These are wild times we are living in as many are being told to stay home from work and social settings. I support these efforts and, while I am still having to work at home, many others may not and need a way to kill time.

As the master of killing time and avoiding social situations, allow me to share some games that may help alleviate the stress. I recommend buying these games digitally to avoid face-to-face contact.

Minecraft (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, smartphones)

There is nothing more relaxing than walking around your own land to calming music while living off the land. This open game allows you to join up with others or hoard all your findings for yourself; no one will judge you either way. Feeling aggressive? Fight some monsters at night.

Fortnite (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, smartphones)

Sick of watching your kids play Fortnite? Join them. Better yet, play the game enough and become better than them. For those unfamiliar, Fornite is a battle royale game that drops 100 players on an island to fight until there is only one player left standing. Join a squad with your friends and chat safely through a headset or give it a shot alone. Either way, you’re bound to discover elementary-aged kids are better at the game than you.

The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch)

Skyrim has been out for quite some time now, but if you’ve never given it a chance, now is the time. You play as a Dragonborn who can do some cool shouts and take down dragons. There are so many quests within this RPG that you’re bound to kill over 100 hours without even noticing.

Pokemon (Nintendo consoles)

Honestly, any Pokemon game, but the most recent release of Sword and Shield are probably the most popular currently. With a game that the whole point is to “catch them all,” may as well kill a few hours attempting to do so. The Nintendo 3DS store has digital versions of some of the original games if you can’t find your GameBoy, which will remind you how much harder video games seemed to be back in the day.

Call of Duty: Warzone (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

Much like Fortnite, this is a battle royale game, but that’s about where the similarities stop. Warzone pits 150 players against each other with realistic graphics and a set of new elements. The most notable addition is that, unlike other battle royale games where once you die, you’re dead, Warzone allows players to reenter the game. When a player dies, they are sent to a gulag where they go head-to-head with another player for the chance to redrop into the game.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo Switch)

Personally, I’ve been waiting years for this game. At the time I am writing this, I have not yet played the game as it releases March 20. However, Animal Crossing games are known for their calming nature as you take over your own tranquil town full of animals. You can spend hours catching fish, catching bugs, digging up treasure and can even visit your online friends’ towns. For those without a Switch or who have no money left after hoarding toilet paper, there is a free mobile game, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, which isn’t quite as fun as the actual games but still provides some mindless time-killing.

Desiree Carver is a reporter at the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be reached at (229) 244-3400 ext. 1215.