Hoo boy it's a scorcher out there, huh? Global meteorologists have declared this to be the hottest week on record, so wherever you are there's a good chance you're feeling the heat right about now. While the sun beats down outside, it's the perfect time to seal yourself inside (if you're lucky enough to have AC) or open the windows and get whatever cross breeze you can while you chill out with some games. So here are six chill games to help you take your mind off the sweat sticking you to your chair.
6 chill games to beat the summer heat
Dave The Diver
The surprise hit of the Steam Summer Sale (currently 10% off) is this casual 2D deep-sea explorer, where you go diving and fishing during the day and run a sushi restaurant by night. It's full of fun minigames both above and below the waves, and with all that water and beach ambience, it'll help cool you down while you build your boardwalk seafood empire.
Power Wash Simulator
It is way too hot to go out there and do yard work this weekend, so how about you stay in and do yard work instead! Or better yet, head down to the seabed and clean up Bikini Bottom in Power Wash Simulator's latest SpongeBob DLC. Take your mind off the heat with the methodical manual labor, lighting up those serotonin receptors with every satisfying ding for a job well cleaned.
God of War Ragnarok
Need even fewer Fahrenheit in your escapism? How about Fimbulwinter, the freezing presage of the end times? God of War Ragnarok's snowy landscapes, and incredibly detailed snow deformation effects when you walk through deep powder, should be enough to convince you you're really there. Especially if you immerse yourself in a pair of HyperX Cloud Stinger Core headphones for PS5 and PS4, you'll swear the sound of your sled scraping across the ice of the Lake of the Nine was happening right below your feet. Also, try throwing your axe at a tree bough laden with snow for a refreshing sprinkling of cold.
Grindstone
Too hot to sit at your desk or look at a TV? Grab Grindstone on your iPhone from Apple Arcade and while away the midday hours with this satisfying swiper where you have to clear creeps from a feeezing mountain path. Enjoy the killer soundtrack with a pair of Cirro Buds Pro (in cooling blue) which will definitely have you bumping your head even after you're done splatting increasingly complex rows of little guys. If you don't have an iPhone you can check out Grindstone on Switch, Epic Games or Steam, and you can use Cirro Buds Pro with all of them too thanks to extra-compatible low-latency BlueTooth.
Wildfrost
If you're looking for a bit more thought in your chillout puzzler, but still like the idea of a snowy setting, check out Wildfrost on Steam (also currently on 10% off thanks to the Summer Sale). It's a roguelike deckbuilder, so even if you mess up because your brain shuts off above 90 degrees, you'll get slightly stronger for your next run. You also get to expand your home hub of Snowdwell, and any game that lets you develop a cute little starter town is a thumbs up in our books.
SSX 3
If you have the means, there's no better escape from the summer than heading snowboarding. Luckily that doesn't necessarily require a multi-thousand-dollar trip to the southern hemisphere, or a European glacier. Just a compatible Xbox, PS2 or GameCube, or something kind of like those things, if you understand what we are saying, which is very legal and above board. Fire up SSX 3, the greatest snowboarding game of all time, and just chill out on Big Mountain. Get into freeride and take the trail from summit to valley across all three peaks, with just the finest in mid-noughties EA Big soundtracks and the sound of swishing snow and Uber boosting to keep you company. This is true summer zen.
