Dead or Alive Xtreme 3
10 Summer Games for When It’s Too Hot to Actually Go Outside
The first entry in this list is a pretty obvious one. Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 is Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja’s third shameless foray into the world of summer based fun. This game really steps things up from previous entries – taking a break from their normal lives and heading to a serene beach resort, the girls participate in various activities from beach volleyball (the central focus of the first DOAX game), to rock climbing, to a new mode named ‘Butt Battle,’ which plays out just as you’d guess.
But we’re not here for the fanservice, though; this game is also highly summer-focused, being entirely based on holiday activities, and is perfect for anyone looking to take a break from reality and engage in some beach games. Unfortunately, this game never got a western release, but the Japanese version is region-free and has an English subtitles mode, so if you’re desperate to get your hands on it you can order it online.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
10 Summer Games for When It’s Too Hot to Actually Go Outside
It could be argued that the Animal Crossing series aren’t really summer games, because they feature every season depending on when you play, but summer is easily the time you’ll be able to play the most. On top of that, this series just oozes good vibes, making it the perfect compliment to the happiness of summertime. Animal Crossing is a series beloved to many a gamer, purely because of its relaxed nature. Animal Crossing: New Leaf, the latest entry in the series, contains a returning feature from the older games – Animal Island. On the island, summer is found year-round, and you can collect loads of unique items from this small resort. The game itself already gives off a summery vibe, but Animal Island really gives you that vacation feeling.
Expect to play this one all through the summer, and maybe even through to next year, too. Recently, the game got a massive update that incorporates amiibo and loads of other new features, so now is the perfect time to play.
Final Fantasy X
10 Summer Games for When It’s Too Hot to Actually Go Outside
Final Fantasy X is an adventure you can’t afford to miss, and the summery theme in some parts of the game makes it perfect to play at this time of the year. The setting of one of the early portions of the game, Besaid Island, is a small tropical island with a huge beach, and plenty to find. It’s also one of the most essential parts of the game, being the place where Tidus meets Yuna and begins his journey, giving this island even more significance in the grand scheme of things. A good section of Final Fantasy X involves Tidus and Yuna traveling between a number of equally tropical locations that’ll serve as the perfect escape from real life for a little while.
On top of the summer theme, Final Fantasy X is also just an essential game that every RPG fan should give a shot. Final Fantasy X and X-2 were both remastered for the PS4, too, meaning you’ve practically got no excuse to not play this game.
The Sims 3
10 Summer Games for When It’s Too Hot to Actually Go Outside
Many would argue that The Sims 3 isn’t very summery, but hear me out; The Sims 3 is essentially one big vacation away from real life. The Sims 3 was the top choice among the other Sims titles thanks to its setting. The city that you find yourself in, Sunset Valley, just oozes summer, and has something for everyone looking for a getaway – beaches, swimming pools, architecture both old and new, and most importantly, people.
If Sunset Valley isn’t summery enough for you, the expansions have got you covered; Hidden Springs offers a woodland mountain escape, Sunlit Tides offers up a lush jungle, lagoon, and beach-based bungalows, and Barnacle Bay is a bright tropical island. There are many more towns available in the expansions, and each one offers a different sort of getaway – if you can’t afford a vacation this summer, it might be wise to look at The Sims!
Forza Horizon 3
10 Summer Games for When It’s Too Hot to Actually Go Outside
Last year’s Forza Horizon 3 is one of the few racing games where you really care about, and want to look at, the scenery; instead of just focusing on the track in front of you. As an open world driving game, this game is easily the best and most beautiful. It’s set in the heat of Australia, where the sun is maybe at its hottest anywhere in the world, so you can’t get much more summer than this. When you aren’t engaging in super-dangerous near misses during a race, you’ll lose yourself exploring the vast landscape on the long open roads that this game has to offer.
Far Cry 3
10 Summer Games for When It’s Too Hot to Actually Go Outside
Far Cry 3 was the best choice out of the Far Cry series here, but any of them would have worked, really. Each game in the franchise has a summer theme, but the heat-blasted paradise that is Far Cry 3’s main setting practically lives and breathes summer. Even when you’re getting hunted by the very definition of insanity, Vaas, you can’t help but stop and marvel at the work put into the world of Far Cry 3. Everywhere you go in this game, there is a tropical theme, and the sun is almost always beating down on top of you.
Far Cry 3 is a great game, easily among the highlights of the last generation of games, so if you can pick it up this summer, it might be a good idea to give it a try.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
10 Summer Games for When It’s Too Hot to Actually Go Outside
If you’ve never visited before, Vice City is a place you must make a stop at this summer. We could’ve picked GTA 5 here, but Vice City felt like the better choice with it being entirely set in Miami in the summertime. Throughout the course of this game you’ll engage in various missions across the city, which is full of sun, sea, and sex on the top of a grim underground full of crime, drugs, and murder.
When you’re not engaging in criminal activity, Vice City has a real beauty to it. You can spend a good bit of time just driving around the island, exploring everything there is to see from beaches to clubs to expensive housing, and everything works together and feels like a real world. The graphics haven’t aged well, but if you’re up for it, Vice City is an essential stop on your summer getaway.
Just Cause 3
10 Summer Games for When It’s Too Hot to Actually Go Outside
The world of Just Cause 3 is massive. Set on the fictional island of Medici in the Mediterranean, you’ll spend days exploring every corner of this world as Rico Rodriguez, and constantly find ways to have fun. Most of the island is basked in the sun for a good portion of the game, and you can soak in the rays while you’re wing-suiting endlessly everywhere you go. Just Cause 3 is made fun with the sheer number of tools at your disposal; your grapple hook and wing-suit, two of the most important items in Rico’s arsenal, can be used in conjunction with the rest of your kit to make for some incredibly creative kills and destructive missions.
If you’re getting bored of the blazing sun in the real world, you can always spend some time taking it in on Medici, all the while killing soldiers and blowing things up along the way.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
10 Summer Games for When It’s Too Hot to Actually Go Outside
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was, upon release, a dramatic turn away from the more serious art-style of Ocarina of Time, instead taking on a vibrant and lively color pallet. At the time, many questioned the decision, but nowadays Wind Waker is a beloved classic in the series and is considered a must-play by many. The entire game is set on a series of small islands across a vast ocean, and Link must travel across this ocean in order to save his sister, and eventually the world. You almost can’t get more summery than this – sailing away under the heat of the blistering sun, interacting with many wonderful characters along the way.
Super Mario Sunshine
10 Summer Games for When It’s Too Hot to Actually Go Outside
This one needs no explanation; Summer Mario Sunshine is summer. The entire game is centered around restoring sun-shaped stars (dubbed Shine Sprites) to the isle of Delfino, in order to bring light back to the island. Along the way, you’ll move through various summer-themed locations, including a beach, a theme park, and a lagoon. The game in its entirety is phenomenal – each and every Shine Sprite you collect is rewarding, and Mario controls probably the best he ever has – the addition of a water-cannon named F.L.U.D.D on his back adds a versatility the series has never seen since. As you play through the story, you’ll uncover the true culprit behind the missing Shine Sprites (you have one guess). It’s a story that we’ve all seen before, but is still a pleasure to play through.
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