Ten Best: Video Games to Deep Dive Into During Quarantine

Ok, so we’re going through a very scary, very weird and very unsure time in human history right now. Many of us are staying home, working, and then making sure we have things to focus on. I figured I’d compile a list of ten video games that are big, deep and exquisitely complex that would be perfect for falling into right now. Let’s go.

10. The Outer Worlds

Now, there are more deserving games for this list, sure, but I wanted to have most, if not all, of these titles to be modern ones that are easy to buy as digital copies. Now… The Outer Worlds is a game I don’t hear much about, and it’s a shame. Feeling like Fallout and Bioshock had a baby, this sci-fi action FPS has fun RPG elements, crew-building and a bunch of humour that takes it to a new level. The voice-acting is a blast, and the story is fun, too. If you like the aforementioned games, then check this one out. You’ll dig it, I’d imagine.

9. Pokemon Sword/Shield

Pokemon games are ideal for addictive collector types. Walk about and fight little creatures, collect Pokemon and do your best to… well, collect ‘em all. Pokemon Sword/Shield on Switch is a bloody good time, and there’s a hell of a lot to do, with more coming this year as DLC. If you’re a fan of previous games, or a newcomer (like myself) then this is a good time to give the series a shot, and this is a solid place to start. I mean… I haven’t played other titles (aside from Let’s Go Evie) but I dig this. I dig this a lot.

8. Horizon: Zero Dawn

This was like an uppercut out of nowhere. I wasn’t sure what to expect with Horizon, so when I played it on release in 2017 I was blown away. It looks amazing, plays beautifully and has so many cool and original elements that it’s impossible not to be hooked. The mechanical animals wandering around pose a genuine threat too, so you have to plan your attacks, making this less of a hack-and-slash and more of a thoughtful action adventure game, throwing in elements of Tomb Raider and Uncharted with a unique suspense-filled strategy actioner. Wicked.

7. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The game that caused many of us to buy a Nintendo Switch in the first place, Breath of the Wild is an open-world Zelda game with charm, gorgeous visuals and nice controls. I’ve not finished this one, like most others on this list, but I am digging it for sure. There’s a reason people rate this game as one of the modern day greats in gaming. Help defeat the darkness that is sweeping the land as Link, once again. You know you want to!

6. Red Dead Redemption 2

Wanna be a cowboy and shoot down some bandits? Wanna take place in train robberies? Wanna blow up a bridge with some dynamite? Wanna get drunk at the saloon and brawl with the locals? Wanna build up a little community of detailed characters and go on quests? Well, look no further, partner. This game is bloody brilliant. It looks gorgeous, plays like a dream and the story is as compelling as any game I’ve played before. As someone who wasn’t a fan of the first Red Dead titles, I fell in love with this one. With the collectables and extra things you can do here, it’s a huge game too. Well worth the price of admission, especially now it’s out there for less money than it was a year back.

5. Stardew Valley

If you’re a fan of the Harvest Moon series of games, which I am, you’ll love Stardew Valley. If you’ve never played one of them, or this, then listen up! It’s a farming game, with a local town you are to help, and villagers you are to make buddies with. You build up your farm by weeding and planting crops. You can collect various things around the map, also. It’s one of those games with a simple mechanic but a very deep and fulfilling way of playing out. Stardew Valley can go on for a long time, and while it doesn’t involve shooting monsters in the head or rescuing soldiers from evil dictators, there’s still a lot to enjoy here, and it’s one of those cheap-to-buy titles that could really soak up some of that spare time.

4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

A new release for the list, but I couldn’t leave it off. This new Nintendo Switch title is a real-time game in which you… build a home, extend the home, furnish the home, decorate the home, make friends, chop down trees, fish, hunt for bugs and stock up a museum. It doesn’t necessarily sound like the most riveting gaming experience, but the adorable characters and visuals, as well as the slick and fun gameplay, make it addictive and easy to be charmed by. Having Animal Crossing to jump on each day so you don’t miss certain things is a great way to pass a little time. Excellent stuff. Thanks Tom Nook.

3. Fallout 4

Fallout 3 was great, yes… but I am much more of a fan of number 4. The addition of the ability to build houses and bases and furnish them adds a cool Sim-like element, and the story is a blast. The mutants and monsters are fun to battle, and the variety of loot, from weapons to explosives and armour, make the side-quests all the more necessary. Such a good time, and with a bunch more hours of content added with the DLC, there’s many, many, many hours of play to be had in the wasteland.

2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

I mean come on now! How good is The Witcher 3? A massive game with great DLC and a hell of a lot to do. Whether it’s the violent, exciting and engrossing main storyline, or the enjoyable and often rewarding side-quests, there’s so much to do here. The characters are great, especially Geralt, whom you play as, and Ciri, who you are searching for in order to save her from a dark fate. The combat is fluid and the ability to add some magic to the battles is cool too. I’ve played this a number of times and I still love going back to it. A modern classic.

1. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Now, I know Skyrim isn’t a new game. It’s been released and re-released and then re-released again a ton of times since its initial release back in 2011. Now, you can buy Skyrim on Nintendo Switch and play it in any room of your home, as well as PS4, X-Box One, 360, PS3 and PC. Yep, it’s everywhere, and it’s still a beautiful, deep, compelling and endlessly fruitful game. The complete edition comes with the cool DLC too, stretching the world of Skyrim even further. You can build houses, make companions and relationships, fight dragons, delve into canyons and caves, search for weapons and loot. It’s a huge map and I love it to this day. If you haven’t played this, you should. If you have… then you know how easy it is to fall back into this Universe again and experience this all over again.