You’ve clocked out. The cows are squared away, the boots are drying by the door, and there’s that oddly satisfying silence hanging in the air. Did you shut that gate? Don’t fall into that old trap, take some time to unwind instead!
If you’re still in the mood for farming, but you’re quite happy to leave those howling Atlantic winds outside, then we’ve found just the thing. These games scratch the farming itch, but without the mud and weather. Whether you’re on your phone, PC, or console, there’s something weirdly comforting about farming games. It’s like productivity, without the slog.
Frank’s Farm
First up: Frank. A sloth. Wearing overalls. Running a farm. You genuinely couldn’t make it up, but we’re grateful that the team at Hacksaw Gaming did. Frank’s Farm is a cartoonish slot game filled with cheerful chickens, twitchy cows, and a suspiciously industrious population of bees.
The visuals are picture postcard material, there’s even a tiny cottage next to the grid, like something out of a twee village calendar. While the gameplay leans into the usual slot mechanics, the setting gives it a totally different flavour, relaxed, pastoral, and just a bit silly. It’s no surprise that it’s become one of the top picks at this jackpot casino. While we’re not sure sloths are going to make it as the next big enterprising agriculturalists, it has to be said, it’s pretty fun finding out.
Farming Simulator 25
If Frank’s Farm is a little too fanciful for you, then let’s bring you right back down to Earth. Farming Simulator 25 is out, and it’s for the hardcore farmers. Do you consider yourself one of those people who think “relaxing” means adjusting crop rotation cycles and comparing soil pH? You’re going to be in heaven here. Farming Simulator 25 delivers all of that. This is no cartoon approximation, not a mobile time-waster. We’re talking full-on, full-fat, big-boy farming. You’ve got massive licensed machinery, detailed seasonal mechanics, market prices to watch, and fields that, frankly, won’t till themselves. It’s certainly more spreadsheet than sandbox, and if you’re the kind of person that likes this style of gaming, that’s exactly what makes it brilliant.
This newest edition has taken the beloved game franchise global. So, if you’re bored of barley, wheat, oats, and sheep, you can skip Ireland and head abroad instead. You can now cultivate rice paddies in East Asia, grow spinach and green beans in Central Europe, or raise goats and water buffalo in North America. Yes, buffalo. And if that’s not enough, you can build your own museum or farmhouse, thanks to the new construction features. This is the most in-depth release yet, and it’s excellent.
Stardew Valley
From something brand new, to something that’s almost a decade old, Stardew Valley. This is the granddaddy of “just one more day” farming games. You inherit a slightly crumbly farm, abandon your soul-crushing corporate job (relatable), and start life anew with nothing but a few tools, a packet of parsnip seeds, and a bunch of new neighbours.
What starts as simple seed-sowing slowly becomes a whole new lifestyle of fishing at dawn, mining by moonlight, gifting weird objects to townsfolk in hopes they’ll marry you. It’s charming, low-stress, and somehow emotionally devastating when your chickens get sad.
