There’s only about a month left of the semester. Summer is so close that we can almost taste it. Many people are already making plans to go to the beach, go on a cruise, go camping and a number of other outdoorsy activities. While people may associate summer with the outside, for a number of us, we associate it with having more time to play video games. However, that doesn’t mean we still can’t enjoy the classic feeling of summer like everyone else. Here are 10 video games with summer vibes.
Stardew Valley: multiplatform
If you ever dream of running away from it all and living off the land, this is the game for you.
Stardew Valley is about leaving your corporate job and taking over your grandfather’s farm. You can raise livestock, plant crops, trees and revitalize a small town. Who needs a vacation in the countryside when you have this iconic farm sim?
Haven: multiplatform
If you love the idea of running away with your lover to live off the land, Haven fulfills that fantasy.
You play as a couple who have escaped their oppressive society to make their life on a rural planet. You can play as a straight or same sex couple. You forage for food, pet cute creatures, fix your spaceship and discover more about the society you ran from.
While the surroundings in the game are pretty, what shines through is the realistic yet sweet relationship you witness between the two characters. There’s also a co-op option so you and another person can live an escapist dream together.
Super Mario Sunshine: Switch, Gamecube
It would be disrespectful to have a list of summer-like video games and not mention this one.
Super Mario Sunshine takes place on a tropical island where Princess Peach and Mario intend to vacation. Of course, trouble happens and it’s up to Mario to fix it using a F.L.U.D.D., an impressive water nozzle to fight enemies.
The game’s tropical setting and water weaponry makes one feel like a kid with a squirt gun in the summer. It’s a great game to substitute going to the beach or playing water games.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Switch
Speaking of islands, Animal Crossing: New Horizons places you on a deserted island where you can customize it however you want.
Using the resources of the island, you can build homes, help curate a museum collection, and develop a village into a place where anthropomorphic NPCs want to live.
You can customize the environment however you want and live out your dream island fantasy. Additionally, you can play with your friends online and have them come visit your island and vice versa. It’s like having a little virtual group vacation.
Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon: 3DS
Once again, an island oriented game makes this list.
In this game, you hunt for Pokemon on an island based on Hawaii. The tropical setting transports you to a dream Pacific Islands vacation while also giving the feeling of freedom of being a kid while exploring a new place during summer vacation.
Look for adorable tropical inspired Pokemon like Popplio, a seal Pokemon and Toucannon, a toucan Pokemon and enjoy the summer getaway vibes.
Earthbound: Switch
Speaking of summer independence as a kid, Earthbound makes the player feel that times a thousand.
Taking place during the summer, you play as a kid who fights against aliens. Wandering around town with your friends to stop an evil, it captures that sense of freedom kids feel during the summer when they can play with their friends and everything seems possible.
If you played pretend with your friends as a kid, this game bottles that essence of fun and possibility.
ABZU: multiplatform
For ocean lovers, this game is for you.
Many people may take their summer to get use out of their scuba diving certification and explore the mysterious world underwater. This game allows you to do that without getting wet. You can explore different parts of the ocean, swimming with fish, whales, squid and fight against a machine that is harming marine life.
The visuals are absolutely stunning, making it a game you want to take your time with in order to absorb the beauty around you. The game is easy and relaxing. It’s simply a game where you explore and appreciate the ocean as many do during the summer months.
Spiritfarer: multiplatform
Instead of getting in the water, a lot of people like to go out in boats during the summer.
In Spiritfarer, you get to customize a boat you use to grant dead spirits’ wishes before taking them to the afterlife. While on the journey, you collect materials to keep building and customizing your boat.
It’s a heartwarming story about life, death and moving on. The 2D visuals are stunning and capture the peaceful summer feeling of being on the water.
Cozy Grove: multiplatform
Camping is a thing many associate with the summertime, and many of us have memories of as a kid.
The surroundings of nature accompanied with campfire stories to create a mysticism around the trip is something central to many people’s childhood. Cozy Grove captures that feeling by having you camp on a haunted island, and help the spirits and sentient campfire that live there.
The game is similar to Animal Crossing, but much less demanding and expects you to spend less time on the game per day. The game is slow paced and relaxing, just as summer should be.
Lake: multiplatform
Vacations are at the heart of many summer experiences, but oftentimes people don’t need a crazy adventure like scuba diving or haunted camping. They just want a chill break from their everyday lifestyle.
Lake provides this, having you play a character who takes a break from her big city career to go back to her small lakeside hometown to deliver mail.
It’s a relaxing game, capturing the feeling of enjoying your sleepy little childhood town on vacation while also escaping from the hustle and bustle of the career world. It’s a game that showcases the reasons we like to go on summer vacation: to escape, relax and remember.
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