Ubisoft's Far Cry 3

12 Swelteringly Hot Games to Help Take Your Mind Off this Harsh Winter

Warm up this winter season with tropical paradises and hellish landscapes.

Tom Meyer

Published: Feb 23, 2017 10:00 am

This article is over 7 years old and may contain outdated information

Max Payne 3

While the first two games took place in wintery New York City, Max Payne 3 sees the titular character take a little vacation to sunny São Paulo, Brazil. It’s not much of a vacation when he’s working private security for a wealthy family and the boss’s trophy wife gets kidnapped, but at least there’s no snow there. There are a few brief flashbacks in Hoboken, NJ during the winter, but the majority of the adventure is in the favelas of Brazil.

Super Mario Sunshine

Mario, Princess Peach, and head Toad/butler Toadsworth decide to escape the troubles of the Mushroom Kingdom and vacation to Isle Delfino. Mario gets framed for polluting the island with goop and is sentenced to clean it, but at least you’ll be spending time cleaning up sunny beaches and jumping into water a lot to fill up your F.L.U.D.D. water pack.

Grand Theft Auto V

This version of San Andreas is the closest you could get to a virtual Southern California. The southern area, Los Santos County, contains beaches, tennis courts, and golf courses. Blaine County, in the north, is a literal desert. You can’t get much warmer than that.

DOOM

DOOM may not be the most conventional place to get away from the winter, but it’s set on Mars where there is no snow to worry about. You’ll have the portal to Hell opening up and spewing demons everywhere to worry about instead.

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD

Sail the Great Sea with Link in this updated Gamecube classic which was derided for its cel-shaded look upon initial release. Other than an island completely made out of ice, there’s no shortage of habitable islands to visit and explore while the giant sun shines down on you.

Dead Island

Dead Island takes place on the fictional island of Banoi, but you’d wish it was real with the gorgeous resort and clear oceans. You could probably do without all the zombies, but they can easily be taken of with a multitude of weapons and a melee system that lets you manually control your swing.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 1 & 2

Far Cry 3

Pokemon Sun & Moon

Forza Horizon 3

Max Payne 3

While the first two games took place in wintery New York City, Max Payne 3 sees the titular character take a little vacation to sunny São Paulo, Brazil. It's not much of a vacation when he's working private security for a wealthy family and the boss's trophy wife gets kidnapped, but at least there's no snow there. There are a few brief flashbacks in Hoboken, NJ during the winter, but the majority of the adventure is in the favelas of Brazil.

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