It's so hard to let go of online friends

I know everyone says it's dangerous and to be careful, but it's really hard to say goodbye because they feel like my real-life friends.. There are two of them, a year or two older than me. The three of us, a girl, a guy, and me, often play games together and keep in touch, and we've been doing this for over a year now. Honestly, since this is my first time making friends in a game, I thought I could just end it easily, but we've become so comfortable with each other and it's been so much fun. Of course, we never share financial information or personal details. We just send each other Reels and occasionally call. I feel like I'm getting attached to them as people, which makes it harder to distance myself ㅠㅜ If any of you have gone through this, how did you manage to drift apart? For me, it feels like breaking up with a close friend for no reason...