The coronavirus pandemic has been tough on everyone. Isolation, virtual learning, and stress in general are particularly hard for students. Luckily, video games can provide an escape and a way to connect with friends.

Here is a list of some games to try (in no particular order) to ease the pains of the pandemic:

#1 Among Us – Innersloth

If you have not already heard of it, Among Us is the game that conquered the quarantined world last year, although it originally came out in 2018. You can host or join a public lobby, or a private one with just your friends. A lobby can have up to ten players. There are three maps – The Skeld, the classic spaceship; MiraHQ, a tower in the clouds; and Polus, an outpost on a frozen alien planet. In the next few months, Innersloth will give us a fourth map, The Airship. In each game, each player is randomly assigned either “Impostor” or “Crewmate.” The crewmates must either fix up the ship and do all their tasks or vote out the impostor(s) to win. The impostor, however, must sneakily kill the crewmates and sabotage their mission without seeming suspicious to the crew, either while running around the game area or during discussions of who was the likely killer. This game is simple but loads of fun, especially with friends, making it a great way to spend the time. Among Us is free on iOS and android, and is also available on Windows and the Nintendo Switch for $5.

#2 Sky: Children of the Light – Thatgamecompany

In Sky, a darkness has come upon the world. Players are incarnated as Children of the Light that are sent down to the world to find the spirits of fallen stars throughout seven realms and return them to the Sky. When playing, you will be with other real people exploring and finding spirits. You may choose to befriend them or do your own thing. You can also play with real-life friends. This game is great for quarantine because it is beautiful, immersive, and you can fly, which makes for a perfect escape from everyday stresses. Sky is free for iOS and Android.

#3 “.io” games: starve.io and mope.io

“.io” games are a type of online, multiplayer, “get-to-the-top-of-the- leaderboard” type games named for their traditional top-level domain “io.” While these games are simple and often not very good, there are a few that are quite fun. Starve.io is a survival game – in normal mode, you spawn in the forest biome and must keep track of your temperature, thirst, hunger, and not getting killed by hostile players. For a bigger challenge, you can conquer the winter, desert, and lava biomes, or kill the various monsters that roam the land (and sea). Mope.io is like the classic “.io” games in that you eat to get bigger and the bigger players eat the smaller ones. However, there are distinct levels, biomes, and players are animals with each level having a different selection of animals to be. Each animal has special abilities, and if you achieve a high enough level you can become a supreme animal (a dragon, phoenix, pterodactyl, etc.) that has the power to have 1v1 battles with other supreme animals. Both games are great to enjoy with friends and very easy to access. Just go to starve.io and mope.io! There is also a mope.io app that is free for iOS and Android.

#4 Pokémon Go – Niantic Inc.

Pokémon Go came out a few years ago, but is still fun and worthwhile. Soon after you start the game, you will join one of three teams: team Instinct, led by Spark; team Valor, led by Candela; or team Mystic, led by Blanche. To progress in the game, you catch Pokémon, strengthen them, and secure gyms for your team. Gyms are like strongholds, and they frequently change hands. However, it is mostly team Valor vs. team Mystic, as team Instinct has far fewer members and was more or less left in the dust. Pokémon Go is a unique game, as it encourages players to go outside and take long walks. The Pokémon Go world is like a Pokémonified version of the real one. You will find Pokémon at real places and Pokéstops (where you can get resources like Pokéballs) and gyms at real shops or landmarks. Going outside and getting some exercise are more important than ever during quarantine, when online school and nowhere to go can have us spending all day inside. Pokémon Go is free on iOS and Android.

It’s important to keep in mind that some of these games (especially Among Us and starve.io) may take some time to get the hang of. Going through in-game tutorials or finding online how-tos could be helpful! See you online!