Favourite examples of weather systems/effects in video games

I love weather effects in games, it can really add to the atmosphere in games especially when it changes on the fly. What are some of your favourite weather systems/effects in video games?

Breath of the Wild

Loved the way you could see the storms coming in, I know it made climbing a pain but just sitting listening and watching a storm in BotW was very therapeutic.

Spider-Man: Miles Moreales

Playing this in December 2020 made it feel extra chrismassey :wub:

Donkey Kong Country

The weather effects in the original DKC games I thought were cool especially for the time.

I know it's purely cosmetic but The Division had a really great snowy setting.

Peter Crisp wrote:I know it's purely cosmetic but The Division had a really great snowy setting.

In the survival mode it had an impact and you could freeze to death. I had a lot of fun playing that mode.

when it is very stormy in wave race blue storm, that was always fun to race through.

Shout out to the rain effects in on the London pavement in Watchdog Legion

Driveclub

Shenmue

Ghost of Tsushima

Outrunner wrote:Shenmue

I was going to post this.

Even after all these years, it is still something very special.

Vermilion wrote:
Outrunner wrote:Shenmue

I was going to post this.

Even after all these years, it is still something very special.

It's one of the reasons I love this game and keep coming back to it 20+ years later

/thread

To mention another game, the sandstorms in Cyberpunk 2077 look fantastic. Some great examples in here already though.

"Wind's howling..."

Someone I know gave up on BOTW because "it's permanently raining".

Dual wrote:"Wind's howling..."

Looks like rain….

Drumstick wrote:Someone I know gave up on BOTW because "it's permanently raining".

It looks nice though :lol:

I always thought it was cool in The Witcher how npcs would run for cover when it started raining - I can think of other games that happens in now (like BOTW, which I'm glad has already been mentioned), but none earlier.

Somewhat similarly to BOTW, Death Stranding has its weather systems that greatly affect traversal. There's the timefall (rain and snow) of course, but getting caught in high winds and whiteouts is where I think it feels most physical.

Just Cause 4's biggest gimmick is its weather systems and they can create some very fun moments, especially when a tornado is tearing through a base and debris and enemies are flying everywhere.

Storms in Assassin's Creed Black Flag are really cool when you have huge waves, especially if you're in combat at the time. I really liked the infrequency of rogue waves too.

Then of course there are some superb looking weather set pieces in The Last of Us.

Pretty sure GTA IV had NPCs who reacted to rain as well. Then V came along and they went back to getting rained on with no reaction whatsoever.

The Witcher was still earlier! That doesn't surprise me though, GTA IV is very simulation-heavy (I think too much to its detriment).

Rain On Your Parade, because you play as the weather.

OrangeRKN wrote:The Witcher was still earlier! That doesn't surprise me though, GTA IV is very simulation-heavy (I think too much to its detriment).

Don't know why, but I assumed you meant Witcher 3, not the original. Totally forgot the NPCs in that actually ran for cover too!

Red Dead Redemption 2 has some spectacular weather effects.

That said, I think Sea of Thieves storms are genuinely terrifying, you lose control of the wheel, your compass starts spinning, the bell keeps ringing and lightning can set your boat alight, additionally although technically not 'weather' the volcano effects are also top notch...

If you want Snow type weather, I do like The Long Dark, the blizzard and wind effects are very impressive, making your way through near white out conditions in the howling wind to get indoors then when you are indoors the walls are creaking and shuddering really gets across the harshness of the world.

Favourite examples of weather systems/effects in video games

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