5 Games That Helped Standardize The Farming Sim Genre

The genre of farming game simulators has been increasing in popularity. Due to the favor of titles such as Stardew Valley and genre stalwarts such as the Farming Simulator series of games, players have been investing more time into harvesting virtual crops and farming fields. For some, farming simulators are a relaxing escape from the real world.

Since 2008, when the first Farming Simulator was released, farming mechanics have evolved to meet the rising needs of players and the evolution of console hardware and software technology. In this case, these games have standardized farming simulators as the genre has evolved.

Animal Crossing

The Casual Farming Simulator

Although not a fully-fledged farming simulator in its own right, the first Animal Crossing helped bring the farming simulation genre into the mainstream consciousness. Animal Crossing was first released on the Nintendo Gamecube in 2001, and it quickly built an avid follower base due to its relaxing gameplay and simple farming mechanics, something farming games often get wrong.

Simplistic mechanics such as de-weeding a garden and planting roses helped standardize farming mechanics seven years before the first Farming Simulator was released in 2008. Players can plant trees, pick apples, and landscape their town. Animal Crossing was at the forefront of farming simulation mechanics, inspiring the best indie farming games that lean on cartoonish graphics and a casual tone, such as Stardew Valley.

Farming Simulator

The First 3D Farmer

Released in 2008 and developed by GIANTS Software, the first Farming Simulator was released on Windows and Mac. Notoriously known for only featuring two types of tractors and the ability to harvest only a single source of crop, "Wheat," the original Farming Simulator utilized Unreal's Unity Engine to deliver realistic (at the time) 3D farming graphics.

This entry helped standardize farming simulation mechanics, introducing weather cycles, a career mode, and the ability to drive a tractor to complete daily farming tasks such as threshing. The first Farming Simulator paved the way for over twenty subsequent titles, the latest of which, Farming Simulator 25, will be released in November 2024. Farming Simulator set the foundation for a series that has been a reliable source of grounded entertainment for the best part of two decades. Unfortunately, the original game is quite difficult to find nowadays, but new players should pick up Farming Simulator 19 or 22 anyway.

Stardew Valley

The Fictional Farming Simulator

Stardew Valley i s one of the most popular role-playing games, let alone farming simulators, on the planet. The game whisks players off to the picturesque land of Stardew Valley to create the farm of their dreams, while also allowing them to fish and even fight monsters.

Stardew Valley offers many farming mechanics, including caring for animals such as chickens and ostriches. Players can also grow crops, renovate greenhouses, develop artisan goods such as pale ale, and engage in relationships with in-game NPCs. Although many of these mechanics have been introduced before in the genre, Stardew Valley blends these ideas with fictional elements, such as fighting witches, to deliver a unique farming simulator that is fresh, new, and a genre first. More importantly, Stardew Valley's popularity and influence ensure that these mechanics will always be part of the general farming sim blueprint, even if not every new title incorporates them.

Harvest Moon & Harvest Moon 64

The Original Farming Simulator

Sought after as one of the greatest farming games ever, Harvest Moon was likely most people's first exposure to the genre, along with the franchise's Nintendo 64 sequel. Pushing the home console Nintendo 64, Harvest Moon helped popularize mechanics such as caring for livestock and the ability to grow crops.

In Harvest Moon and Harvest Moon 64, players can purchase livestock, such as cows, to produce milk and sheep to harvest wool for money. While the series has led a complicated life that included a name change to Story of Seasons, these early releases have ensured Harvest Moon remains a cornerstone of the genre.

Minecraft

Original Open-World Farming

Minecraft is a genre-defining game that has set the standard for farming simulators on an open-world scale. The project enables players to plant and farm crops wherever and whenever they want, from carrots to beetroot.

The open-world scale of Minecraft is its distinguishing feature, with players able to grow huge quantities of crops and live out their farming fantasies all in 16-bit form. Minecraft set the standard for any future sandbox games that wish to incorporate farming, although they will need to cover far more elements to stand alongside this behemoth.

More

8 Best Farming Games on the Steam Deck

From Stardew Valley to Harvestella, here are the finest of the farming game genre available now on Steam Deck.

Posts

By  Prateek Pandey