The idea of bonuses in games has evolved from temporary power-ups to secret worlds to clothing that improves your stats. Game developers have moved past bonuses as an attention grab or a quick advantage and have turned them into extensions of the main story or valuable items. Bonuses have taken on new meaning, promoting a sense of discovery and exploration that game developers capitalize on today.
Much like a guide from casinos.com about slot bonuses that can maximize your rewards, video game bonuses give you that same sense of achievement and immersion. They can extend your gameplay past the main story or objectives, allowing you to rack up additional hours within the game’s world while looking for more hidden surprises.
Let’s take a look at a few video games with great bonuses.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
With an incredibly vast open world complemented by various quests and a strong central story, Skyrim is one of those games that you can play endlessly. The game’s purpose is to explore as much as possible, meaning an almost endless amount of Easter eggs. Many consider the most enticing unlockable the Shouts, which are mystical abilities that help you in battle.
Everything in Skyrim requires you to spend time roaming the land and searching for these secret locations, hidden quests, and legendary weapons. All of these contribute to the strength of your character and evolve your game to levels you didn’t know existed. With DLCs like Hearthfire and Dragonborn to add extra features, you’ll never run out of activities to do in Skyrim.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Similarly, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the first Zelda game featuring a genuinely open-world experience. Hyrule was in full force, with sweeping landscapes, unique environments, and a horde of NPCs that added to the realism and depth of the world.
While there were hard-to-find caves and items in past games, Breath of the Wild broke free of that linear structure with shrines, rare weapons and armor, and 900 hidden Korok seeds that you’re unlikely to find on your own. These wearables increase your abilities and provide new ones; Korok seeds help improve your inventory space, and completing shrines reward you with a heart container or stamina wheel portion.
Fortnite
Fortnite effectively pioneered a constant stream of unlockable bonuses, which could explain why it’s been consistently among the most popular games in the past few years. Of course, it also owes its popularity to the renowned battle royale format, but the bonuses keep players coming back. The Battle Pass system allows players to unlock emotes, skins, cosmetics, and in-game items, and the game frequently hosts events like concerts for players to attend virtually and unlock bonus content. Within the actual gameplay, there’s another layer where you can look for hidden loot.
Fortnite essentially has an ecosystem of bonuses, whether you earn V-Bucks and use that in-game currency to purchase them, attend limited-time events, participate in challenges, or play the game.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Bonuses work slightly differently in Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH). While they don’t inherently give you perks regarding your playable character, you unlock bonuses that improve your island customization, provide more DIYs, level up relationships with your villagers, and grant access to Harv’s Island with various vendors.
What’s most interesting about ACNH is that the game is played in real-time, which means each day on the island unfolds differently. Start the game on New Year’s Eve, and you’ll find out there’s an event with prizes and fireworks. Fish at the beach in the morning, and you’ll realize there are certain fish that you won’t be able to catch. These bonuses encourage players to play throughout the day and year to capitalize on special events, availability, and limited-time content.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
It may seem unlikely for a fighting game to have that many rewards and bonuses, but Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has tons of them. The game has everything from bonus music tracks to new stages and characters that you can unlock so long as you’re dedicated to playing the game. Rather than present the characters and backdrops as they are, the experience isn’t static, which prevents burnout and keeps the gameplay fresh.
As we’ve seen with many of the other games on this list, there are frequently layers upon layers of bonuses, and in Super Smash Bros., we’ve got the Spirit System. The spirits offer a range of abilities and buffs that chosen characters can equip, making every match different.
Grand Theft Auto V
The bonuses in GTA V are twofold, allowing players to enjoy them in single-player and online modes. As an open-world game, GTA presents a natural playground for unlocking vehicles, weapons, outfits, and more as players progress through the story. Players can choose to play side missions that unlock awards like cash or new story elements and continue to explore Los Santos after the main story ends.
In online mode, bonuses grow legs. Players can earn double or triple the rewards for completing missions; some even cooperate. GTA Online even lets you unlock properties, run your business, and access new character customizations.
