Cooler weather and colorful vegetation mean summer’s finally on the way out. And with its departure, the traditional Chinese harvest celebration known as the Mid-Autumn Festival is almost upon us. Typically coinciding with North America easing into the cooler fall months, the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates the day when the moon is thought to be at its most luminescent.
There are likely some festivities in your area celebrating this bright cultural occasion, but that doesn’t mean you can’t set the mood at home too. After taking in the sights of some stunning lanterns and eating your fair share of delicious mooncakes, why not get on the couch for some quality game time? There are tons of games that capture the cozy essence of this time of year, and we have a few suggestions to set the mood. Here are seven games to ring in the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Jade Empire
Jade Empire, one of BioWare’s most underrated RPGs, is a 2005 Xbox and PC game set in a world heavily inspired by Chinese mythology, wuxia, and martial arts. You play as a young warrior whose master is kidnapped, prompting you to set out across the Jade Empire to find him. In typical BioWare fashion, players make moral decisions that impact their character and the story’s outcome.
Even 20 years later, Jade Empire is a stunning game from beginning to end. It captures the natural beauty of Eastern biomes, as well as the area’s cultures and societies. The game is available on Steam and modern Xbox hardware via backward compatibility.
Stardew Valley
There’s no way to write up a list of great fall games without bringing up the quintessential cozy title. Stardew Valley is the definitive farming RPG, a one-man effort that’s one of the best games ever made. You play a stressed-out corporate drone who inherits his grandfather’s plot of farm land, and take on the responsibility of caring for it as a quick escape from the pits of white-collar despair. That quickly turns into a memorable, years-long journey through the ins and outs of small-town life.
You’ll meet villagers, raise crops and livestock, explore the town’s every nook and cranny, and even find true love. Nine years after its release, Stardew Valley is as enchanting as everyone says it is, and its own fall season is nearly as gorgeous as reality’s.
Sleeping Dogs
Not looking to relax? Sleeping Dogs is gritty, violent, hilarious, and full of over-the-top action inspired by Hong Kong cinema, and its loving recreation of 2010s Hong Kong lends it some relevancy to the Mid-Autumn Festival. Sleeping Dogs is essentially a blend of Sega’s Yakuza and Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto, complete with performances from A-list actors like Lucy Liu and Emma Stone.
You play as Wei Shen, an undercover cop infiltrating the local Triad. The game features nail-biting car chases, flashy hand-to-hand combat ripped straight from beloved kung-fu flicks, and the occasional gunfight. It’s also full of fun minigames inspired by the city and its culture, including karaoke, Mahjong, and Fan-Tan. Sleeping Dogs is one of the most underrated open-world games of the last 20 years, and we can’t recommend it enough.
Age of Empires 2: Three Kingdoms
Age of Empires II is already one of the finest real-time strategy games ever made. But its Three Kingdoms expansion, which was released earlier this year, is the perfect excuse to brush up on the complexities of ancient Chinese history and myth.
As the name suggests, Three Kingdoms recounts the aftermath of the Han Dynasty, when three powerful factions jockeyed for control of the land. The expansion does a surprisingly adept job of translating a complicated historical conflict into a digestible and engaging campaign; as our Hayes Madsen said in his glowing recommendation, “If you’ve been craving dynamic RTS campaigns, Three Kingdoms is a must-play.”
Forza Horizon 4
Racing games don’t often deviate from the picturesque vistas we typically associate with a clear summer day. And when they do, developers typically favor the dreary wetness of inclement rainstorms that complicate getting a speed machine across a finish line.
In 2018, however, Playground Games had the wise idea of setting its fourth open-world racing game in a stunning rendition of Great Britain that could render any of its four seasons. The results are spectacular across the board, but fall is the highlight. Trees lining the roads light up the horizon with a spectrum of red, yellow, and orange, turning corners at top speeds kicks up colorful leaves behind you, and the autumn skies are a sight to behold.
Although it was delisted just a few months ago, Forza Horizon 4 is still available if you buy a digital code for Xbox or Steam. It’s worth seeking out if you want a stunning open-world racer that’s perfect for the season.
A Short Hike
Adam Robinson-Yu’s A Short Hike perfectly captures what it’s like to be outdoors at this time of year. It’s about a talking blackbird named Claire who’s making their way up a mountain called Hawk Peak, and players can take their time with the ascent, finding their own entertainment along the way.
Hawk Peak is full of gorgeous views that shine through the game’s pixelated aesthetic, and the surprise minigames you can play along the way make the mountain a delight to explore as you take in the golden autumn sprawled out before you. The low-stakes, charming nature of A Short Hike makes it perfect for an afternoon or evening playthrough, as you can complete the whole affair in two to four hours.
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact is probably China’s biggest video game to date. While its general aesthetic may remind players of something like the open-world Zelda games or their favorite slice-of-life anime, the free-to-play RPG is rooted in Chinese culture and influences.
Like any gacha game, Genshin Impact has its monetization-based shortcomings. But for those looking for mood and atmosphere, the lands of Teyvat recreate the beauty of Chinese coastal architecture and cuisine. It also helps that the game features addictive RPG combat and systems. It’s part of the broader and ever-expanding Hoyoverse, so there are plenty of other ways to engage with this ethereal universe if this style of game isn’t for you… or if you get hooked.