6. Crazy Taxi – Kane

Yah yah yah yah yah – The Offspring, probably.

Adrenaline-infused gameplay where you’re rushing around the city, picking up fares, driving like a maniac and making as much money as possible before the time runs out. Oh, and it’s always sunny.

On the surface, that could be the only tangible connection to summer if I’m honest. However, looking past that, there’s just something about hearing that original soundtrack with the Offspring intro that takes me straight back to my summer holidays. Blue skies, a banging soundtrack, and a beat-up taxi, what else do you need?

7. Dead Island – Melty

A summer vacation to die for

It’s a game set on an island. Sure, there are zombies hunting you down, but the setting of this game is very tropical, very ‘holiday abroad’. Starting at an island party, Dead Island truly emits the feeling of a young adult partying their summer away on a remote island with like-minded people. Unfortunately for your character, this isn’t to last, and they quickly find themselves abandoned in a hotel room, with no one else to be seen; barricaded by other vacationers’ suitcases.

While not strictly the happy-go-lucky feeling we usually want from a summer-time game, Dead Island is great for those of us who enjoy a bit more horror in our lives. Even though the zombies run rampant, the island is still very beautiful to look at and roam around. The lush environment sometimes makes you forget that danger is lurking just around the corner. A holiday resort filled with greenery, beaches, and hotel pools is exactly the vibe needed to make you ready for your real-life summer adventures. Just… hopefully without the undead threat.

8. Tekken 3 – Dave

I’m kinda promoting all Tekken games, because I’m a son of a beach

The Tekken games have no shortage of summery stages to stomp on fools to. Tekken 4 and Tekken 5‘s beach and poolside stages were so iconic that both they and their music were remixed in Tekken 7, Tekken Tag 2 has a high school stage where singers discuss their love for each other and chocolate icecream, Tekken 8 has a boat, Peru, and a colosseum.

Sometimes, you can’t beat the classics, though. Eddy’s stage in Tekken 3 (Grassy Land) is a simple, picturesque open field accommodating palm trees and a carved plateau. In the distance, you can see mountains touch the clouds like an ambitious young player going for the ten-hit combo against a pro! Tekken Tag Tournament iterates on this stage by adding people, the ocean, and the option to play it during a sunset.

This would normally be enough to recommend it over Tekken 3, but the console version of 3 also features the debut of ‘Tekken Ball’: a game mode that allows you to apply your martial mastery to a beach ball. 3 is the first to do it, and is also the only game to this day that allows you do so while playing as a cute cartoon dinosaur. And if Digimon has taught me anything, it’s that cute cartoon dinosaurs are summer vibes.

9. Summer In Mara – Riley

May the winds of Mara be kind to you

Games are a great form of escapism: you can become your ideal self, take down monsters and cause chaos anywhere you go. But sometimes, you need a break from the killing and the violence and just chill and explore. Summer in Mara is just that. You explore a bright archipelago through the guise of a child and get to take in its beauty. You can clean up trash, collect animal friends, and even farm crops on your home island. On top of that, you will spend most of your time completing fetch quests for the inhabitants of the islands.

The fact it has “summer” in the name, takes place on an aquatic adventure and features anthropomorphic fish people makes it the perfect selection for this list. There is also a central mystery at its core, featuring otherworldly elements and a strange past for you to uncover. This is the perfect game for slowing down, taking in the atmosphere, and just being, which we all need sometimes.

10. Final Fantasy XV – Azza

“I’ve come up with a new recipe” – Ignis

While I’ve never been on a lads’ holiday, I imagine that it would be a lot like this game. Four good mates in a car driving through the country, breaking down, eating lots of food, taking a lot of photos, going fishing, maybe hunting and then crashing out at a hotel… only to do it all again the next day.

Of course, FFXV has way more content than that, with the added bonus of a fantastic story and addictive gameplay. You may want to book a lot of time off before diving in. It’s a cheap holiday for the gaming world, and we thank Square Enix for its existence. Oh, and play the content-rich Royal Edition, because it’s way better!

Azza’s small ramble: How could they lock the real ending behind a book? It’s a crime we never got that content in gameplay form.