subgame

S1U1B3G2A1M3E1

noun

A subset of a game that can be considered a game in its own right.

UncommonScrabble 12

Meanings

nounsubgame (plural subgames)

plural subgames

  1. computingA subset of a game that can be considered a game in its own right.

    A subgame is a piece of a game—the piece that remains to be played beginning at any point at which the complete history of the game thus far is common knowledge among the players.

    1992, Robert Gibbons, A Primer in Game Theory, Prentice-Hall, page 94
  2. video gamesA minor or incidental game within a larger video game; a minigame.

    There was a subgame that was very well-recieved ^([sic]) in the previous Paper Mario RPG [Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door], where you would play through this side-scrolling stage as a gigantic Bowser.

    2007, Nintendo Power, volumes 214-216, page 78

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 小游戲 /小游戏
  • 小游戲 /小游戏 (xiǎoyóuxì)video games
Italian sottogioco
  • sottogiocogame theory
Spanish subjuego, subjuego
  • subjuegogame theory
  • subjuegovideo games
Cite this entry
APA

subgame. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subgame

MLA

“subgame.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subgame. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “subgame,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subgame.

Source: subgame on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.