While some gamers need thrills and victories over other players in fierce shootouts or intellectual duels, others play to relax and have fun. While their grandmothers grow carrots and beets in the country, they do the same sitting at the computer.
They won’t get to taste the fruits of their labor, but that doesn’t matter. In the best farming simulators, the fun comes from the process itself.
My Little Farmies
- Release date: February 27, 2018
- Developer: Upjers
- Download: Steam
In this farm simulator, you will have to start from scratch. An uncultivated plot of land overgrown with weeds, through your efforts, turns into a blooming garden, fields with grain crops, a dairy farm… The player himself decides how to develop his lands with benefit and profit, and what products his village community will supply to neighbors.
In terms of genre, My Little Farmies balances between a farm simulator and an economic strategy. The developers have carefully and subtly built all the game mechanics, and the game design deserves praise: even in dense and diverse buildings it is easy to understand.
Play
Kynseed
Source: thecozygamingnook.com / Kynseed
- Release date: December 6, 2022 (early access – since 2018)
- Developer: PixelCount Studios
- Download: Steam
The team of developers of this game includes several creators of Fable . What can a fantasy adventure have in common with a farm simulator? It turns out, a lot! The player controls a family of villagers who run a farm in a fantasy world and cannot help but interact with its inhabitants, among whom are not only people, but also elves, fairies and other fabulous creatures.
Kynseed is much more than a farming simulator. It is more accurately described as a life simulator. Family members will grow up, get married, have children, grow old, die, and pass on their wealth to the next generation.
There are many ways to develop your estate. Do you want to supply the entire area with the best cheese in the kingdom? Or maybe build a forge and forge swords using a secret recipe learned from the elves? Everything is possible in this game. Kynseed has not only the usual mechanics for farm simulators and adventure games, but also exciting mini-games and puzzles.
Play
Farmer’s Dynasty
Source: Steam / Art for Farmer’s Dynasty
- Release date: November 21, 2019
- Developer: UMEO Studios
- Download: Steam
Another successful game at the junction of two genres: role-playing game and farm simulator. Your hero inherits a farm from his grandfather, which is in a deplorable state. Fortunately, the neglected farm fell into good hands and will soon become the best farm in the area. Or not. It depends only on you.
In Farmer’s Dynasty you will become not only a hard-working farmer, but also a friendly neighbor. Respond to other people’s requests for help, and when you yourself need support, rest assured: no one will leave a responsive neighbor alone with his troubles. In Farmer’s Dynasty, your hero can find not only friends, but also a soulmate.
Another advantage of the game is its realism. The problems you will encounter during the game really happen to owners of their own farms. The knowledge you gain in the game can be useful to you if you want to set up a real farm or at least a country house.
Play
My Time At Portia
Source: Steam / Art by My Time At Portia
- Release date: January 15, 2019
- Developer: Pathea Games/Team 17
- Download: Steam
The young hero of this game has to restore his father’s workshop and become a real jack of all trades. The boy dreams that all the residents of the small town of Portia appreciate and respect him, and he does not refuse to help anyone. But he should not forget about himself.
One of the main advantages of the game is the huge number of activities that you can do. Arrange your property, grow plants, take care of animals, communicate with neighbors, have romantic relationships and even fight!
Play
Farm Frenzy: Refreshed
Source: Steam / Farm Frenzy: Refreshed Interface
- Release date: January 28, 2021
- Developers: GameOn Production/Alawar Entertainment
- Download: Steam
A sequel to the cult Farm Frenzy from Alawar Entertainment, which made the farm simulator genre so popular. The first Farm Frenzy was a good game, but gamers criticized it for some shortcomings, after which the developers worked on the errors. Judging by the high audience ratings, the work was done successfully.
You take on the role of a small farm manager and lead it to prosperity. The graphics are still cartoonish, but now they are fully three-dimensional, and even a child can figure out the controls.
Play
Staxel
Source: hardcoregamer.com / Animals in Staxel
- Release date: April 11, 2019
- Developer: Plukit
- Official site
Our top of the best farm simulators continues with the voxel game Staxel , looking at which an experienced gamer will immediately say: “But this is Minecraft!”, but he will not be entirely right. The developers from Plukit were really inspired by the visual style of the best sandbox in the world, but made an original and exciting project.
The beginning is standard: a new owner or mistress (depending on your choice) comes to an abandoned farm. The neighbors initially look at the newcomer with caution and suspicion, but with your good deeds you can win their trust and friendship. To make your farm the best in the area, you will have to try.
The entry threshold for this game is much lower than in Minecraft, and the training system will quickly get you up to speed. There is also a constructor element: you can build your estate literally brick by brick.
Play
Farming Simulator Series
Source: Google Play / Harvesting in Farming Simulator
- Release date: dates back to 2008
- Developer: Giants Software
Once upon a time, developers from Giants Software decided to create the most realistic farm simulator and… created it. This game series can be called cult without exaggeration. You will not find a more detailed and deep immersion into farm life in any other game.
Advertising
Farming Simulator has a close-knit and friendly fan community that is happy to answer questions from newcomers. They instantly buy up and test each new part of the series, and finding a quality guide to the game is not difficult.
You can download the games in the series from Steam and Epic Games .
Play
Farm Together
Source: gameloop.com / Farm Together Characters
- Release date: October 11, 2018
- Developer: Milkstone Studios
- Download: Steam
At the beginning of the game, you choose the area where your future farm will appear. You can place your farm high in the mountains, surrounded by picturesque rivers and lakes, or on the already familiar plain.
Different agricultural crops require different conditions. The developers did not forget about planting seasons either: some plants are planted in early spring, others germinate in the hot summer, and others will spend their first year of life under the snow.
Source: gameloop.com / Farm Together Characters
Farm Together lives up to its name: you can visit your friends’ farms and help them with watering, harvesting, and repairing buildings.
Another feature of the game is the wide customization options for both your character and his house. The number of different hats, shirts and accessories is amazing, you can try to make an exact copy of yourself in the game, and it will not be surprising if your friends recognize you.
Play
Stardew Valley
Source: Steam / Stardew Valley Gameplay
- Release date: February 26, 2016
- Developer: ConcemedApe
- Download: Steam
A charming pixel masterpiece that can steal your time, heart, desire to sleep and will to go to work or study. At first glance, experienced players who are used to turning on RTX, even playing Snake, will find Stardew Valley unsightly. However, after playing a little, you will fall in love with the game.
Your hero, whom you choose yourself, goes to the old farm of your grandfather from the stuffy metropolis. You will have to not only dig in the ground, but also literally live in the game. All the townspeople are not just dummies giving you tasks: they have their own unique character, live and even celebrate birthdays.
Source: Steam / Stardew Valley Gameplay
The social component can be compared to the Sims series. You will have to build relationships, up to creating your own family. As for activities, there are more than enough of them:
- farming with a huge variety of plants and animals;
- construction;
- trade;
- fishing;
- extraction of ores and treasures in mines;
- preparation of various products;
- interesting quests, festivals and holidays.
This game is definitely worth your attention!
Play
Autonauts
Source: eurogamer.net / Autonauts Heroes
- Release date: October 17, 2019
- Developer: Denki
- Download: Steam
Quite an unusual game among farm simulators. The distinctive feature from other projects is the complete automation of processes with the help of robots. Your hero is not an ordinary farmer in a checkered shirt, but a real engineer who builds farms on uninhabited planets.
You will have robot assistants, automated factories and lines, assemblers and builders at your disposal. At the very beginning, of course, you will have to work with your own hands, but later the automation will do everything for you.
But don’t think that the game plays itself. You will have to assign commands to the robots. The player must also correctly configure the automatic lines so that everything works correctly.
Play
No Place Like Home
Source: Steam / No Place Like Home Atmosphere
- Release date: March 17, 2022
- Developer: Chicken Launcher
- Download: Steam
A fresh game with a telling name and an unusual setting for the genre. Humanity has polluted our planet and decided that it would be nice to pollute Mars too. Everyone flew off to conquer a new world. Everyone, that is, except for a desperate farmer who decides to turn his corner into a blooming garden.
The player will have to raise his farm from the ruins, explore the surrounding locations and improve them. Gardening, animal husbandry, preparing resources from various recipes, adventures – all this awaits the player in No Place Like Home.
It is also worth noting the pleasant graphics. Despite the setting, the game looks very nice and even fascinating.
Play
Doraemon Story of Seasons
Source: gematsu.com / Doraemon Story of Seasons
- Release date: October 11, 2019
- Developers: Marvelous Inc., Brownies Inc.
- Download: Steam
With the release of this game, all “PC boyars” can play a very high-quality analogue of the legendary Animal Crossing . The adventure of three boys and a robot cat truly enchants and absorbs the player completely.
Everything about this game is nice: amazing graphics, various mechanics and gameplay in general. You want to live in this world, you want to relax and forget about everything. Just like in Stardew Valley, there is a city in which many interesting characters live with their own history and quests.
Highly recommended for anyone who just needs to find a game to relax.
Play
Garden Paws
Source: CQ.ru / Garden Paws
- Release date: December 18, 2018
- Developer: Bitten Toast Games Inc
- Download: Steam
The cutest game of this top. The level of “cute-cute-cute” goes off the scale when you launch Garden Paws. And it’s all about the creatures that inhabit this big world. Your hero and all the surrounding creatures are cute animals that can be customized.
In addition to classic farming, there is the construction of your own house, as well as travel through a large open world. At the same time, the open world implies not only dull wandering to NPCs, but also solving puzzles, searching for interesting places and treasures with unique items.
The only downside is that there is no Russian language in the game, as well as a Russifier. Although the gameplay is so intuitive that everything will be clear even to those who do not know English.
Play
Farm Manager
Source: gry-online.pl / Farm territory in Farm Manager
- Release date: May 06, 2021
- Developer: Cleversan Games
- Download: Steam
For those who do not like to plant each bush personally and want scale, there is a full-fledged tycoon Farm Manager. Before you is an economic strategy in which the player will have to create his own farming empire. Step by step, fields, pastures and factories will appear on the empty map. Follow the production chains and the economy to become the most successful farmer-tycoon.
True hardcore fans who simply love to replay the entire session because of a poorly constructed intersection did not like this game very much. It is quite friendly to the player, so it is perfect for those who just want to relax.
Play
Ranch Simulator
Source: moddb.com / House in Ranch Simulator
- Release date: March 4, 2021
- Developer: Toxic Dog
- Download: Steam
A unique game that combines a construction, farming and hunting simulator. Ranch Simulator is a very interesting project, in early access at the time of writing, but already has a lot of content.
You will see a typical American ranch, which the hero gets in a terrible state. First, you need to restore, repair and rebuild everything. And you will have to build everything: from a residential building to outbuildings. Then you will have farming, livestock breeding, hunting.
The ranch is located in the forests, so there are not only enough sources of meat, but also those who consider you a source of meat. The game also has a co-op and transport, which can not only cultivate fields, but also go hunting.
Play
My Time at Sandrock
Source: Steam / My Time at Sandrick Gameplay
- Release date: November 2, 2023
- Developer: Pathea Games
- Download: Steam
A sequel to My Time at Portia with an equally interesting plot and gameplay. The city of Sandrock desperately needs a craftsman who will help with repairs and improve the lives of residents. In your hands is an abandoned workshop, which with effort and over time can develop into a huge farm with a profitable harvest and a magnificent house.
Players who have completed Portia note that the plot has been significantly improved in the second part. It is much more interesting, because you find yourself in a desert with evil cowboys and sandstorms. The characters here have also become “brighter” and more thoughtful: there is a choice in relationships with them. They have also improved the gameplay, interface, and improved the system of pets, which can now go for water and run for plants. As a bonus, there are also constant updates from the developers, who never tire of adding new content.
Play
Grow: Song Of The Evertree
Source: Steam / Screenshot from the game
- Release date: November 16, 2021
- Developer: Prideful Sloth
- Download: Steam
A representative of the last generation of alchemists in the fading worlds of Alaria – this is the starting point offered to us by the developers of Grow: Song Of The Evertree . We find ourselves in a magical world, or rather, a multi-world, where we have to build, grow, improve and revive the universe.
Advertising
Getting to know the unusual inhabitants of these worlds, we will gradually help them, for example, find work or housing. And a wide selection of buildings will allow you to arrange our worlds exactly as you want – there are no limits. The gameplay is accompanied by a pleasant melodic soundtrack created by composer Kevin Penkin – the author of numerous compositions for anime and games, for example, Florence and This Is the Police .
Play
Rune Factory 4 Special
Source: Steam / Game Interface
- Release date: December 7, 2021
- Developer: Marvelous Inc.
- Download: Steam
This project is a little different from the already listed farm simulators, because along with cultivating the soil, the player will have to become an anime knight and raise monsters. Yes, yes, not only fight them, but also build friendships.
The developers, according to players’ feedback, did a very thorough job of thinking through the weapons – different types feel different in combat. The NPCs here are also not empty dummies, but quite a “living organism”, because any of your actions affect your relationships with other characters in the game.
The knight-farmer will not experience difficulties trying to grow his luxurious harvest – the crafting mechanics are thought out to the smallest detail and implemented in the best possible way. For example, you will not need to make unnecessary movements – access to the storage is automatic, and movement around the map is fast.
On the downside, there is no Russian language support, but you can use Russifiers.
Play
Slime Rancher Series
Source: Steam / Slimes in Slime Rancher 2
- Release date: September 22, 2022 (part 2 in early access)
- Developer: Monomi Park
- Download: Steam
A colorful project with the cutest multi-colored slimes on a rainbow island is what you need for a relaxing evening. In the second part of the game, you are Beatrix Lebeau, who went on a journey to the land of ancient technologies and mysterious natural resources.
The game is filled with unusual mechanics for a farm simulator: you can jump, farm slimes and resources with a special gun, and even launch slimes through a pipe on a long journey to the other end of the plot. This game is not lacking in fun and color, so if you are tired of the green and brown landscapes of standard beds, start farming on a rainbow island.
Play
Story Of Seasons Series
Source: Steam / Interface Story Of Seasons: Friends Of Mineral Town
- Release date: July 14, 2020
- Developer: Marvelous Inc.
- Download: Steam
The project from the same developers who released Rune Factory 4 Special is in many ways similar to Animal Crossing . Customization of chibi characters, growing anything on your plot, and you can also get married and have children. After all, you need helpers in the garden?
The game has enough content for months of passionate farming and exploration. In addition to close relationships with NPCs, you can even romance the Goddess in the game. Of course, if you have enough time between harvesting and caring for cows, chickens and horses.
Play
Sun Haven
Source: Steam / Sun Haven Characters
- Release date: March 11, 2023
- Developer: Pixel Sprout Studios
- Download: Steam
In Sun Haven you can choose one of 5 magical races for your character, get married and raise children, attend festivals in your free time, fight monsters in dungeons or meditatively fish. Who likes what: active or relaxing gameplay, here you can choose.
Players note the eye-pleasing pixel sprites, changing seasons, abundance of diverse content and exciting co-op – play with your significant other or friends.
There are also some downsides, but they are minor, for example, a bad translation into Russian – you can switch to English if you speak it, or find a Russifier mod. They also criticize the skill trees, noting that not all of them are useful, and the economy – some ingredients are easier to sell “raw” than to cook. Although such criticism is subjective and you may not encounter these downsides in the game.
Play
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
Source: Steam / Cutscene in Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
- Release date: November 10, 2020
- Developer: Edelweiss
- Download: Steam
A game for combat farmers: the action part is as important here as leisurely contemplation of the growing rice estate. The small but hard-drinking farmer Sakuna can both sow rice and beat up the enemies.
According to critics and players, the project combines a 2D slasher and a rice farm owner simulator. We can’t argue with this statement, since this short description best conveys the essence of the gameplay of Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin . And we are also a little afraid that this harsh alcoholic will come to us in a dream and make us fertilize her rice field with her manure. Seriously, this mechanic is also in the game.
Of all the farm simulators listed, this project stands out the most, since the main part of the gameplay is still given to battles and the plot. Farming here is like a pause between the action and the development of the plot. However, this does not mean that everything will be automated. You will immerse yourself in the everyday life of an ancient Chinese worker who carefully weeds the field, monitors the water level and destroys pests in order to get the highest quality “bowl of rice”.
Play
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles
Source: Steam / Beautiful views and animals in Yonder
- Release date: July 18, 2017
- Developer: Prideful Sloth
- Download: Steam
From fighting to complete pacifism: the game Yonder does not contain any monsters. True, there is still mysticism and a goal in bringing peace to the island of Gemeya. It will be necessary to clear it of the Darkness zones, which will be facilitated by all the inhabitants and animals you meet.
You will tame and breed animals, grow trees and crops, create beauty and atmosphere in a peaceful paradise as peacefully as possible. With breaks to eliminate the Darkness in a new area you open, and create the next farm in another territory (8 regions in total). By the way, you can travel between farms using portals – Sage stones.
Play
Farmer’s Life
Source: Steam / Unforgettable rides on a pig
- Release date: October 20, 2023
- Developer: FreeMind SA
- Download: Steam
Ride a horse, a bike, or maybe… a pig? All these activities are available in Farmer’s Life, a third-person game. You will get into the role of an ordinary village worker suffering from alcohol addiction, who plows in the garden during the day, makes moonshine, haggles with the local shopkeeper, and for fun can saddle a pig or blow up trees on the edge of the forest for some granny. After all, you need to prepare firewood for the winter, right?
You have all the joys of village life at your disposal: a small wooden house, various useful equipment for cultivating the plot, such as a seeder or a plow, and an unforgettable experience of going to the toilet outside. You will be able to not only experience almost a live analogue of “4 Weddings” in the countryside, but also find treasures in an old church or bunker! Isn’t it the game of the year?
Play
Wildmender
Source: Steam / Wildmender Gameplay
- Release date: September 28, 2023
- Developer: Muse Games
- Download: Steam
How to create a blooming garden and fertile lands from a lifeless desert? You will find out while playing Wildmender. Your task will be not only to grow greenery, but also to survive and search for resources.
In your journeys to the temples of the gods, you will uncover the secrets of the desert, advance through the story, discover new mechanics, magic, and weapons. And the development of your own garden will go faster if you invite your friends – the game offers a cooperative for 4 players.
As in life, plant growth depends on weather conditions and the day/night cycle. Their range is huge – the developers promise dozens of plants with many varieties that you will discover as you play. And you can sew your own clothes and show them off to the entire desert, let the night ghosts appreciate your outfit.
Play
Digging in the ground does not always bring suffering and fatigue. If it is digging in a game, then you will get pure pleasure from it, because it is so nice to watch your own farm flourish