The 10 Hottest Games to Warm You Up This Winter

As the nights get chillier and the days grow shorter, you might find yourself longing for warmer climes. 

For this list, we’ve got some suggestions for games set in toasty locations. 

Maybe it'll bring a smile to your face and make you feel all warm and cozy, or maybe it'll make you even more miserable as you long to be somewhere nicer.

Heck, maybe you're not even watching this during the winter, and that's fine too! Whatever the case, we're going to attempt to whisk you off to some places where you wouldn't have to feel the cold at all, and you can say goodbye to goosebumps, runny noses, and draughty windows. 

So huddle up next to the heater, slide under a few layers of snuggly blankets, and prepare for a balmy journey through some of the toastiest locations gaming has to offer.

I'm Flemingo from TechyRanx, and here are 10 games set in hot locations to warm you up this winter.

10. Super Mario Sunshine

We begin our summer tour on the beautiful Isle Delfino, a holiday destination for denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom. 

This place is so idyllic and filled with summery holiday tropes that it's literally shaped like a dolphin. In Nintendo's Super Mario Sunshine for the GameCube, Mario visits Isle Delfino along with Princess Peach and some toadstool chaperones for a bit of a vacation. 

It's a nice choice for a spot of relaxation, with crystal waters and pristine beaches as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately, not all is well on Isle Delfino, with a mysterious slimy goop spreading throughout the island and a shadowy vandal leaving graffiti everywhere. 

In an extraordinary example of a judicial system gone wrong, Mario is instantly sentenced for this crime and is tasked with cleaning up the entire island. 

It's like when Lightning McQueen has to fix the road in Radiator Springs, only Mario didn't actually do what he's been accused of. 

Still, miscarriages of justice aside, Isle Delfino is a nice place to explore, and what could warm you up more than manual labor in sweltering heat? Mario even has a near-unlimited supply of water strapped to his back to cool him down. 

I guess being forced into excessive community service on a tropical island isn't all that bad...

9. Forza Horizon 3

Australia is a pretty warm country. Consisting mostly of dry, arid desert with a smattering of tropical rainforest here and there, it's the perfect place to run away to if you're tired of frosty mornings and icy car windscreens. 

Microsoft’s 2016 addition to the Forza Horizon franchise gave us the opportunity to travel to this lovely country for only the price of a Game Pass membership, as Forza Horizon 3 took the thrills and spills of open world racing down under. 

While the map isn't geographically accurate, the developers worked hard to create an authentic representation of Australia's diverse landscape. 

You'll be kicking up sand along a picturesque coastline one minute and whipping past tropical ferns and palm trees the next. 

There's nothing quite like recklessly putting pedal to the metal on a summer's day (in a sanctioned and controlled automobile racing environment, of course). 

Be aware that with tropical climes come tropical storms, meaning that clear skies aren't a certainty and the occasional monsoon can come a-calling. 

Also, if you somehow get sick of the wonderful weather, you could purchase the expansion and take a quick trip to Blizzard Mountain. Why would you want to do that, though? Brr, chilly. Take me back to the beach, please.

8. Pokémon Sun & Moon

For our next sunny trip, we're off to the region of Alola. 

This pocket monster-infested paradise is the setting for Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, boasts pristine beaches, beautiful forest walks, and even a volcano, just to add to the hot vibe. 

Like other regions in the Pokemon series, this one is based on a real-life location, specifically the US state of Hawaii. Alola has a tropical climate and is composed of a cluster of islands reminiscent of Hawaii. 

It's also home to a diverse array of colorful wildlife to spot and appreciate. 

Because this is a Pokemon game, this flora and fauna is just waiting for you to trap it inside balls and force it to fight, but this kind of behavior in real-world Hawaii will probably result in your being rightfully thrown out of jail. 

There's a free travel tip for you there. To further the whole tropical feel, Alola even has its own forms of previously-introduced Pokemon that are specific to this environment. 

However, certain of these forms, like Vulpix and Sandslash, are decidedly frosty! I guess they had to adapt chilly traits to survive in the heat. Evolution really is incredible.

 

7. Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball

What would you do if you won some money in a fighting tournament, fluttered it all in a casino, and then walked out with riches beyond your wildest dreams? You'd probably move somewhere warm and live a life of luxury surrounded by golden sunsets and white sands. 

Well, that’s exactly what eccentric fighter Zack from Dead or Alive did in Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleybal. 

Purchase a tropical island, name it after himself, and live happily ever after. Respect to that man.

Oh, wait, that’s not all he did. He apparently also invited all of the female characters from the Dead or Alive fighting roster to Zack Island under the pretense of another fighting tournament. That’s dishonest, Zack, and kind of creepy. I rescind that declaration of respect. 

Luckily, the girls did exactly what any group who despises each other would do when invited to a tropical island under false pretenses. 

They got their bikinis on and made the best of it! Cue two weeks of sandy frolicking, poolside relaxation, and volleyball in the shade of exotic palm trees. Unfortunately for Zack, once the ladies go home, the whole island gets destroyed in a volcanic eruption. 

We hope Zack learned his lesson, but there are at least two sequels with pretty much the same premise, so... I guess not.

6. Dead Island

Welcome to Banoi, the last of our tropical island destinations. We really don't recommend giving this one a visit, though, on account of a bad case of the zombie plague. 

2011's Dead Island is set on the fictional island of Banoi, which is located off the coast of the non-fictional country of Papua New Guinea. 

Despite having a settled population since 1895 and sustaining a bustling tourist trade, much of Banoi is still wild, unexplored, and unknown. 

Hmm, maybe that's where the zombie virus came from. If you haven't been able to tell by our repeated use of the z-word, despite its natural beauty and posh hotels, Banoi is beset by a very nasty zombie outbreak. 

The player's job is to take charge of the four playable characters and try to get them off the island, exploring beaches, forests, and even an offshore maximum-security prison as they do so. 

The juxtaposition of an idyllic location with shambling hordes of groaning flesh-eaters is something that really makes Dead Island stand out from the crowd, with most developers up until then associating the undead creatures with dimly lit facilities or murky graveyards. 

It just goes to show that no matter how bright and picturesque the location, it can still turn into a living nightmare given the right circumstances. What a happy thought!

 

5. Assassin's Creed Origins

Alright, we're getting really warm now. 

Assassin's Creed Origins is the tenth major entry in the venerable series, and its story begins in the very distant past of 49 BC in the transcontinental country of Egypt. 

While Egypt is well-known for a lot of things, including a big, windy river and some rather large, pointy buildings, it's also well known for being extremely sunny and dry, with most of its land surface consisting of desert. 

Assassin's Creed Origins puts you slap bang in the middle of all this heat and sand and sticks you in the sensible desert boots of Bayek as he embarks on a quest for revenge. 

On the way, he'll become involved with the forerunners of both the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order that feature so prominently throughout the rest of the series and will explore how their conflict came to be. Ah, "origins." I get it now. 

Throughout your action-packed adventure, you'll be exploring all that sunny Egypt has to offer, including night-time desert vistas and spooky, sandy catacombs. It really is the complete ancient Egyptian experience. 

Honestly, is there a better way to explore the history of this majestic nation? I don't Sphinx so.

4. ReCore

From the desert nation of Egypt to the desert world of Far Eden If a country mostly covered in hot sand wasn't enough for you, maybe a whole planet will suffice. 

ReCore is a 2016 action/adventure platformer released on the Xbox One and Windows, and tells the story of colonists escaping a diseased Earth. 

The protagonist, Joule Adams, finds herself awoken from cryosleep in mysterious circumstances while the planet is being terraformed, and she heads out into the barren landscape on a quest of adventure and discovery. 

Thankfully, she has more than just a scarf and a pair of goggles to combat the harsh environment, as she's accompanied by her cool robot pal, Mack. 

This metallic, orb-powered fellow can take on various forms throughout the game and helps Joule navigate the wreckage-strewn desert and dusty caves, as well as fight back against the various robotic enemies the pair will encounter. 

Of course, if one desert planet isn't enough for you, there are plenty of other sun-blasted rocks out there in video game land. 

Pandora from the Borderlands series seems to be mostly desert, and then there's Arrakis from the Dune video games, and those are just off the top of my head. 

There's a whole galaxy of desolate spheres out there, you know, if that's your thing.

  

3. Burning Rangers

Another way to feel toasty on a chilly day is to literally surround yourself with fire. 

Of course, we do not recommend this in real life, but it’s totally something you can do in video games. 

There are quite a few firefighting titles that make this possible, including Embr, which puts an outrageous and cartoony spin on the concept. 

We’ve picked out Burning Rangers, though, a futuristic action game in which everything is on fire! 

Burning Rangers for the Sega Saturn was one of the first big budget video games to focus on firefighting, with players taking on the role of one of the titular rangers as they battle raging infernos in futuristic locations. 

These fire-engulfed locales include a power plant, an underwater complex, and a space station. 

I can see the power plant being a problem, but can't the other two be solved by flooding and exposing to vacuum? Oh, there are civilians trapped too? I guess this is why I’m not a firefighter. 

Come to think of it, despite the promise of being equipped with futuristic firefighting equipment and jet packs, heroically dashing into billowing flames probably isn’t for me. 

Maybe just an evening in front of a cozy fireplace is more my thing...

2. Little Inferno

Ah, this is more like it. 

Quirky 2012 indie title, Little Inferno, invites you to spend some quality time in front of a brick fireplace, warming up, thinking about this and that, and setting fire to all of your belongings. 

Wait, what was that last one? Though Little Inferno can be loosely classified as a puzzle game, there’s no real scoring system or way of losing. 

Instead, the aim of the game is to experiment with burning things in order to earn money to purchase more things to burn. 

Different things burn in different ways, and burning interesting combinations of items can result in explosions or chain reactions. 

Among the burnable items are toys, electronics, and even bugs, all ready and willing to be thrown onto the fire to combat the encroaching cold. 

Look, I get that sitting and watching a fireplace can be a hypnotizing experience, but there’s a line one can cross when it comes to being fascinated with burning stuff. 

Ordering numerous items from a catalog just to throw them in the fire as soon as they arrive seems like it crosses that line quite a bit. 

Is Little Inferno a cozy little puzzle game or a training program for arsonists? I'm not qualified to say.

1. Dante's Inferno

Well, it doesn’t get much hotter than this. 

Set in the realm known colloquially as "the Hot Place," Dante’s Inferno takes us down into the fiery depths of the underworld for the ultimate in scorching real estate. 

EA’s 2010 action game tells the story of Dante, a Templar knight who takes out the grim reaper and then steals his scythe before embarking on a journey through hell to rescue his beloved Beatrice. 

Of course, not all of the circles of hell that Dante visits are super toasty. Treachery, for example, is completely devoid of warmth. 

For the purposes of this list, though, we’re focusing on heresy, the sixth circle, where things are particularly spicy. 

Filled with the writhing, burning remains of those who worshipped false idols and other such heretics, this infernal landscape is accentuated by the eternally raging fires of searing punishment. 

It’s a really convenient location for barbecues, if you can deal with the constant agonized screaming. 

You know, come to think of it, maybe some of these places are a little too toasty for comfort. 

Have I gone too far with the whole "hot places" thing? I’m getting uncomfortably warm just thinking about it, so if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to play some Lost Planet.