Farming is present in a lot of video games, with each interaction presenting its mechanics a bit differently. Sometimes, farming can be realistic and in-depth, with real-world consequences and events. Other times, the farming may just involve hitting a button to magically add the pristine crop to your inventory.
If you are looking to get into a realistic farming experience, we’ve got you covered. Here, you can find a ranking of the most realistic farming simulators out there. While these aren’t identical to the real thing, they are as close as you can get without heading into the farmland yourself!
First up, we have Medieval Dynasty. This is not a farming simulator, but there isa farming aspect that you can partake in. Sure, it’s not as realistic as others on our list, but it’s worth mentioning. As a single person, you’ll need to prepare fields, buy seeds, grow crops, harvest them, and then do it all over again.
Once you harvest the crops, you’ll need to transport them while keeping in mind their weight and how fast they spoil. This adds a bit of realism to the game, as some less-realistic farming sims have no inventory limit and food lasts forever (looking at you, Stardew Valley).
Never expected to see The Sims 4 here, did you? The base game doesn’t include any farming, though you will be able to garden. With the help of some DLC to the game, such as Cottage Living and Horse Ranch, you’ll be able to live your Sim-farming dreams out.
Of course, The Sims 4 also has an extremely active modding community. As such, you can find several farming mods made by players that really expand on the farming system of the game. If you are looking for a farming mod, we suggestFarmland by Arnie!
6Farming USA 2
Farming USA 2 is a mobile game, available on both iOS and Android. This game definitely leans into the more educational aspect of farming; Farming USA 2 boasts realistic wheel physics for your tractor as well. In total, the game has only nine crops, but you’ll also be able to raise livestock such as cows and pigs.
Interestingly, Farming USA 2 also has a logging feature, allowing you to sell logs when you’re not farming. Don’t let the simple mobile graphics fool you; Farming USA 2 is packed full of vehicles, equipment, and weather events to keep you farming for hours.
5Farmer’s Dynasty
Farmer’s Dynasty is brought to us by Toplitz Productions, who also happened to make Medieval Dynasty (there are also other games in the Dynasty line, such asSengoku Dynastyand Lumberjack’s Dynasty). Farmer’s Dynasty combines a classic farming sim with RPG elements.
In addition to farming, you’ll be able to talk with NPCs, find a partner, and of course, have a kid (you need to prepare for your dynasty of farmers!). If you are looking for a bit of a slower/less-grand farming sim, then Farmer’s Dynasty is the way to go.
Officially called ‘Ranch Simulator: Build, Hunt, Farm’, this game goes past your typical farming experience. As expected by the name, you’ll also hunt and build. Instead of dropping into empty farmland, Ranch Simulator gets a bit more personal.
Your goal is to turn the rundown homestead of your family around in order to bring it back to greatness. Sure, you’re able to farm; but you can also take care of livestock, build/expand your farm, and hunt animals when you aren’t working the fields.
3Pure Farm 2018
Next up, we have Pure Farming 2018. This game has rightfully earned a place in the top three, bringing in a realistic and normal farming experience that, surprisingly, will leave you feeling quite relaxed. Rather than farming on the ‘farm’, Pure Farm 2018 introduces real-world locations; you’re able to be a humble farmer from the USA, or farm in Japan.
Additionally, Pure Farm 2018 excels with its machinery. There are licensed machines in the game that farmers actually use, giving another sense of realism. The machines in question also handle realistically, with real physics involved.
2Professional Farmer: Cattle And Crops
Before covering Cattle And Crops, it’s important to note that the developers seemed to have completely stopped working on the game. If you are looking to play a farming sim with updates, then you may want to look elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you want a highly realistic farming sim without new content, then look no further than Cattle And Crops.
Due to the inactivity, we didn’t place this in first. Still, Cattle And Crops is an incredibly realistic farming simulator; many people claim that it’s more realistic than Farming Simulator. The game is highly detailed, even down to the way that mud behaves.
In first place, we have Farming Simulator. This isn’t just one game, it’s a long-running franchise with a new entry every few years. Themost recent in the franchise is Farming Simulator 25, which launched in 2024. These games are the gold-standard for realistic farming in a video game.
Sure, farming in the game is a bit easier than real-life farming, but Farming Simulator does a great job of, well… simulating what it would be like. The mechanics don’t go into too much depth, but there is still a good amount of farming realism involved.
