Whether it’s Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, or My Time At Portia, farming sims give players a chance to step away from the real world. These sims continue to be a popular genre of games, due to the relaxing nature most tend to follow.
While farming and gardening is often the primary mechanic in many of these games, what often sets each one apart from the other are the various other mechanics. Whether it is building relationships with NPCs, fishing, crafting, or exploration there are a variety of different takes on the genre. Players can always find ways to create the farm of their dreams, especially with the number of new and upcoming farming sims to explore.
Updated on May 7, 2023, by Layann Basileh: Every new year yields a fresh crop of exciting game titles and 2023 boasts a sizable offering of new farming games. Harnessing the power of Kickstarter and crowdfunding, many indie game developers are launching their own charming yet incredibly elaborate and mechanic-packed entries into the wide world of farming sims. Although some farming sim projects have had to push their planned launch dates back, players can still look forward to their impending releases and entertain themselves with other titles in the meantime. Here are fifteen newly released or upcoming farming games for gamers to fall in love with in 2023.
15 Research Story
- Release Date: Feb 20, 2023
- Platforms: PC
Presented in a pixel art style reminiscent of JRPG classics such as Earthbound and older Pokemon titles, Research Story follows a venturesome researcher as they explore and document the land of Shimmerbrook, a town rich and bountiful with plant life, animal life, and social life.
Players who relish filling their Pokédexes are bound to enjoy adding to the Violet Archive, a collection of records detailing Shimmerbrook’s flora and fauna, as they discover the most effective methodologies for farm work, caring for creatures, and crafting the perfect homestead.
14 Roots of Pacha
- Release Date: April 25, 2023
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, XB1/SX, and PS4/5
Roots of Pacha will take gamers back to the first years of civilization, and the first crop fields of agriculture. The players will discover the mechanics and exploits of farm life alongside the protagonist as they learn how to fashion tools, conserve resources, nurture the clan’s culture, and revolutionize humanity’s relationship with nature.
Not only will players each have a lively clan of their own to grow, build connections within, and foster a strong, harmonious community but they can also socialize and adventure with friends through co-op gameplay.
13 The Witch of Fern Island
- Release Date: May 1, 2023
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, XB1/SX, and PS4/5
A sprinkle of magic is no rarity in the realm of farming sims, but few titles brew a gameplay concoction like The Witch of Fern Island. Gamers with a penchant for the occult will crash-land on Fern Island with Abrill, a witch in training on her way to the Academy of Witches, and find themselves thrust with the task of becoming a true witch outside the walls of the Academy and a valued member of this mysterious island’s community.
Witchcraft and farmwork will go hand in hand as players grow magical crops to use for potions and conduct rituals to bring about optimal weather conditions.
12 Everdream Valley
- Release Date: May 30, 2023
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, XB1, and PS4/5
Everdream Valley provides the perfect farming sim adventure to complement the upcoming summer season, whisking players who wish to take a break from fun in the actual sun to an endearing crop of land that is in dire need of a summer makeover.
The vast valley boasts an enormous and diverse array of critters for players to raise, from the expected cows and pigs to uncommon (as far as farming sims go) magpies and frogs. And when night falls and dreams awaken, players will be able to experience the mystical farmland as the animals they’ve been tending to.
11 A New Leaf: Memories
- Release Date: Q3 2023
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, XBSX, and PS5
In A New Leaf: Memories, players will wake up on a mysterious beach, only equipped with basic farming tools. The mayor of the land will give them an empty plot that they can then transform into a unique farm. Players can harvest the plants they grow and cook a variety of recipes, and use the resulting food to increase their stamina. There are plenty of things to do in the world including mining, fishing, and interacting with NPCs.
There are several townsfolk that players can befriend, each with a unique personality and backstory. Completing quests also unlocks better buying and selling prices, along with special rewards. A New Leaf: Memories also lets players pick out a furry companion. Players can choose from a Shiba Inu, Corgi, Husky, Schnauzer, Persian, American Shorthair, Siamese, and Tabby. There are also plenty of options for farm animals to raise and care for.
10 The Ranchers
- Release Date: Q3 2023
- Platforms: PC
This Kickstarter-funded indie title truly invokes the spirit of the rural country lands, melding open-world gameplay with country life sim mechanics. Players will step into the work boots of the protagonist, who similarly desires an escape to the realm of rural living.
In addition to the classic farming and life sim elements, tending to crops, and nurturing relationships with townsfolk, The Ranchers features opportunities for players to make business contracts and manage their ranch’s resource usage. Players will also be able to play in co-op mode, allowing 1-3 friends to join them on the ranch.
9 Cornucopia
- Release Date: Aug 1, 2023
- Platforms: PC
Gamers won’t have to choose between 2D and 3D design in this 2.5D farming sim that meshes both styles together to create mesmerizing visuals that invoke nostalgia for old-school game designs while simultaneously freshening them up with a modern twist.
Cornucopia will be ripe with pursuits and leisures for players to lose themselves in, from finding love and raising a family to buying unique properties for idyllic getaways to growing every single plant in the game’s massive lineup of over a hundred botanical specimens.
8 Rune Factory 3 Special
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=1.5)
- Release Date: September 5, 2023
- Platforms: PC and Nintendo Switch
Following the success of Rune Factory 4 Special, which effectively revived the Rune Factory series and led to the development of Rune Factory 5, XSEED Games and Marvelous Inc have announced a remastered release of Rune Factory 3. Already a beloved entry in the franchise, Rune Factory 3 Special will add new side stories, animated sequences, and a new difficulty level to the base game, which will be boosted with enhanced graphics.
Two limited editions of the game, the Dream Collection, and the Wedding Collection are available for preorder with the game’s Japanese release. Whether Western fans will be able to purchase the collector’s editions remains to be seen.
7 Story Of Seasons: A Wonderful Life
- Release Date: Summer 2023
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, XBSX, and PS5
Story of Seasons, formerly known as Harvest Moon, is one of the staple franchises in farming RPGs and continues to this day to inspire the creation of contemporary farming and social simulator games. Its newest entry is a return to the franchise’s roots, a remake of Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life.
Like its trailblazing predecessor, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life will allow players to have children that they can witness grow into adulthood and branch out into their own individual lives, as they spend the passing seasons farming, fishing, exploring, and socializing with townsfolk.
6 One Lonely Outpost
- Release Date: 2023
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, XBSX, and PS5
Players can bring a barren alien world to life in One Lonely Outpost. Starting with an ancient space RV, a tech gauntlet, and a handful of potato seeds, players must work their way up to building a functioning colony. Choosing between creating a natural or more synthetic farm, there are different options on how to produce food. The synthetic option features robotic cows and the use of gene-splicing to create unique crops. The natural farm route will have players raise Earth-based animals and crops.
With either farming style, the goal is to produce more and better food, to attract new colonists. There are also ancient ruins to explore, that hide plenty of secrets about the world players now inhabit. As new members join the colony players can befriend each colonist and discover their dreams and histories.