Farm

Which Farming Simulator is right for you?

Let's find out!

What is a farming simulator?

A farming simulator is a subgenre of social simulation games (picture The Sims games 😉). Every farming sim tries to differentiate itself but many have common aspects such as: owning a farm (usually inherited from a sick grandparent!), fishing, mining, and befriending the villagers. To beat the competition, game devs have started to implement different elements into their games like a complex storylines, different game modes, and of course different art styles! These 3 games are my personal picks:


Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons

The game series that started it all! The Harvest Moon series started out in 1996 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, of course with pixel graphics and a top down perspective. The player character is tasked with fixing up a farm in disrepair, whilst also developing friendships with the townsfolk. Since 1996, there have been 28 other mainline games in the series, with the most recent game featuring Earth sprites and even the ability to go inside a volcano!

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Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a passion project created by one developer (ConcernedApe) as an homage to the Harvest Moon series. Releasing in 2016, this cult classic took the farming sim community by storm and has been widely considered to be the best in the genre to date! Like Harvest Moon, it features 8-bit style pixel graphics and deals with surprisingly complex themes within the NPC relationship mechanic. Notably, the fishing mechanic is very contraversial, with some finding it far too frustrating, and others a relaxing break from running acroos the map to speak to a villager in time - a real marmite situation! However you feel, this game has something for everyone and is almost a rite of passage for fans of this genre 😊

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Coral Island

The new kid on the scene- Coral Island has only just released into Early Access, but is already being considered a competitor to overthrow Stardew in the best farming sim spot! This game has a beautiful 3D animation art style and an increasingly important overarching storyline of nature conservation - saving the coral reefs, and preventing the evil Pufferfish corporation from turning the island into an oil drilling site. Coral Island is also interlaced with many aspects of Indonesian culture and mythology including: giants, mermaids, and a flower goddess! Explore the town, clean up the coral reefs, and befriend over 70 NPCs - with so much to do and still only in Early Access, once the bugs are ironed out this game is sure to be a hit!

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Coded by Casey Moss