After teasing news on the future of the Farming Simulator series last week, developer Giants Software has now officially revealed Farming Simulator 25. The game will be released later this year on November 12, 2024, and it’s coming to PC, Mac, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Farming Simulator 25 is a huge step up from the last mainline entry in the franchise, Farming Simulator 22, and a world away from the mobile and Nintendo Switch entry Farming Simulator 23. It boasts, for the first time in series history, Asian farming, over 400 machines to buy, ride in, and master, new crops, and even extra animals. The main focus of this entry’s cinematic trailer is, as you might expect, Asian farming techniques and crops, which are a huge change of pace from European and US farming.
Create a never-ending farming experience in Farming Simulator 25
In Farming Simulator 25, you can set up a virtual farm anywhere in the world, including the newly added East Asian landscape that is packed with rice paddies, a North American environment with ample open spaces, or the classic European locations that space out lush green fields with drives and ponds you must contend with.
Playing cooperatively with others or as a solo farmer, you can grow two types of rice, spinach, and other new crops, with more than 20 on offer for you to eventually conquer the farmer’s market. While I had enough trouble with chickens and pigs, this game adds buffalos and other new animals into the mix alongside new production chains that open up new business opportunities. These features haven’t been revealed yet, but I’m pretty excited for an extension of the business side of things.
Of course, what we’re all in these games for is the farming machinery, and there are hundreds to drive in Farming Simulator 25. Over 150 international brands like CLAAS, Case IH, Fendt, John Deere, Massey Ferguson, New Holland, Valtra, Kubota, and more have their machines here. Excitingly, there are also machines specifically designed for rice farming, so you can specialize and figure out the best way to get the highest yield.
The GIANTS Engine 10 has been upgraded to provide enhanced physics and better weather in Farming Simulator 25. You’ll see ground deformation more clearly, feel the droplets of rain on your weather-beaten cap, and fall in love with virtual farming all over again. Fans can get their hands on a collectors edition that includes an 18-bit soundtrack and USB ignition lock.
Fans have been farming in video games for decades now. There’s so much variety out there, but the Farming Simulator series is unmatched when it comes to hardcore simulation of the work you see farmers doing around you in the countryside. It’s certainly not for everyone, but I’m hopeful that with deeper business mechanics to complement the millions of buttons you need to remember for a combine harvester, Farming Simulator 25 could finally offer something that fans who generally prefer Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon could enjoy.
