’s neon-soaked dives, musing: “I wonder if we’ll get banned for winning too much.”

However, user Camonna_Tong hoped this wouldn't be the case, reasoning: “That was fitting for New Vegas, but I'd hate it in Starfield as it's supposed to be a ‘forever game’. I wouldn't mind a temporary ban, but not a permanent one.”

Regardless of how you plan to spend all of your hard-earned space bucks, make sure to follow us for lots of guides to its world and mechanics.

You can also check out our latest mods of the month for some killer Skyrim and Fallout mods that’ll help tide you over until it arrives.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Gaming News, Starfield, and Role Playing Games pages.