10 Best Farming Games In 2022
For as long as handhelds have been popular, farming simulators have existed to reward our free leisure time, away from the grind of life, with the grind of a digital full-time job. Whilst the profit and loss of the vegetable market are a mystery to some, most of us understand the deep relaxation of growing crops, cultivating your own land, and listening to soothing music in the process. Usually under the backdrop of owing a large sum to your local money-lending landlord. The perfect medley of work and reward you find in farming sims is unparalleled. So, here’s our list of the ten best farming games currently out, if you feel the need to itch that hay bale scratch.
Best Farming Games: Sakuna: Of Rice And Ruin (#10)
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Platforms: PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch
Sakuna is a blend of genres that takes farming elements to a new level. Rice farming is used as the levelling system in-between side-scrolling adventures and battle. The story centres around petulant harvest goddess Sakuna, who has been banished to an island and sent on a quest to rid it of demons before she can return home.
Hack and slash combat is performed with farming tools, and progression in the game is split between 2D side scrolling battles and 3D cultivation of rice fields at a home base. This JRPG farming sim appeals to many for its varied gameplay and tantalising storyline so if you want a blend of everything in one game, this one is for you.
Best Farming Games: Staxel (#9)
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Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
Staxel follows the same blocky art style that has become iconic with Minecraft but emphasises on farming a little more. Available in both single player and co-op, you start with a very basic farm with the opportunity to build it up any way you like. Nearby villagers offer quests, often involving catching fish or bugs in return for crafting materials.
Daily requests are always available to complete and there are friendship quests that unlock upon gaining required friendship points with villagers. With plenty of crafting, farming, and quests to keep the player occupied this game is a good option for something easy going. If you want Minecraft, but with more RPG elements and no combat, this is a great option.
Best Farming Games: My Time At Portia (#8)
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Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
My Time At Portia is a farming sim with a charming art scheme reminiscent of Studio Ghibli. Resource management, like with most farming games, is key as you navigate the various building projects of the game. It also has RPG elements, with a focus on relationship progress with the other residents of Portia, via gift-giving or participating in mini-games. On top of this, there are also special town events that take place.
New areas of the map can be slowly uncovered by completing tasks and levelling up in your skill trees. Like Stardew Valley, the game operates on a day cycle and emphasises resource gathering, with quest requests posted on a community board. This is a perfect game to spend an hour or two on during a lazy afternoon.
Best Farming Games: Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town (#7)
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Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
In a game opening similar to Stardew Valley, the story kicks off with the player inheriting their grandad’s old farm which is in need of some major TLC. Story of Seasons is a mix of farming and RPG elements such as village festivals, NPC cutscenes, different romance options and other explorable lands. Through classic resource gathering you can repair old broken-down structures or make new ones to restore life to Olive Town.
Animal husbandry is another core mechanic, with the ability to tame roaming animals as you unlock more land. The cows in particular are adorable with their over-sized heads. Tools can be upgraded, and character customisation can be unlocked with certain buildings. Story of Seasons is a spiritual successor to the Harvest Moon series, so if you want a similar farming sim that’s chock full of building recipes and cutesy NPCs, this is a solid option.
- To get the most out of every genre, check out our guide on the top ten horror games.
Best Farming Games: Littlewood (#6)
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Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
Littlewood answers the age-old question that RPG players have always asked. What happens after the hero has saved the world? This is where Littlewood starts off, it takes place after the Hero of Solemn saves the world but has been left with amnesia. They find themselves in a little village in desperate need of repair. Start off slow by chopping wood and mining rocks, and you’ll slowly find yourself in the position to rebuild the village. Villagers offer quests with specific requirements, such as where their houses are positioned or what materials to include within its construction. Completing these quests boosts relationships and the appraisal meter at the community hall.
The bright retro art style lends itself perfectly to handhelds, and the day cycle is based off energy spent, rather than actual time. This reinforces a rest and repeat playstyle and further places the player at ease, able to relax into the game without the need for rushing to race against the clock. Collecting monster tarot cards, farming, fishing, and mining are all staples of the game as it slowly unfolds and information on the hero’s past becomes apparent. If you wish for a gentle farming sim with RPG elements which you can tackle at your own pace, then this is the one for you.
Best Farming Games: Graveyard Keeper (#5)
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Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Graveyard Keeper is often referred to as a dark twist on Stardew Valley but instead of a farm, you are bequeathed a graveyard to maintain. Gameplay runs in a similar fashion, operating on a day-cycle with each day of the week representing one of the seven deadly sins.
The main aim of the game is to achieve as high a grave score as possible, by maintaining your graveyard and preparing bodies for burial. Autopsies reveal how much the person sinned while alive and also contributes to the point score. If resource gathering and maintaining your graveyard isn’t enough, the game also offers up quests with differing moral choices and dungeon crawls. If you enjoy your farming games with a twist of the macabre, this may be the one for you.
Best Farming Games: Slime Rancher (#4)
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Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
What’s more fun than farming crops? Farming slime creatures of course! Slime Rancher is a colourful game that introduces slime creatures as its main farming focus. These creatures can be found throughout the desert world, kept in enclosures, and bred to make different variations of slimes. You play as a rancher on the Far Far Range, a canyon structured world that inhabits a multitude of special slimes. Combining different slimes together and seeing what you can get is a big draw to the game, as well as uncovering the mysterious underlying story and the different biomes on the map.
With only a futuristic gun as the main tool at your disposal, this can be rotated to either suck in or blow slimes away and is the main method of collecting slimes to transport back to your farm. Slimes will either eat chickens or carrots depending on their preferences and the plorts they drop as a result is the currency in the world, used to pay for equipment and enclosure upgrades. Unlike Stardew Valley, the slimes are your only companion on this lonely planet, and you must uncover more of the story to discover why this is.
Best Farming Games: Minecraft (#3)
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Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Minecraft is a hybrid of crafting, farming, and combat and chances are, you’ll already know the basics if you're a seasoned gamer. First released in 2011, it went viral thanks to the influence of content creators and through the addictive creative freedom it allowed players to build and design whatever they liked.
With multiple spin offs and story modes, Minecraft remains as one of the most popular farming and crafting games of all time. Farming to create new resources and taming animals is the pinnacle of survival mode, where every resource counts for those dangerous trips below ground. If you fancy jumping on the Minecraft wagon, give it a try.
- If Minecraft is the one for you, check out our Minecraft guides page for everything you need to know to get started!
Best Farming Games: Farming Simulator 22 (#2)
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Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
We can’t possibly list the best farming sims without mentioning the most realistic of them all – Farming Simulator 22. This game varies from others in the list as it takes on the gritty variables of running your own farm. Navigating your tractor through perfect harvesting lines will become your biggest obsession and preparing crops for the different seasons will become your biggest challenge.
This is a great game for those interested in real-life farming and learning more about the machinery and mechanics involved, but it’s also great for those that simply want to create their own field art with wheat. The game boasts over 400 authentic tools and machines, including real brands such as CLAAS. With a dedicated fanbase, in a franchise that’s been going strong since 2008, the games have evolved over time and now include seasons, animal husbandry and forestry. If realistic farming sims pique your interest, then this is certainly the game for you.
Best Farming Games: Stardew Valley (#1)
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Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Stardew Valley was first released on Steam in 2016 by sole indie developer Concerned Ape, aka Eric Barone. Since then, it has become a cult phenomenon with many citing it as once of the greatest indie games, let alone the best farming sim, of all time. Thoroughly rooted in RPG elements, you start the game as a depressed office worker, employed by the power-hungry corporation, JoJa. Having been given the keys to your departed grandpa’s old farm, it’s your job to restore it to past glory and make his memory proud.
Stardew Valley can be as involved as you like, you can use your playthrough to concentrate solely on making money and producing crops, or you can get involved in the vibrant community of Pelican Town and make an impact on the folk who live there. Stardew Valley runs on a day cycle, meaning there is always something for you to do and your time is an asset. The music is a stunning score of country charm that will relax you whilst you grind for that gold. With many collections to complete and goals to keep you occupied, this game is a great time sink for your days off. With nuanced storylines that are deeper than you expect, the themes of returning to nature and turning your back on corporate greed is one that resonates with a lot of people. Or you can side with the corporation and sell yourself out, your playstyle is your choice.
- Whether you like your farming sims to be realistic, stylistic or RPG focused, this list will have something for everyone. Now you know what to expect, why not check out some of our Stardew Valley guides to help you get started on your farm?
