Summer is here! Time to relax by the pool, take hikes and just enjoy the warm weather. But, let’s face it; summer can be too hot at times. A great alternative is to stay inside with the cool air conditioning and play your favorite video games! Sure, you can choose recent releases, like Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Resident Evil: Village. Or you can decide to play games that best represent summer while you stay inside! Here are HIDEit's top 10 recommendations.

Super Mario Sunshine

After saving the Mushroom Kingdom so many times, it’s time for Mario and his friends to take a vacation of their own. The bright sun, sandy beaches and breezy sea air sound like a great time, until a mysterious Mario doppelganger wreaks havoc using a goo-like substance on Isle Delphino.

Image: Nintendo

Recently released in a limited-time package, Super Mario Sunshine gives Mario the F.L.U.D.D. water backpack to traverse, clean up and save the island natives and collect Sunshines to clear Mario’s name. Don’t forget to stop Bowser and save Princess Peach; Mario can’t catch a break even on vacation!

Mario’s GameCube classic was recently re-released in a limited-time fashion on the Switch. We hope you picked up a copy!

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD

The Legend of Zelda franchise is one of gaming’s longest-running and highly-regarded. Each release is monumental, and the franchise is known to push gaming in a new direction, such as Ocarina of Time and 2017’s Breath of the Wild (with many fans also drooling over the sequel’s recently released trailer).

Image: Nintendo

In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, you play as Link as he travels across a Hyrule that’s flooded and only traversable via boat. With the help of the pirate Tetra, he’s trying to save his kidnapped sister and, along the way, comes face to face with the tyrannous Ganon. The sea-faring adventure continues many of the staples in the series, such as a vast land filled with secrets, puzzle-filled dungeons and a deep story. Wind plays a big part in this iteration, and you’ll have full control to help you sail the sea and complete puzzles. 

Nintendo ported the GameCube title to the Wii U in 2013 in beautiful high-definition while also fixing a few player’s gripes including the Triforce quest and an item that makes sailing faster, making this incredible game a bit faster to play.

MLB The Show

Summer means hitting the ballpark, grabbing a hotdog and the Seventh Inning Stretch. Why not recreate that in one of the best baseball games in MLB The Show?

Featuring high-quality graphics, authentic sounds from the field and commentary from some of baseball’s best, MLB The Show expertly recreates the feeling of being at the ballpark, all without the expensive parking and concessions. Plus, you can create yourself to help save (or continue the success) of your favorite team and bring them World Series glory.

And for the first time, MLB The Show 21 brings the classic baseball action to the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Bring your team the gold no matter what platform you play on!

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Who doesn’t love playing a game of Super Smash Bros. with friends? By this point in the franchise’s history, we all know what to expect: a cavalcade of Nintendo (and a growing list of publishers) franchises gather together and duke it out. But what started as a charming experiment has since grown into a worldwide phenomenon.

Image: Nintendo

Play as Pikachu, Link or Mario as summer nights will stretch into the early hours as you and your friends settle differences on Battlefield with no items. If you know, you know.

Vacation Simulator

Ready to take that much needed vacation? Why wait! Simulate the experience with the help of Vacation Simulator. 

Image: Owlchemy Labs

Playable on nearly PlayStation VR and Oculus Quest, the sequel to Job Simulator is the perfect tongue-in-cheek tale of robots experiencing the honored human-like tradition of taking a vacation from the job. Whether you’re sitting on the beach, hiking through the forest or on top of the snowy mountains, Vacation Simulator is a hilarious way to stay inside and enjoy a vacation.

Pair Vacation Simulator with HIDEit’s newly release Oculus Controller Clips to create the ultimate VR setup and experience.

Sea of Thieves

Summer is all about the water. And if you don’t get your fill while playing The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, you can sail with the best of them in Sea of Thieves. 

Released in 2018, Sea of Thieves comes from legendary developer Rare, developers of Banjo-Kazooie, GoldenEye 007 on the N64 and Viva Piñata. Sail the high seas as you work to become the Pirate Legend with a comedic, player-infused twist to sea shanties. 

Image: Microsoft

Subscribe to Xbox Game Pass to play Sea of Thieves and hundreds of other titles. And with Pirates of the Caribbean expansion, this sea-faring adventure sounds like a great way to spend your summer.

Bully

Celebrate summer by going back to school in Bully. Developed by Rockstar Games (makers of the Grand Theft Auto franchise), Bully has you playing as Jimmy Hopkins as he goes to a new boarding school after being expelled from nearly every other school he’s attended.

Image: Rockstar

Classic GTA-like staples are here: an open world, side-quests to do and a doesn’t-take-itself-seriously story. As an added bonus, you can attend classes such as Chemistry and English for upgrades.

The best way to describe Bully? What if Grand Theft Auto was PG-13 rather than R? And coming from Rockstar, the company isn’t afraid to push those boundaries.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

Fall Guys has the spirit of summer games you made up with your friends mixed with a game show tied together with cute, bean-like characters. Since its release last summer, Fall Guys has grown in popularity with a passionate fan base and several new seasons of content bringing new costumes and mini-games to the mix. 

Image: Mediatonic

Whether you play solo or with some friends, it’s impossible not to laugh at the hijinx as you strive to win a crown. 

Rocket League

Soccer and cares go together like peanut butter and gasoline. That’s to say, it usually doesn’t work. That is until developer Psyonix released Rocket League in 2015 and struck gold.

You control RC-like cars either solo or teams up to three to score goals with a soccer ball. Drive, boost and even fly around a field to come out on top. With fine-tuned gameplay and dozens of unlocks, Rocket League scratches that “one more game” itch as you stay up long into the summer night, and you’ll be cooking up strategies to win.

Psychonauts

This one time, at psychic camp… Okay, that might not work, but here’s a gem you won’t want to pass up this summer.

Image: Double Fine

Psychonauts comes from the mind of legendary game designer Tim Schafer where you play as Raz, a young circus runaway with latent psychic abilities. Raz makes his way to a summer camp for young psychics in hopes of becoming a titular Psychonaut. 

As a 3D platformer, you’ll work your way through the minds of various camp-goers and counselors such as the fan-favorite “Milkman Conspiracy” level.

Psychonauts is a unique experience that hasn’t been replicated, although the upcoming Psychonauts 2 looks to up the ante. Similar to other 3D games of the era, you’ll collect items to help progress to new areas and psychic powers. Unlock camper’s “emotional baggage” to learn more about them and what makes them tick. It’s a surprisingly deep and funny game that’ll have you remembering the best parts of summer camp without the mosquito bites. And if you're an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, you can experience the zaniness of Psychonauts at no additional charge.

There you have it, whether you're spending most of your time near the water or staying inside to avoid the heat, gaming is a great hobby to take up this summer. Enjoy these 10 HIDEit recommendations for the summer.