The summer of 2020 is already an unusual one. With social distancing recommendations still in effect, video games and virtual experiences have become one of our primary ways of connecting with one another and letting our brains escape. Games have always provided us with joy or catharsis, but this summer, we’re relying on these experiences to give us so much more.

Games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild have to be our summer vacation getaways, offering us virtual camp sites to explore and relax in. Virtual gaming events, like Summer Games Fest, get to be the summer camp that we all attend together, with in-person events like E3 canceled. Games like Assassin’s Creed Origins: Discovery Tour and Cities: Skylines get to be our summer school, offering us guided and engaging educational experiences with schools and museums closed to the public.

It turns out, then, that we’ve got plenty to do all summer long. Read through our Summer Seasonal Gaming Guide to get inspired to make your own plans.