Ah, yes, summer video games. Two of the perfect mixture of comfort, solace, and letting you unwind on days when you don’t want to play that extra match of competitive games. Some of my favorite games fall under this particular category, and for good reason.
After all, sometimes you want to lie down on your couch, turn on your Steam Deck, and enjoy something slow. So, if you are also looking for something to relax, slow down, and relive your summer days, here are a few video games that let you do just that.
5 Video Games Where You Can Enjoy Summer – From Your Home
Whether it is running across the fields trying to catch a bug or partaking in fishing. Each of these games highlights the spirit of summer and summer vacation in the coziest way possible.
1. Boku no Natsuyasumi 2
- Released in: 2002, 2010
- Developed by: Millennium Kitchen
- Platform(s): PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
If it is a video game that tackles the themes of summer, Millennium Kitchen’s 2002 PlayStation 2 exclusive Boku no Natsuyasumi 2 has to be at the top. A Japan-exclusive title that received a lot of fanfare thanks to recent fan efforts, Boku no Natsuyasumi 2 puts you in the shoes of a kid enjoying 31 days of his summer at a cozy coastal Japanese town at their uncle and aunt’s house.
You catch bugs, run around and do chores for the villagers, catch fish, and swim to your heart’s content throughout your summer vacation. And at the end of the day, you sit down and reflect on how fun slow days can be.
Since this is a Japan-only PlayStation 2 title, it was only known among a small group of people. However, thanks to the efforts of fan-translator Hilltop, the game received a boost among adventure game fans in the last couple of years.
While we won’t be going into the nitty-gritty portion of how to play Boku no Natsuyasumi in the current year (seriously, it is pretty simple if you know where to look), our list of summer video games couldn’t have started on the right foot without mentioning the summer video game that everyone should play.
2. Animal Crossing
- Released in: 2001, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2020
- Developed by: Nintendo
- Platform(s): Nintendo Gamecube, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, Mobile Phones
While not a game that truly focuses on the themes of summer vacation and summer in video games, Animal Crossing has this unique feature where it follows the real-world seasons in-game. Which means, you do play the game in summer, and you certainly can experience summer in-game.
In every Animal Crossing game, you play as a player-created new villager who joins a society run by anthropomorphic animals. The goal is simple – you join the community, help out the members, and build and improve their town to suit your needs.
Each game in the series is known for its addictive gameplay loop, which involves creating housing structures, catching bugs and fish, and its social interaction features. The latest main-line entry, New Horizons, is one of the highest-selling titles in the series, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, if you want a series of summer video games that are readily available, the Animal Crossing games will give you that experience.
3. Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid
- Released in: 2023, 2024
- Developed by: Millennium Kitchen
- Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PC
Up next in this list is a moderately recent title that once again focuses on the themes of summer vacation and summer in video games. And, the developers of the Boku no Natsuyasumi games made it!
Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid is a spiritual successor to the Natsuyasumi games. And while it doesn’t share the name with the series of PlayStation-exclusive summer video games, it does share gameplay similarities with them.
The game lets you control Satoru, a young boy who visits a rural town in Japan, rendered in 3D. You get to explore the community, meet NPCs, solve quests and puzzles, catch bugs and fish, and even create a scrapbook at the end of the day!
This is the best way to enjoy the summer within the comfort of your room. You don’t have to deal with any lingering urgency, and even if it exists, it takes a backseat. So, if you wanted to get yourself into the pure experience of enjoying summer, Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid is the perfect game to pick up.
4. Kabuto Park
- Released in: 2025
- Developed by: Doot
- Platform(s): PC
I am a big fan of indie games. Particularly indie games that take certain features of older games and refine them. One such game is Kabuto Park, which came out only a few months ago and tries to emulate the summer video games in its way.
Kabuto Park takes the bug-catching mini-game and goes the extra mile. It lets you participate in sumo fights with the bugs, allowing you to train the captured bugs to improve their fighting chances!
Think of it as Pokémon, except it isn’t monsters, but actual bugs you are catching. Kabuto Park doesn’t have any big adventure, nor does it have any open world to explore. What it does have is the summer vibes. And it does not compromise in that.
Short, sweet, and extremely simple to pick and play, Kabuto Park is the perfect game, allowing anyone who isn’t a regular gamer to enjoy the adventures. It will surely let you relive your childhood memories of catching a Butterfly or Dragonfly, earning this spot in our summer video games list.
5. Shin-Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town
- Released in: 2024
- Developed by: h.a.n.d., Inc.
- Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch, Mobile Phones
Closing off our summer video games list is a game that spiritualizes the essence of every game mentioned in this list. And, it features a well-known Japanese anime character, which many of us have grown up watching and enjoying.
Shin-Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town features the lovable Nohara family from the popular Japanese anime Shin-Chan, letting you control Shinnosuke through a summer-filled adventure. The game takes you to Akita Prefecture after Hiroshi, the father, gets a new job assignment in his hometown.
And since Akita is a rural Japanese town, players can enjoy the serene scenery as Shin-Chan and enjoy the various summer activities. Bug and fish catching, vegetable foraging and farming, and many adventures are some of the experiences.
Not only that, but once you visit the Coal Town, you can also help in creating weird inventions, take part in a trolley race, and even help out the local diner by making their menu.
So if all that sounds fun to you and you own a good mobile phone, PC, or Nintendo Switch, go and grab a copy of Shin-Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town and enjoy the experience!
