Video game

Coronavirus: the best video games to play while you self-isolate – Metro.co.uk


The Last Of Us – surviving the virtual apocalypse (pic: Sony)

The coronavirus pandemic has left many stuck at home, so here are the best PS4, Xbox, Switch, and PC video games to help keep you sane.

As you read this there’s a good chance the coronavirus crisis has left you sitting home alone, or perhaps with your immediate family, after having been told to work from home or self-isolate. These are strange days for us all but while movies are getting delayed left, right, and centre, and many TV shows are coming off the air, video games have been relatively unaffected. But whether you’ve got a PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch or a PC, games are the most entertaining – and social – thing you can do while you wait for Covid-19 to become a footnote in history.

While TV and movies usually only offer a few hours of entertainment a video game can last for 60 hours or more, depending on how you play it, with many online games having no end at all. So we’ve divided this list up into single-player and multiplayer titles: those that will keep you engrossed in their world and stories for hours on end and those that offer a chance to keep in touch with friends and family as you play.

This is not a good time to be popping down the shops to buy a new game, and Amazon is delaying delivery of non-essential goods until next month, but more specialist game stores, such as GAME and ShopTo, are still working as normal and all three consoles and the PC allow you to buy and download games digitally, without ever needing a physical copy.

Single-player games for self-isolation

Red Dead Redemption 2 (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC)
There’s relatively few games nowadays that are only single-player and cowboy adventure Red Dead Redemption 2 has a hugely popular online mode where you can play alongside other players. But it’s the enormous single-player campaign it’s best known for, with one of the biggest and most realistic-looking open world environments ever made. It also has a story that lasts at least 50 hours, so that’s going to keep you going for a while.

The Last Of Us Remastered (PlayStation 4)
Not only is this a chance to revisit one of the best PlayStation exclusives ever but depending on your sense of humour you might find the post-apocalyptic setting wryly amusing. In The Last Of Us the problem is what are essentially zombies but there are lots of other post-apocalyptic games, such as Fallout 4 and Metro Exodus, where the issue is nuclear Armageddon. And while The Last Of Us lasts only around 15 hours the other two are much longer, with bigger game worlds to lose yourself in.

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (Nintendo Switch)
If you’re talking about massive game worlds nothing beats the most recent Zelda game, which people have ended up spending hundreds of hours in. A completely reinvention of the usual Zelda formula, the game’s a few years old now but is still regarded as one of the best ever made. And if you’ve already played it, but never had the time to 100% it, now is the perfect time to give it another go.

Dark Souls: Remastered (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC)
Another game that requires a whole lot of time to master is Dark Souls, and other related titles from developer FromSoftware, such as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and PlayStation 4 exclusive Bloodborne. Infamous for their extreme difficulty, it’s not so much that they’re hard but that they require time and patience to get anywhere with. Which is suddenly something that is in much greater abundance than usual.

Ring Fit Adventure (Nintendo Switch)
One of the many problems with being stuck at home is that you’re not getting any exercise, and that is also something that video games can help out with – or at least this one can. It uses a modified Pilates resistance ring that you use to do exercises with while you play the game, but despite how that sounds it gives a very thorough workout, that led to it often being out of stock even before the coronavirus outbreak. If you can get a hold of copy (you can’t download it digitally, because you need the special controller) then it’ll be useful well beyond the current crisis.

The Sims 4 (PC)
Another golden oldie but a game that can potentially last you forever, and it just so happens to be 75% off at the moment if you buy it from EA’s own website. Essentially a virtual dollhouse, The Sims allows you to manage the lives of virtual families, constructing not just their houses but their entire social life and careers. There’s a ton of expansions, to add everything from pets to vampires, and a huge online community that can keep you company in the months ahead.

Football Manager 2020 (PC)
Sports Interactive’s famous management sim isn’t cheap at the moment, it’s free – at least until next week. So if you’re missing the football, as well as your personal freedom, then this is the chance to see whether it’s your type of thing. And if you do end up liking it, then it may end up being the only video game you’ll ever need – coronavirus or not.

Pokémon Sword and Shield (Nintendo Switch)
If you’ve never understood the appeal of Pokémon now’s the perfect opportunity to give it a go. Pokémon Go is free and is being adapted so it’s easier to play it at home, but it’s still a game that’s designed around exploring outdoors. But Sword and Shield are the latest entries in the mainline series that started the whole franchise, and they offer hundreds of hours of gameplay – as well as online options that let you trade with people from around the world.

The Witcher 3 (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC)
If you’ve been enjoying the Netflix series, then this is an obvious alternative given filming of the second season has been halted due to the coronavirus. It’s often quite different to the show, which is based more directly on the books, but there are enough similarities that fans should immediately find themselves at home. It’s also one of the best action role-playing games ever made and because it’s quite old you can pick up the complete edition for next to nothing and get hundred of hours of gameplay in one package.

Plague Inc. (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC)
Largely ignored when it was released back in 2015, if you’re feeling extra morbid then this indie strategy game is all about trying to infect the world with a man-made pathogen. It’s gained extra notoriety now not just because of its subject matter but because the mobile version got banned in China at the start of the coronavirus outbreak. However, it’s still available on all formats in the West.


Multiplayer games for self-isolation

Minecraft (all formats)
Lots of people play Minecraft on their own but its popularity, especially amongst kids, was born from the ability to play with others, with many using the Creative mode, where you can’t be attacked or killed, to chat and socialise online. With everyone self-isolating that suddenly becomes very useful, especially as it’s one of the few online games that is (mostly) non-violent and something you can play with your whole family.

Destiny 2 (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC)
In a similar manner, much of the appeal for this online shooter revolves around playing and replaying sections with friends, co-ordinating over a microphone but also just chatting and socialising between battles. Best of all, the base version of the game, subtitled New Light, is completely free to play. Alternatively, The Division 2 works in a very similar manner, although its setting might now seem a bit uncomfortable for some.

Fortnite (all formats)
Everyone’s heard of Fortnite and since it’s free to download and play it is an obvious way to spend your time in self-isolation, especially if you’re not used to playing games and don’t want to buy any yourself. There are a number of other battle royale games with similar gameplay though, with Apex Legends and Call Of Duty: Warzone also being free-to-play. The latter is a spin-off from Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare, which also has a story campaign and standard multiplayer modes, if you buy the full version.

GTA Online (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC)
Another evergreen online title that’s been going for years and shows no signs of a drop in popularity; the great benefit of Grand Theft Auto is that there’s a very good chance that anyone with a console, or a gaming PC, already has a copy. And if they don’t, its age means it can often be bought for relatively cheap. If you haven’t played it before then there’s also the single-player story campaign to play through, which is a good 30 hours on its own.

FIFA 20 (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC)
Speaking of evergreens, FIFA is another obvious timewaster to go for, especially since, again, there’s a very good chance that your friends already own a copy. Or it could be a chance to try out other sports titles that you never had time for before, with eFootball PES 2020 and NBA 2K20 being particularly good.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo Switch)
Only just out, the new Animal Crossing does seem to be the perfect game for the current crisis. It’s a sort of life simulator, not a million miles away from The Sims, where the only goal is to live a happy, stress-free life on a deserted island. It’s a major step forward compared to previous entries in the series and it also has online options where people can visit your island and you visit theirs. Although you’ll need to download an app on your phone to use voice chat in the game.

Email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk, leave a comment below, and follow us on Twitter

MORE: Amazon delaying video game pre-order deliveries due to coronavirus

MORE: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC fighters delayed by coronavirus

MORE: Steam’s concurrent users record smashed thanks to self-isolation from coronavirus





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.