5. Horizon: Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds (DLC)
The title of this game doesn’t exactly bury the lead (or lede for you purists). One of the best DLCs for one of the best action games in recent memory, The Frozen Wilds starts in a snowy mountain pass and just gets snowier and more mountainy from there. Appreciate it now because the upcoming sequel takes place in the Bahamas or something, with Aloy fronting a Jimmy Buffet cover band.
4. (tie) The Division and Austin Wintory (composer)
Another tie? What’s going on? Anyway, remember when you walked the wintery avenues of NYC, enjoying the cold and silent, empty streets? If you played 2016’s The Division you do. As for Austin Wintory, this composer of scores for games like Journey and The Banner Sagas both has a frosty, snow-themed surname and is a pretty chill dude to boot.
3. Star Wars Battlefront 2: Ice Planet of Hoth
When the temps hit the triple digits, I can only dream about seeking warmth and shelter in the belly of my freshly killed Tauntaun. RIP, buddy.
2. Snowrunner
A driving game you’ve probably never heard of, much less played, it re-creates all of the most frustrating aspects of winter driving: getting stuck in snow overnight and eating your own arm, spinning out, being late for work again because your damn engine wouldn’t start in the cold. You believe that, right?
1. Red Dead Redemption 2
No joke, the opening hour or so of Red Dead 2 will chill you from the inside out. It’s my go-to, favorite snow level of all time and it cools me off and makes me thankful I’m not out freezing my butt off searching for that idiot John Marston.
Look, it’s summer. I get it, the earth is tilted towards the sun or something (unless you live south of the equator, I think, I’m no expert) and it’s gonna be hot. So thank goodness we have these digital versions of a cooler season to help us escape the heat and remind us that, once upon a time, frozen precipitation fell from the sky and somehow made it into our consoles and computers.
Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.