9 Games You Can Play To Keep The Quarantine Boredom In Check

Bored while staying home? Worry not. We have got you covered. 

The coronavirus outbreak has forced the more fortunate of us to work from home while health and sanitation workers step out to fight the deadly virus. The least we can do to help the “warriors” is by socially distancing ourselves. We know it’s not an easy thing to do but that’s the only way to keep this virus in check. So, while we play our part in this fight by staying at home, here are nine games you can play to keep yourselves entertained. 

1. Forza Horizon 4:

Platforms: PC and Xbox.

The latest in the Forza Horizon series, Horizon 4 brings the best of open-world driving. It is set in England and features over 470 licenced cars ranging from classics like the Bugatti EB110 and Ferrari F50 to modern legends like the Bugatti Chiron and the Koenigsegg 1:1. It offers various disciplines of events ranging from race events to off-road events. FH4 also has a lego expansion pack in which the entire map and cars are converted into lego blocks for a unique gaming experience. Also unique to FH4 is the variable weather feature. In this, the seasons change over a period of time, opening new seasonal championships in addition to the standard racing events. For all the nerds, Forza Horizon allows players to modify their cars to the finest of details. You can not only install new engines, wheels and transmission but can also adjust gear ratios, camber-caster angles and brake bias, among others. 

2. Formula 1 2019

Platforms: Xbox, PS4 and PC

From the open vistas of the UK, let’s go to F1 circuits around the world. You can experience the thrill of F1 racing with Codemaster’s official F1 simulation game. It is a yearly series, with F1 2019 being the latest iteration. This game offers various modes of gameplay, including competing for the drivers and constructor’s championship, Grand Prix (a single race weekend) and multiplayer, among others. Unique to F1 2019, you can choose to compete in Formula 2 as well. Offered as additional DLC, you can also race as legendry drivers such as Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. The DLC also offers cars like the 2010 McLaren MP4-25 driven by Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button and the 2010 Ferrari F10, driven by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, among others. So, if you are disappointed by clouds of uncertainty over the F1 2020 season, the F1 2019 game will surely help you feel better. 

But what if you are feeling too lazy to race yourself and would prefer watching an F1 race? Esports has got you covered. You can watch F1 racers like Lando Norris (Mclaren F1), Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes F1), Stoffel Vandoorne (Former Mclaren and current Mercedes Formula E) and Nicholas Latifi (Williams F1) competing on a simulated F1 circuit. The series is based on the official F1 2019 PC video game and the first virtual GP was held on Sunday, March 22 at the Sakhir track (Bahrain GP). The 28-lap virtual race was telecasted on Formula 1’s official Youtube, Twitch and Facebook channels as well as with F1.com.

3. Mud Runner:

Platforms: Xbox, PS4 and PC.

Not a racing buff? If you are someone who likes to play it dirty and go for off-road adventures over weekends, Mud Runner is the perfect game for you. Mud Runner tasks the player to drive through muddy unpaved roads in archaic soviet vehicles ranging from cars to 6-wheel trucks and utility vehicles. The main aim of this game is to transport wooden logs from point A to point B with limited resources like fuel and vehicle health. Further cementing the game’s simulation genre is that the player can tinker with differential locks, 2WD/4WD as well as power winches. 

4. Car Mechanic Simulator 2018

Platforms: Xbox, PS4, PC, iOS and Android. 

Not a hardcore gamer but like playing mobile games? We have got you covered. Unity’s Car Mechanic Simulator is the best of its kind. It is a first-person perspective game which allows you to roam around a car workshop, barns, garages and buy, repair and resell cars.  The player can work with various tools, unlocked by completing jobs and earning experience. 

5. Euro Truck Simulator 2: 

Platform: Xbox, PC and Mac OS

Have you ever wanted to be a trucker hauling goods from one place to the other? You can become one in the comfort of your home. Euro Trucker 2 allows the player to drive a truck across the European landscape picking up and delivering cargo from one place to other. The game offers two modes. First, you can work as a hired driver for a company and deliver goods. In the second mode,  you can also buy your own truck thorough bank loan and make deliveries. ETS2 offers seven brands of trucks to play with including DAF, Renault, MAN, Volvo, IVECO, Mercedes-Benz and Scania.

6. Assetto Corsa: 

Platform: Xbox, PC and PS4

If you are a purist who thinks games like Need For Speed and Asphalt 8 are for amateurs, then we’ve got the genre for you: sim racing. You know, games that realistically emulate real-world hardcore racing. There are many games that could join this list - Gran Turismo, Project Cars, Forza Motorsport series - but we chose Assetto Corsa because of its platform-wide availability and its not so high system requirements for PC. 

Released in 2016, the Assetto Corsa is still among the most accurate simulator racing games on offer. Like F1, it offers circuit-based racing but instead of track-only cars, Assetto Corsa allows you to race with modern-day road-going cars from carmakers like Abarth, Audi, BMW, Classic Team Lotus, Ferrari, KTM, Lamborghini, Lotus cars, McLaren, Mercedes, Pagani and Porsche, among others. A total of 18 circuits are available to race in Assetto Corsa, out which only 15 are official tracks. They include legendry circuits like the Imola, Nürburgring and Laguna Seca. 

7. Dirt Rally 2.0:

Platform: Xbox, PC and PS4

While all other racing games focus on tarmac circuit-based racing, Dirt Rally is one of the few games to offer rally racing. It is the official game of FIA World RallyCross Championship. Dirt Rally offers six real-life locations to race on using any of over 50 off-road rally cars including VW Polo GTI R5 and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, among others. To keep things real, the game also allows you tinker with the vehicle’s setting to suit driving style and environmental characteristics. Dirt Rally not only allows you to be a racer but also lets you experience the functioning of a racing team through the  "My Team" mode. It requires players to hire engineers to maintain cars and make strategic choices. 

8. Real Racing 3:

Platform: Android and iOS

Another mobile game is Real Racing 3 from Electronic Arts. This game offers a very realistic and intense racing experience thanks to its life-like physics. There are more than 250 cars to race from carmakers like Ferrari, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Ford, on more than 40 circuits including Silverstone, Hockenheimring, Le Mans, Yas Marina and Circuit of the Americas. 

8. Wreckfest: 

Platform: PS4, Xbox and PC

As the name suggests, the highlight of the game are the two different disciples it offers apart from standard racing. First is Banger Racing. In this, scrap vehicles are raced along an oval or a tri-oval circuit. The first one to cross the chequered flag after a set number of laps wins. Things are not as simple as they look since players are allowed to make contact with each other in order to cause damage, making it more ruthless and boorish than normal racing. The second discipline is the Demolition Derby. This event consists of five or more drivers competing by intentionally ramming their vehicles into one another The last driver with a running vehicle wins. So, if you are bored of old school racing, Wreckfest could be the game for you. 

Honorary Mention: 

Midtown Madness: If we are talking about car games, it would be criminal to not include Midtown Madness. It opened the doors of computer gaming for most of us. The game offered multiple modes like Blitz, Circuit, Checkpoint, and Cruise. The latter, however, was the best (in my opinion) as it allowed the player to explore the city at their own pace while other modes offered different types of racing. 

Read more: Coronavirus Symptoms and Precautions in India