Summary
With summer upon us, there rises the desire for video games that elicit that summer feeling from within. Whether it’s a yearning of nostalgia for something older that holds endless replayability, or a game that encapsulates the sensation of unending heat, or conversely, the desire to cool down!
Certainly, many gamers will have memories of spending sunny days indoors and games they have lost the summer season to playing more than they meant to. Or, conversely, a shorter title that defines a summer gone by for them due to the impact it had, perhaps a title they return to every other summer to relive the past for a moment. While there are a couple of big hitters coming out soon, summer is still the best season for gamers to live out their nostalgic urges before autumn comes along and everyone’s wallets get emptied trying to keep up with all the major games releasing!
To qualify, a game has to be at least 5 years old to qualify. Different generations, consoles, and genres will also be covered, just to provide as wide a net as possible.
Perhaps an odd pick (HA!) but there is something about thisalien bounty-hunting adventurethat feels like prime-time summer action. Perhaps it is something to do with the high and dry setting, obviously meant to elicit the archetypal locations of the Western genre with its one-horse towns, dusty canyons, and disused mills and factories.
WhileStrangers' Wrathwon’t take up a lot of time to complete, players will still find themselves thinking about it for the rest of the summer, and for some, even twenty summers onwards.
The perfect game for escaping a boiling-hot summer’s day by simulating a dip in the beautiful and endlessly expansive ocean waters. If the player sticks to the early areas and doesn’t delve too deep, they could pretend that they were on a snorkeling holiday.
The only concern is that venturing further into the deep, dark waters ofSubnauticamay cause profuse sweating from the sheer terror of the surroundings and knowledge that there are somesignificantly less friendly, and larger, creatureshidden in the abyss.
For those who defy the weather in every way they can, staying indoors to playAC: Originsis a perfect way to spend the summer. There is certainly enough content to last the summer, as it is a huge game and themap is filled with stunning desertsand details to discover.
Sailing the Nile, uncovering the many mirages of the desert, or taking refuge in the tunnels of the tombs under the pyramids, and so much more on offer, it’s like an ancient Egyptian holiday! For increased immersion, play while wearing a winter jacket.
For a much more bite-sized experience that is completable in a couple of sessions or so,Firewatchis a great pick to feel some summer vibes and enjoy a quick narrative-driven experience. Theforest environment and sleepy, deep orange lightingand color schemes all lend themselves fantastically to the romanticization of a short-term summer escape from normal city life into the wilderness.
A smart character-driven piece of entertainment that will make the player both wistful and wary, peaceful to paralyzed, all in the space of a few hours.
The Legend of Zelda
A bit of a pick your poison one here, but really, so many of theZeldagames could be the right one for summer, depending on the gamer, or on the summer. While obviously very varied, they all carry that same sensibility that just fits theZeldabrand of fantasy with some summer gaming. There is just a certain vibrancy and a gentleness to the series that lends itself perfectly to the season.
While there are alwayselements of darkness, it never overbears the pervasive feeling of wide-eyed discovery and joy-filled fantasy.
The Sims
WhileSimscan be enjoyed all year round and has an appeal for all seasons, there is just something that feels particularly right about spending more time than realisedmicromanaging the livesof the little woohoo people and designing houses as a summer’s day passes by.
Whether by yourself or with friends, it is an easy game to get lost in for hours on end, and while sometimes it can feel like not much has happened in the time spent, there can be something quite pleasantly therapeutic about the time spent there.
Is it possible for a game to have a more summery title? Or a more summery notion than literally bringing back the sunshine? While certainly a game for all ages to enjoy,Sunshineis the perfect kids summer game, an adventuring platforming classic filled with bubbly characters,bright beachesand easy-going cheery vibes that could bring brightness to any gamer’s heart on the darkest day. Though it should be mentioned, like a lot of kids' games at the time, just because it is child-friendly doesn’t mean it is easy and there can be some pretty sudden difficulty spikes!
A game that saved lives; hyperbole, possibly. It certainlyboosted the popularity of the Switchif nothing else! It kept many people at home and sane during the pandemic while allowing for the kind of social interaction many desperately needed when it was all but impossible. The creation and maintenance of one’s own island is a very therapeutic and calming task to focus on for a couple of hours a day, and easily a task that can keep the mind busy for the duration of a summer.
New Horizonsis one of those rare games that players will find themselves thinking about suddenly, mid-conversation or while at work, an experience that drifts into everyday thought and is always a treat to pick up and play.
