Summer is the gaming industry’s downtime, with developers and publishers routinely opting to abstain from pushing out any major new releases during this time period, in the belief that the majority of their consumer base will instead be out enjoying the sunshine. It’s also not a particularly well-represented season in video games in general, with bright colors and flourishing foliage not exactly congruous with the war-torn virtual worlds that we frequently inhabit.
However, there have been many games that have bucked that trend in favor of laying out warm and inviting landscapes for players to disappear into, and the following games in this top 20 list have each been host to a refreshingly cheerful summer aesthetic. The criteria for this countdown required each game to either take place in summer or feature a setting with a notable amount of sunlight and color, and they have been ranked in accordance with how well they achieved this goal, along with how good they are as games in their own right.
Also: The Top 20 Scariest Vacation Movies Ever
So if you’re not planning on doing much exploring of the great outdoors this summer, then each of these games will provide you with something to sink your teeth into that will keep you distracted while everyone else is enjoying the sunlight. Here are the top 20 best summer games of all time:
The Top 20 Best Summer-Themed Video Games of All Time
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20. Proteus (2013)
"Walking simulator" is a term that often denigrates games that offer experiences outside of what you'd expect from the medium, and while there are certainly some titles that offer little more than a tedious trot from Point A to Point B, Proteus is proof that offering a player minimal interaction in a game isn't inherently a bad thing. Proteus offers a journey through the seasons on a pixel art island shrouded in mystery, guided by nothing more than your own sense of wonder.
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19. Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (2003)
The Dead or Alive Xtreme series may be smut, but the first release in the series was smut sprinkled atop an enjoyable volleyball game. The uncomfortably smooth, porcelain-faced female character models of the DoA series decide to stop fighting one another and head to the beach in this OG Xbox sports game, combining the beach volleyball of its title with a relationship simulator, in which players were tasked with forging friendships with other DoA women in order to make a perfect volleyball team. There's nothing more summery than a game that allows you break up the action by resting at poolside, and though it wasn't exactly something that you would want to readily admit was tucked away in your game collection, it was a surprising amount of fun.
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18. Pikmin 3 (2013)
Pikmin creator Shigeru Miyamoto previously stated that Pikmin and Pikmin 2 exists in a reality where humans are extinct, and with the geography of the Pikmin home planet PNF-404 sharing an extremely similar geography to Earth, it's likely that the game exists takes place in our world in the future. Pikmin 3 sees three explorers sent out to PNF-404 in order to gather resources for their struggling planet, with the man-made remnants featured in the previous two games mostly absent, replaced by natural developments and overgrown foliage. Though the world of Pikmin 3 may be disarmingly hostile thanks to the PNF-404 unflinchingly aggressive fauna, it still looks like somewhere you'd want to spend your summer thanks
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17. Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise (2008)
Post-Nintendo 64 Rare have been widely criticized for their inability to hold a candle to their illustrious legacy, and while their exclusivity deal with Microsoft may have saw them move away from Banjo and Conker and turn their focus to *shudders* the Kinect, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise was proof that they could still turn on the charm. Though it didn't attract the same level of popularity as Rare's earlier work, Trouble in Paradise was a unique and engrossing simulation game that, much like Rare's old Nintendo games, had a universal appeal. Tasking players with growing and maintaining a garden filled with colorful Piñata animals, was a charming and underrated gem with an adorable cast of characters.
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16. London 2012 (2012)
Games based upon the Olympics are usually not that great, with them typically featuring mechanics that haven't matured since the button-mashing Track & Field days or, in the case of the Mario & Sonic crossover games, a barrage of mediocre mini-games smothering one or two relatively interesting ones. London 2012 is the only exception to this rule, exceeding expectations as the official tie-in game for the 2012 summer Olympics by way of providing a slew of great events, combining traditional athletics events with more eclectic choices such as the challenging canoe slalom, or the nigh-on impossible weightlifting. Unlike other Olympics tie-in games, London 2012 excelled because not only did it provide a genuinely competitive multiplayer component, but its single-player mode was also worthwhile, too. It's a shame that Sega moved its attention to the Mario & Sonic series and didn't produce a proper Rio 2016 game, but we can hope they have something better up their sleeves for Tokyo 2020.
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15. Sunset Overdrive (2014)
One of the Xbox One's very few original, exclusive IPs, Insomniac Games' Sunset Overdrive was an unashamedly goofy shot of adrenaline into the arm Microsoft's first-party line-up, offering a unique combination of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater-esque rail-grinding and third-person shooting. Insomniac turned the overused post-apocalyptic Earth setting on its head by way of introducing an "awesomepocalypse," complete with bright colors, relentless sunshine and an upbeat punk rock soundtrack.
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14. Planet Coaster (2016)
Planet Coaster is perhaps not the most conventional summer-themed video game, but you don't go to a theme park in the winter, do you? Frontier Developments' theme park construction and management sim may be a little lacking in the latter department, but when it comes to allowing players to create wild rides that are unencumbered by boundaries outside of their creators' imaginations, Planet Coaster is second to none. The game's healthy community continues to stuff the Steam Workshop with jaw-dropping creations, so even those who aren't particularly inventive can get a lot of enjoyment out of experiencing these virtual parks first-hand.
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13. Stardew Valley (2016)
Lone developer Eric Barone managed to create a Harvest Moon game that was actually better than Harvest Moon in the form of Stardew Valley. Tasking players with tending to a developing farm and forging relationships with townsfolk, marrying them, and living out a happy little life with their trusty pet dog (or cat, if you're that way inclined), Stardew Valley is a pleasant combination of farming simulator and RPG that also delivered a surprisingly poignant anti-capitalist message.
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12. Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010)
Metroid Prime developers Retro Studios provided the Donkey Kong series with a makeover in the form of Donkey Kong Country Returns, a game that adopted the side-scrolling platforming of the SNES games and rather than innovate it, instead opted to greatly improve what was already there, along with upping its difficulty level considerably. DK and Diddy hopefully worked on their tans considerably in Returns as its sequel, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, had a much chillier setting.
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11. Wave Race 64 (1996)
Though primitive by today's standards, the realistic water physics featured in Wave Race 64 were groundbreaking at the time, and helped make Nintendo's jet ski racer one of the more unique entries in the genre. Uniquely challenging for a racing game as a result of its dynamic water tracks, Wave Race 64 is also the perfect summer sports game.
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10. Far Cry 3 (2012)
Far Cry 3's entire plot revolves around a summer vacation gone wrong, with a group of friends traveling to the tropical Rook Islands, being kidnapped by violent pirates, before protagonist Jason Brody embarks on a one-man killing spree in which he becomes a walking army by virtue of mystical symbols tattooed onto him by a tribe leader. Yes, the plot's as criminally dumb as it sounds, but Far Cry 3's beautiful open-world setting and sandbox shenanigans arguably make up for it, presenting players with a playground of opportunities for causing mayhem. Far Cry 3 was also oddly influential, with its outpost takeover missions being replicated in the likes of Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain, while many open-world games now feature their own equivalent of its climbable radio towers.
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9. The Witness (2016)
Jonathan Blow's The Witness may not have attracted the same amount of critical acclaim as his ground-breaking Braid, but the huge open-world puzzle game nonetheless provides one of the defining moments of its genre, and is one of the most inventive games of its generation. While The Witness's brain-bending puzzles may undermine the peaceful solitude granted by its lush island setting, so much of the game is spent embarking upon a pleasant jaunt through its surroundings that if you overlook its challenges, it's basically just having a nice stroll through a colorful garden in the summer sun.
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8. Jet Grind Radio (2000)
Jet Grind Radio's cel-shaded art style, one of the first games to make use of the visual technique, contributes a great deal to its warm, inviting aesthetic, with its neon colors popping off the screen as you rollerblade through its busy Tokyo streets. Tasking players with coating the city in a layer of graffiti while also pulling off impressive tricks, Jet Grind Radio
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7. Earthbound (1995)
In an era when Persona 5's oddball plot can find a significant Western audience, and Undertale's dark sense of humor and traditional, stripped-down RPG style can lead to it becoming one of the most critically acclaimed games of its release year, the question remains: why have we not received a new, 3D Earthbound game? This SNES classic, known as Mother 2 in Japan, features a gang of extraordinary kids who set out to defeat the evil alien Giygas. The entire game is essentially a journey through the weirdest summer vacation ever, playing out like a coming of age story that also just happens to place the fate of the world in its protagonist's hands.
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6. OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (2006)
What screams summer more than a jock drifting through California with his attractive, blonde girlfriend in a blood red sports car? "Very little" is the answer, and OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast is an arcade thrill ride that, despite a decade of technological advancement since its release, has withstood the test of time. They don't make arcade racers like they used to (quite literally -- the genre's basically dead), and while developers Sumo Digital may have moved on to the formidable Forza Horizon franchise, they'll hopefully revisit OutRun at some point in the future.
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5. Animal Crossing: New Leaf (2012)
On top of socializing with a variety of needy anthropomorphic animals (seriously, Celia, can't you deliver your own fucking wardrobe? Can't you see I've got shit to do?) the main hook of Animal Crossing: New Leaf is embracing the four seasons and learning how to make your village prosper in each of them, taking part in specialized events and earning coins to help improve your surroundings. It's essentially Community Service: The Game, albeit with more talking alpacas.
While you'll experience the other, lesser seasons in New Leaf, summer is really where it's at, bringing with it a selection of unique activities such as bug catching tournaments, fishing competitions and more, along with allowing you to finally whip out those shorts and show off your legs on Main Street.
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4. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (2003)
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker has arguably withstood the test of time better than most other Zelda games, in that many now retroactively list it among the series' best entries, despite it dividing opinion around its release. But even though the game had its detractors, there's no doubt that it's one of the best-looking Zelda games Nintendo has created, with its cel-shaded visuals helping improve its longevity (not to mention its gorgeous Wii U remaster). Marking a departure from Hyrule for the first time in the mainline series' history, Wind Waker is instead set on a series of tropical islands that Link ventures to by sailboat. While his pasty face doesn't get a whiff of a tan, it's still about as summery as a Zelda game gets.
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3. Forza Horizon 3 (2016)
Summer doesn't get much hotter than Australia, and Forza Horizon 3 presents an open-world take on the Land Down Under that has rarely been touched in video games. Considering that most of the fun in Forza Horizon 3 comes from simply driving around and exploring the diverse Aussie landscape, it's curious that more developers haven't sought to set their games in the perennially gorgeous country, with the only Australian game that springs to mind being 2015's Mad Max. Forza Horizon 3's aesthetics couldn't be further apart from that quasi-movie-tie-in release, though, with it allowing players to speed past the vineyards of Yarra Valley, tear up the tarmac in the Surfers Paradise city and take in the sea view as you drift across the Great Ocean Road.
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2. Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
Rockstar's return to the sun-kissed Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto V saw them step away from the gritty crime drama of its predecessor, with them instead opting to explore the vapidity of modern culture in a world where only the selfish thrive. Los Santos provided the perfect backdrop for this theme, with its varied locales offering space for the hard-bodied beach-goers, the Silicon Valley dweebs and the corrupt politicians alike. Los Santos is a beautiful place filled with beautiful people, and though it may be ugly on the inside, it's incredibly easy on the eye.
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1. Super Mario Sunshine (2002)
You don't get much more summery than Super Mario Sunshine, with Mario's vacation visit to Isle Delfino eschewing the platforming series' traditionally diverse range of worlds in favor of delivering levels mostly based around the same tropical island theme. From its upbeat soundtrack replete with steel drums and Caribbean instruments such as güiros and buleadors, leaf skirt-wearing Delfino natives and a jetpack accessory that shoots out streams of clear blue water, Super Mario Sunshine is the ultimate summer game.
