10 Games to Keep You Busy During the Summer Drought

Injustice 2

After an initial flurry of releases in the opening months of 2017, we’re now making our way through the quieter summer months for the industry. While you’ll still get a handful of major releases, things don’t properly pick back up again until the middle of August. While the weather outside may entice you to spend some time away from your consoles and PC, there’s still plenty  you can be playing until major releases pick back up again. Here’s a bunch of both upcoming and released games that’ll help you to pass the hours during the summer months.

NetherRealm’s DC Comics fighter may have already released, but its plethora of game modes, extensive roster of DC heroes and villains, and replayable nature make it a perfect title to sink countless hours into over the summer.

Thanks to the Multiverse in the game, you’ll always have a number of challenges to test your mettle against with some lucrative rewards to boot. Grind your way to the best gear, take on both friends and strangers in local and online versus modes, and whittle these quiet months away with plenty of hard-hitting, combo-breaking action.

Rime

Tequila Softworks’ Rime has been through a bit of a development nightmare, but it got through it, and is due to release next week. Players assume control of a young boy who awakes shipwrecked on a mysterious island with no memory of what happened. If you’re to uncover the truth behind the island and its towering ruins, you’ll need to solve puzzles and explore its farthest stretches. Oh, and you’ll have a talking fox by your side throughout. What more could you ask for?

Rime is due to release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 25, but from what we’ve seen so far, it certainly looks like a great opportunity to lose yourself in on a late summer’s night. Be sure to check back for our review soon.

Overwatch

Overwatch may have released last year, but it’s still one of the best ways to have great fun and pass countless hours indoors. Whether you play casually or jump into the more serious competitive mode, Overwatch is great fun and brings some of the most satisfying team-based play available right now.

While the fact that Overwatch is fun is nothing new, to make jumping back into the game that little bit more tempting, the game’s anniversary event is due to start next week. While we’re unsure just exactly when the event will finish (or what new content it’ll bring to the table), it’s sure to keep you occupied for the next couple of weeks at the very least.

Persona 5

Persona 5 blew critics and players alike away when it released earlier last month. Players assume the role of our protagonist as he lives the standard student life in the day, and steals the hearts of morally-corrupt adults by night. It’s weird, wonderful, and incredibly compelling. Oh, and did we mention that it’ll take you roughly 100 hours to finish?

Whether you’re already playing through Persona 5 or just starting fresh, its huge length, engaging gameplay, and mix of combat and social activities are sure to help you pass many an hour during these quiet months.

It’s worth noting that Persona 5 is exclusive to PS3 (Japan) and PS4, so if you’re an Xbox One or PC gamer, you’re out of luck on this one unfortunately.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

Arguably the biggest release of the quiet summer months, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is set to take players for a trip down memory lane. As the name suggests, N. Sane Trilogy is a remake of the first three Crash Bandicoot games. That means you can expect to play through all of those memorable levels once more, but with way better audio and visuals. Sounds like a winner to us.

With all of the more mature, serious games that release nowadays, Crash Bandicoot’s return to our screen is sure to be a much-needed pallet cleanser, and with another jam-packed end of the year on the horizon, what better way to prepare yourself with a few goofy outings with good ol’ Crash?

Unfortunately, the N. Sane Trilogy is, for now at least, exclusive to the PS4. However, there’s a chance the game could release on other platforms once a timed exclusivity deal with Sony ends (probably next year).

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the biggest iteration of Hyrule to date and launched alongside the Nintendo Switch back in March. While there’s a good chance you’ve finished the main quest path by now, that doesn’t mean you’ve seen everything that Breath of the Wild has to offer.

With Korok Seeds, side quests, Shrines, world bosses, and plenty of surprises lurking around every corner, it’ll take you way over 100 hours to do everything the game has to offer.

If the sheer amount of content wasn’t reason enough to revisit Hyrule during these quiet months, then think of the practicality that comes with the Switch. With people jetting off around the world during the summer, the Switch is the perfect travel companion to keep you entertained on those lengthy journeys. Just make sure to invest in a quality power bank to supplement the Switch’s relatively short battery life.

Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind

When the great outdoors in the summer months isn’t appealing, where better to go than the expansive world of Tamriel instead. While Elder Scrolls Online has seriously picked up since its initial release back in 2014, it’s due to get even bigger with the upcoming Morrowind expansion.

Morrowind’s Vivec City is about to be decimated by an incoming meteor, so it’s down to the player to help a demi-god regain his lost powers and save the day. On top of that, the expansion will add a new class, a 4v4v4 PVP mode, and the largest landmass addition to Elder Scrolls Online to date.

Whether you’ve already explored Tamriel in Elder Scrolls Online or not, the arrival of Morrowind is the perfect time to jump in. There’s no better kind of game to whittle away hundreds of hours with ease than an MMO. The quiet months will be filled with the triumph of your victories across Tamriel.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia may be a slightly different take on the now-standard Fire Emblem formula, but it’s one that certainly pays off. Following the stories of Alm and Celica as they build armies to aid Zofia in the war for Valentia, players travel around the world, defeating enemies and exploring villages and other locations along the way.

It’s not just the move away from linear gameplay that’s different in Fire Emblem Echoes, though. The combat triangle has been ousted in favor of a Attack and Defense stat face-off. Better weapons and gear will upgrade these stats, so you’ll need to invest the scarce Marks around the world wisely to bolster your army.

With Shadows of Valentia hitting Nintendo’s 3DS, it’s the perfect title for the summer whether you’re sunning it up on a beach, or lounging around on your couch at home.

PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS

PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (or PUBG) has stolen the heart of many a PC gamer since its release back in March. The game is basically Battle Royale, dropping tons of players on an 8×8 km island as they search and fight for weapons and supplies to ultimately become the lone survivor.

PUBG comes from Brendan Greene, the man behind the Battle Royale game-modes in ARMA and H1Z1: King of the Hill, so you know it’s damn good stuff. If you’ve played PUBG already, you’ll probably already know why this game has made the list. It’s incredibly difficult to stop playing once you’ve started and you’ll easily burn entire evenings (and days) attempting to be the lone survivor. If you’ve got a PC capable of running PUBG it’s well worth checking out.

Perception

Coming up at the end of this month is a game quite unlike anything you’ve played before. Perception is a horror game from veteran developers behind the likes of Dead Space and the BioShock series. Players assume the role of a blind heroine named Cassie, and it’s her inability to see that becomes Perception’s unique gameplay mechanic.

Every sound in Perception creates a visual and players will have to use their wits and hearing to uncover the mysteries of the abandoned estate that haunts her dreams.

Perception looks set to bring a fresh take on the psychological horror genre, and is definitely one to check out if you’re a fan of the team’s former work. Perception is available on Steam, PS4, and Xbox One from May 30.