Cliff Notes – The 10 best summer video games to play if you’re missing the heatwave
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- Another Crab’s Treasure (2024): A unique Soulslike set underwater, offering a cooling atmosphere and approachable gameplay for newcomers.
- Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag (2013): Features exhilarating naval battles and a vast open world, perfect for summer escapades on the high seas.
- Far Cry 3 (2012): Set on a tropical island, this game combines stunning visuals with engaging storytelling and a variety of gameplay options.
The 10 best summer video games to play if you’re missing the heatwave
What are your go-to summer video games? (Metro)
Whether you’ve been enjoying the hot weather or not there is a way to maintain the summer atmosphere without getting sweaty, via these scorching hot video games.
There have been some blistering hot days across Europe, in the last few weeks, but for now at least the heatwave is over. If you want to keep the summer mood going though, you choose to play some video games instead.
It can’t just be any video games though. You’re going to want ones that emulate that summer sensation; the kind that give off warm vibes that make you feel refreshed just by looking at them.
Given how many games prefer a dark, miserable-looking post apocalypse that’s not as easy as it should be, but if you need some inspiration we’ve got the perfect examples listed below.
Another Crab’s Treasure (2024)
A rare instance of a Soulslike that doesn’t emulate Dark Souls’ dark gothic aesthetic, Another Crab’s Treasure takes place entirely underwater, which feels constantly cooling as you explore your surroundings and battle enemies.
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Don’t let the visuals fool you into thinking this is meant for kids though. This is still a Soulslike at the end of the day (one with a surprisingly foul-mouthed script, that belies its cartoon graphics) and a decently challenging one, though its more approachable and simplistic design makes it a good starting point for newbies.
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag (2013)
Sailing on the open sea is one of those power fantasies that never gets old and any game that features it is perfect for summer gaming sessions. We’ve got a few examples on this list, but the first that came to mind is Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.
Skull & Bones may be the more current Ubisoft pirate game, but Black Flag is easily the better option. It’s not quite the ultimate pirate fantasy (the pirates are far too self-serious, for one), but its naval battles are a lot of fun, and the world is huge and far from empty with how much stuff there is to find.
If you’d rather wait for that long-rumoured remake, we also recommend Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and its beautiful, sun-drenched depiction of ancient Greece.
Far Cry 3 (2012)
Speaking of Ubisoft games, Far Cry 3’s setting of an idyllic island paradise makes it the most suited of the series for a summer gaming session. It’s certainly cheaper than visiting a real island paradise, although this one is overrun by pirates and local madmen.
Aside from being a very pretty game for its time, Far Cry 3 is debatably still the best in the series, thanks to its plentiful open world, wide range of weapons and vehicles, and fantastic storytelling. This is propped up by iconic bad guy Vaas, who is still the gold standard that all subsequent Far Cry villains have tried to meet.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024)
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is such an obvious pick for this list, considering most of it takes place in Hawaii.
The game’s recreation of the city of Honolulu means there’s a sandy beach to run down, a sea to swim in, hundreds of locals and tourists to greet or fight, and a treasure trove of side activities to enjoy, from a karaoke bar to kart racing. Not to mention there’s a whole Animal Crossing-esque mini-game where you build and manage your own island resort.
While its summer vibes are immaculate, anyone interested in a smaller scale adventure might prefer its successor, Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii, which shares the same map but swaps the turn-based combat for real-time action and adds naval battles and your own ever-growing pirate crew.
Sea Of Thieves (2018)
Given how crowded the live service games market is, you know Sea Of Thieves is doing something right when it’s managed to stay afloat for over seven years, whereas other examples have sunk into the murky depths of obscurity.
This list’s already full of single-player games so we wanted to highlight at least one primarily multiplayer adventure. Sea Of Thieves actively encourages you cooperate and socialise with other players, and its weak points, like the combat, are easily overlooked when you’re sailing with friends.
Its PlayStation 5 port has opened up the game to even more people and newcomers will find tons of content to keep busy with, including story campaigns based on Pirates Of The Caribbean and the Monkey Island games.
Sonic Adventure (1999)
Admittedly, Sonic Adventure gets on this list mainly for its introductory stage, Emerald Coast. The quintessential example of video game beach levels, its summertime energy radiates out of the screen, as you race across a resort boardwalk, past waterfalls, and escape a rampaging killer whale.
The rest of the game (mostly) holds up, and it all feels oddly fitting as a summer game thanks to locations like the resort town Station Square, the humid jungles of the Mystic Ruins, and a lot of watery visuals courtesy of main villain Chaos. Oddly, it was originally released in December though.
Subnautica (2018)
Subnautica isn’t one for thalassophobes, but if you have an interest in underwater exploration and survival games, it’ll certainly float your boat. Especially since it’s not as punishing as other examples in the survival genre.
That’s not to say it’s a completely chill experience though. The alien ocean you explore is full of genuinely scary dangers, although the impressive underwater movement means you can only blame your own panicky reactions if you get eaten.
There’s an equally solid follow-up entitled Subnautica: Below Zero if you find yourself wanting more. It’s extremely similar to the first game, only this time with a frozen, winter setting. Hopefully that sequel that’s launching in early access this year brings more new ideas to the table.
Super Mario Sunshine (2002)
Perhaps the most summery video game ever made, Super Mario Sunshine has its flaws but no game conjures up a better holiday atmosphere. It’s fitting since the premise sees Mario fly to the tropical land of Isle Delfino, which we’d gladly visit if it existed in real life.
While it is sandwiched between the superior Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy, even a mid-tier Mario platformer is still a decent time, as you use your water jetpack to clean up goop and restore sunlight to the island. Just don’t bother searching for all those blue coins.
Annoyingly, it’s not easy playing this one nowadays, since the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection saw a limited release, but Nintendo has said Super Mario Sunshine will be added to the Switch 2’s GameCube library at some point soon.
Tchia (2023)
In a post-Breath Of The Wild world, this Polynesian themed adventure from Awaceb, a little-known studio from New Caledonia, is definitely one of the better attempts to emulate Nintendo’s work, even though it mostly tries to do its own thing.
Tchia’s open world is a joy to explore thanks to its pleasant, summery graphics and soul jump ability that lets you possess hundreds of different animals and objects, although we wish it took more advantage of this for its puzzles.
It’s certainly the most chill game on the list, due to the complete absence of combat; perfect if you want a relaxing and stress-free experience this summer.
The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2003)
If any Legend Of Zelda game was destined for this list, it was always going to be The Wind Waker, if only for its core premise of exploring a vast sea populated by islands, which is easily the most summery setting in the series.
While the Wii U remake, and its less tiresome third act, have still yet to be ported to Switch, even the original GameCube version on the Switch 2 is worth playing if you’re a newer Zelda fan interested in seeing Link’s older adventures.
It still holds up as one of the most beautiful GameCube games and a technical achievement for the system. Plus, charting undiscovered waters with the sun bearing down from above almost makes us want to hop on a raft and go sailing ourselves.
We’ll still take a re-release of the Wii U version, please (Nintendo)
