The Summer heatwave can be a struggle to get through, and with nearly 100-degree weather it’s likely you won’t even want to leave your house. When the heat’s getting to you it can be hard to focus on something like a game, but that’s exactly what you need a relaxing laid-back game for.
We’ve compiled a list of games that can help you beat the summer heat while you’re staying inside in all that air conditioning; as long as it works.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is quite possibly the most relaxing video game experience you can have, simply spending each day building your own farm and homestead. At the start of the game, you inherit a small plot of land from your late grandfather, in the rural Pelican Town. Seeking a break from your corporate life, you decide to move to the town and rebuild your grandfather’s run-down plot.
Stardew Valley is a game all about doing what you want when you want. Whether you spend the day tending your crops or delving into the mine to find precious materials, it’s totally up to you. As you spend more time in Pelican Town you’ll get to know its inhabitants even better, and their personal stories.
Perhaps, you’ll even find someone to marry and spend the rest of your Stardew life with.
There are goals to meet in Stardew Valley, of course, but the time limits are so lenient you can basically do whatever you want. Even better is the fact that you can play the game with someone else now using its co-op feature, so if you and a friend need an excuse to stay in and laze around all day, that reason is Stardew Valley.
Super Mario Odyssey
Why take an actual vacation in this blazing hot summer when you can just journey to incredible locales and ecosystems via a flying hat-ship. Super Mario Odyssey takes you to some wildly varied locations, from the balmy Lake Kingdom to the bustling metropolis of New Donk City.
Of course, your overall goal is to collect moons and fight to save Princess Peach, again, but there’s really no rush to do that. It’s a pretty laid back experience, where you can just take time to roam around and explore each and every kingdom.
It’s almost soothing to try and collect all the moons in the game, and it’s sure to occupy quite a bit of your time. If you need to cool down, just have Mario put on those swim trunks, head to the Lake Kingdom, and splash around in the water. Just imagine you’re actually there, it’ll work.
The Sims 4
Ah the Sims, the game to play when you want to create your own digital avatar and play god. The Sims is an experience completely separate from the usual drama and violence of video games, letting you create a Sim or a Sim family and have them live out their everyday lives.
The Sims 4 already had plenty of content to wade through, but a number of expansion packs have added on even more content like Cats & Dogs, more job options, island living options, different seasons and events, and much more.
Needless to say, The Sims is a chill experience no matter what you choose to do, and during these hot summer months, you’ll see the hours just fall away as you watch your Sim live their perfect not 100-degree life.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Just like The Sims, Animal Crossing lets you live out a quaint alternate life, this time in a village full of adorable anthropomorphic animal creatures. The series has a truly unique gameplay loop that involves you talking with your neighbors, collecting bugs, fishing, decorating your house, and more.
The unique feature New Leaf puts on the formula, is by making you the town’s very own mayor. Don’t worry, though, as you won’t really be doing any extra work, just making decisions on the structures and improvements you want to make. It’s basically being Mayor for dummies.
If you don’t want to leave your house to see your friends, you’re in luck, as you can just visit their Animal Crossing village via online play. Now you never have to leave the air conditioning.
Firewatch
If you’ve ever wanted to experience the majesty of Yellowstone National Park but just haven’t been able to make it there, then Firewatch might be the game for you. Firewatch follows Henry, a man who needs to escape from his life for a while so he takes a job as a fire watcher at Yellowstone for the summer.
Despite some heavy themes, most of Firewatch involves wandering around the wilderness of Yellowstone, and learning more about your fellow fire watcher, Delilah, via radio conversations.
You’ll explore more of Yellowstone as the story progresses, uncovering more about the strange occurrences that start happening. The summer canyons of Firewatch are the perfect thing to match the stifling weather of the summer, but you don’t actually have to have heatstroke to see them this way.
Abzu
There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a cold pool in the middle of Summer, but how about a whole ocean. Abzu is just about the most relaxing experience you’ll ever have while playing video games, as you explore a gorgeous underwater paradise.
Exploration is the entire point of Abzu, and you’ll be able to observe different schools of fish and wildlife as you roam around the ocean. The game is similar to Journey in how it tells its ambiguous un-voiced story, putting more of an emphasis on going at your own pace.
Abzu is the perfect experience to kick back and relax with, while you’re trying to avoid the summer heat.
Slime Rancher
Slime Rancher is an adorable little game that has you creating and running your very own ranch of, you guessed it, sentient slimes. The game’s colorful cartoony art style is immediately welcoming, and there’s a fantastic loop of managing your own slimes, combining them to make new slimes, feeding them, and more.
A big part of Slime Rancher lies in exploring your surroundings to find new slimes and materials. There’s even a “peaceful” option you can turn on to remove any dangers from the world, letting you explore and work entirely at your leisure.
Spending the summer with your new slime friends doesn’t sound so bad, huh?
Assassin’s Creed Origins (Discovery Tour Mode)
If you’re going to be sitting inside avoiding the heat, why not take that time to learn something new while you’re at it? Assassin’s Creed Origins isn’t normally the most relaxing experience, but it’s Discovery Tour mode is a whole other beast.
Discovery Tour lets you explore Ancient Egypt however you want, completely removing any threats or obstacles. The really novel thing, however, is that the game now functions as one giant virtual museum that lets you take 75 different historical tours.
Ubisoft actually worked with historians and Egyptologists to make the experience, and you’ll be able to learn all about life and culture in Ancient Egypt. Who needs real museums when you can just do this, am I right?
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