Gaming as a hobby has always been an escape from reality, a way to leave real-world problems behind andcompletely immerse oneself in an alternate reality. Owing to their freedom of exploration and expansive nature, open-world games are best at this.
There is a certain intimacy inherent to late-night gaming, something that isn’t present during any other time of day. The quietude enhances the experiences into something otherworldly, making immersion into a vast open world easier than ever. Open-world games that are slow and methodical become better when experienced at night, especially if the game world itself is dark, dreary, and melancholic.
Skyrimis not a game that needs an introduction. It is Bethesda’s magnum opus and one of the very few single-playergames that are still going strong 13 years post-release. Admittedly, while its accolades are undeniable,Skyrimis not a game that seems like it would be significantly better to play at night. But that is only on the surface.
Skyrim’sopen world is vast and sometimes can feel quite empty. Trudging through the Whiterun tundra at night, when the sky is in full view and absolutely no one is around, is an experience in and of itself. The shining stars look otherworldly under the haze of the aurora, and if it is a full moon out? Even better. Any gamer with a decently powerful PC owes it to themselves to experience this phenomenon inUltra-modded Skyrimat least once. It’s something they’ll never forget.
CD Projekt Red’s biggest achievement inCyberpunk 2077isn’t the combat, the story, the skill system, or even the voice acting—though all of these aspects are great. No, themost impressive part aboutCyberpunk 2077is Night City.
The world-building is downright incredible, breathing life into the NPCs, the streets, the buildings, and everything in between. Starting from the very first time V visits the city with Jackie, driving on the streets of Watson at night in first person while it’s raining outside, and the Ray Tracing settings are cranked to the max, setting the tone for what Night City has to offer. And it only gets better from there.
3Need for Speed Underground 2
Late Night Drives Through A Bustling Cityscape
Originally released in 2004,Need for Speed Underground 2is anopen-world racing gamethat’s nearly two decades old at this point. There are prettier racing games out now, with better graphics, better car handling, and better mission structure. ButNFS Underground 2manages to stand proud even after all this time, bringing something to the table that few other racing games manage to achieve: total immersion.
The entire game takes place at night, meaning there is no day/night cycle, and everything players experience is under the cover of darkness. Racing missions and side quests are all set in locations in the open world, which allows players to choose to drive to their objectiveinstead of fast travel. Driving through the streets between missions, with music on full blast, is where this game shines brightest, capturing the loneliness of a late-night drive without inconveniencing the player.
The Long Darkis abrutal survival gamethat puts heavy emphasis on the story-telling aspect and forgoes base building mechanics entirely. The goal is to survive in the cold, harsh woods, with the biggest enemies being the wildlife and the weather itself.
The Long Darkis about moment-to-moment survival with the threat of danger around every corner. It takes a very deliberate, slow-burn approach, encouraging players to immerse themselves into the world and the setting. It never lets the player become overpowered, and every encounter is a life-or-death struggle to the end. The world of The Long Dark is scary and violent, but it’s the moments in between the carnage that make it worth playing. Plodding across thesnow-filled landscape, trying to find tinder to light a fire, all alone with nothing but thoughts for accompaniment. It promises a solo adventure with nothing but time to think and ruminate.
Subnauticais an adventure survival and base-building gameset entirely underwater. While players start off near the surface of the sea their ship crash lands into, the majority of the game is spent exploring the deep depths of the ocean, looking for rare resources, seeking out clues about the world, and more.
Exploration in this game is a curiously cathartic experience, quite unlike anything else out there. PlayingSubnauticaat night, turning off all the lights inside the Cyclops while hundreds of meters underwater, and just… floating in the void. While the game doesn’t really fall into the‘cozy game’ category, it does have a way of soothing the mind, especially during nighttime when there is nothing else but the player, the screen, and the cover of darkness.
