The summer solstice is here, and we like to spend those extra daylight hours on the farm.
Sometimes there’s no better way to relax than to take a stroll through virtual hills, tend to your crops, and look after your farm animals. There is no shortage of farming sim games that offer us a relaxing experience for us to get our teeth stuck into.
Our resident farming sim fanatic rounded up five of her faves.
Across The Valley
Enter the world of farming like never before. Across The Valley is a VR farming simulator where you’ll need to muck in whilst relaxing in a hand-drawn paradise.
Developed exclusively for virtual reality, Across The Valley allows players to sow, water, and harvest their own plants. What’s more, you can even milk the cows, sheer sheep, or head off on a truffle hunt with the pigs!
If you’d like to know more about this VR farming experience, check out our dedicated blog!
STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a beautiful reimagining of the beloved classic. You put down roots in the peaceful town of Forgotten Valley, a fertile land perfect for cultivating crops. There is a whole host of townsfolk to befriend, fall in love with, and make lasting memories with, all as you start your own family.
STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life lets you tell your story your own way. You can choose to play as a female, male, or non-binary character, and even customise your style as you begin your journey in Forgotten Valley. Regardless of which you choose, all eight romanceable characters remain available, allowing you to play however you want.
Palia
Palia takes the farming sim model and makes it an MMO. You and the squad can live your best farming sim life together in the magical world of Palia. Explore Kilima Valley and Bahari Bay, foraging for items, catching rare critters, and uncovering secrets of the valley. From your homestead, you can grow crops, craft new tools, and even invite your friends round!
Palia originally launched on Epic Games, but it became available on Steam in March 2024.
Frankly, we can’t get enough of magical, multiplayer farming sims. Fae Farm lets you and up to three other players explore the island of Azoria. It even supports crossplay!
Stardew Valley
A personal favourite and widely considered to be one of the best, Stardew Valley really hit the nail on the head. After the stress of the modern-day 9-5 takes its toll, you leave the city to become a part of Pelican Towns’ 30-person strong local community on your grandfather’s old farm.
You can truly build the farm of your dreams with endless choices in decoration, animal husbandry, and of course, farming. What’s more, with 12 townspeople to date, you can even meet your special someone.
There is no doubt that part of Stardew Valleys’ success is attributed to the game’s extensive list of things to do, from preparing for festivals, fishing, mining, and even slowly dating, gifting, and falling in love with one of 12 super cute romance options:
- Shane
- Alex
- Harvey
- Penny
- Maru
- Emily
- Haley
- Sam
- Sebastian
- Leah
- Abigail
- Elliott
If you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself doing multiple play-throughs as all of our potential partners have unique personalities, likes and dislikes alongside their own stories. As you progress through the years, events and festivals, you’ll have the option to grow closer with all of the townspeople.
Plus, there has been a massive update to the PC version recently, Stardew Valley 1.6. New content, items, NPC outfits, and even festivals have been added to make this already expansive farming sim even better. ConcernedApe’s dedication to the game just keeps us coming back time and time again, gunning for a perfection run every time!
Farming Simulator 22
On the more realistic end of the spectrum, in Farming Simulator 22, you take on the role of a modern farmer. Just like other entries on this list, you can freely choose which type of farming you do, such as animal husbandry, agriculture, or even forestry.
There are even different regions to work in. Whether you’re creating a vineyard or olive oil orchard in the south of France or focusing on forestry in US-Midwest, there is plenty to do. Work with more than 400 tools, vehicles, and machines from over 100 genuine agricultural brands, such as John Deere.
In addition to the base game tools and vehicles, there are a large variety of free community-created modifications for additional gameplay. Finally, there is even support for cross-platform multiplayer, so you and your friends can all take on some summer Solstice farming together.
My Time Series
Start your new life in the Free Cities this summer solstice. My Time at Portia and Sandrock offers gameplay that is part farming, part construction, part adventure, and a whole lot of bonkers. (In the best way, we promise.)
You’ll take on commissions from townspeople, farm, and explore the genuinely charming post-apocalyptic land. It is almost a guaranteed formula at this point with classic Harvest Moon games, Stardew Valley, and countless others transporting us to a broken-down farmstead with relationships, buildings, and more to work on…. But I sure do love them all!
Portia and Sandrock have very different terrains to explore and master, from Portia’s lush greenery to Sandrock’s harsh desert. But with a welcoming cast of characters, quest-driven narratives, and so much land to cover, you’ll feel right at home, Builder.
We got our hands on a copy of My Time at Sandrock. Our resident farming sim fan was very happy. Click the button below to learn more about gameplay and just what we thought about this sequel.
Got the Right Equipment?
Farming is all about having the right equipment for the job. Overclockers UK has the perfect gaming setup for you. From gaming PCs to gaming chairs and even controllers, we have the starting tools you need to restore your farm and win over the townsfolk. We’ve picked out a few favourites here, but you can explore the full range if these aren’t the iridium quality you’re after.
Refract Gaming Celeste Pre-Built PC
- AMD Ryzen 7 7700X CPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Graphics Card
- High speed storage
- 32GB DDR5 RAM
ThunderX3 CORE Loft Gaming Chair
- Self adjusting gaming chair
- Light grey breathable fabric upholstery
- SYNC6 mechanism
- Includes headrest and footrest
- 4D armrests
Microsoft Official Xbox Series X & S Wireless Controller
- Wireless game controller
- Compatible with PC and Xbox
- Stylish red design
- Ergonomic shape and button placement
- Textured grip
Ready to farm?
If you’re ready to quit the rat race and head out to a farmstead, we don’t blame you. Just make sure you’ve got your gaming PC with you. After all, it will be lonely without you. Let us know what your farming sim of choice is down in the comments.
PC specs are subject to change.
- 7 min read
Robert Mullane
Author
When not working, you'll find me in VR or losing in bottom-tier Valorant matches. I write about all topic's tech and gaming with a particular focus on representation in gaming, virtual reality, and LGBTQ+ themes. If you're still not fed up with me, you can also catch me over on the Overclockers UK TikTok and YouTube accounts.
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