The Farming Simulator franchise has made a name for itself as the most realistic and beautiful farming simulation game available, and the latest version, Farming Simulator 25, goes above and beyond to make it even more impressive. In each of the games, players take on the role of a farmer and get to work their fields, sell their products, maintain vehicles, and more. The virtual farming experience is deeply involved, giving realistic immersion to each player, no matter how casual or serious they want it to be.

Although Farming Simulator games aren't often seen to get a lot of hype, it is a series that is very well known and respected throughout the gaming community. Farming Simulator 25 sold over 2 million copies in the first week of its release on November 11, 2024, with sales continuing to climb. While at first glance it may appear to just be another version of the same thing, this edition includes much more than just some new tractors. From graphical updates to tornadoes, Farming Simulator 25 can easily leave its predecessors in the dust.

10 Two Brand New Maps, Plus One Returning Favorite

Build A Farm In East Asia, Arkansas, Or Central Europe

At launch, Farming Simulator 25 has three maps available for farmers to make their mark on, and a fourth map will be arriving as DLC in the later part of 2025. Two maps, Riverbend Springs and Hutan Pantai, are new to the series, while Zielonka is making a return after having been part of a DLC for Farming Simulator 22. Each has their own special construction projects available, with Riverbend Springs going above and beyond by featuring four projects, including a playground.

The stylized features for each map are so drastically different that they provide a varied experience for players. Late in 2025, a fourth map will be added, with the teaser phrase of "The Stars Align" being the only current hint as to what it will be. Players who purchase the Year 1 Season for Farming Simulator 25 will automatically get the new map when it becomes available.

9 Better Graphics For Lighting, Reflections, And Overall Greater Detail

Making A Beautiful Game Even More Immersive

Naturally, a new game in a series must have updated graphics, which Farming Simulator 25 does with improved lighting and reflections, and greater detail. There are noticeable graphical enhancements whether it is Farming Simulator 23, which was only available for the Nintendo Switch and mobile platforms, or its more direct predecessor, Farming Simulator 22, which was released on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.

Many of the graphical enhancements are due to the use of a new game engine at its core, which provides considerably higher quality for visuals. A new Interface was also added to the game to provide a more -friendly experience.

8 Farm Shops And Production Chains

Farmers Markets Or Small Farm Stalls Are Among The Ways To Sell Goods

After the farmers grow their crops, they need to have a way to make money off of them. For a cozy, personal touch, farmers can build their own farm shop stall at the side of the road in the country or a larger shed version on the farm itself. Filling these little stalls adds a bit more of a personal touch, although selling to the larger companies is still generally a necessity for financial reasons. Another option is to take goods to the local Farmer's Market. This allows for larger supplies than the small farm stalls do, and can provide produce for the local businesses.

In the Hutan Pantai map, shops will remain fully closed if the farmer does not deliver their goods in time.

Of course, there are still the massive distribution chains where players can sell their goods to, with large manufacturing plants. This is similar to how things were handled in previous games, but with new factories such as the cement factory.

7 GPS Steering Assistant and Improved AI Workers

Every Vehicle Has A Steering Assist Option With Guiding Lines

For Farming Simulator 25, the system behind the AI workers that farmers can hire has been improved to make them more capable and intelligent in their work. A special menu for AI settings can provide more customization to help farmers tell their workers exactly what needs to be done, including where they should start, so they do not end up destroying crops.

In the same menu, players can choose the Steering Assist tab to provide some assistance to their own driving. Among these is the very handy option for Show Lines, which provides 3D lines on the field to help players stay in a straight pattern while they are driving. This will also show blue lines that depict where the widest parts of the machine being driven will be, to help players not miss any areas, or inadvertently drive over crops and damage them.

6 Ground Deformation Adds More Immersion To The Game

Mud, Snow, And Heavy Vehicles Can All Make A Big Mess

To make a truly realistic farming experience, a little destruction is inevitable. Even with the handy AI Assist options to show players where they are driving, sometimes those heavy machines just can't help but cause some deep tire tracks in mud or snow. This comes from the Ground Deformation mechanic in the game, which can be turned off in the game options. For a truly immersive experience, seeing the compression of the soil occur can add a lot.

This mechanic is designed to take into a number of factors, including the firmness of the ground, whether wet or dry, and the weight and speed of the vehicle being driven. Even the width of the tires can affect the outcome, by applying real-world physics to the equation. Therefore, farmers may need to consider their choice of tires, vehicles, and timing carefully to prevent as much damage as possible.

5 New Greenhouses, Including Dark Ones For Spongy Mushrooms

Greenhouses Are Beautiful And Let Players Do Even More On The Farm

Greenhouses aren't new to Farming Simulator games, but this time they provide even more content for aspiring virtual farmers. In addition to the 25 regular crops that can be grown in the fields in their respective seasons, there are special greenhouse plants that can be grown. Garlic, chilies, spring onions, tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, and more can all be grown in these beautiful buildings.

Plus, there are dark greenhouses this time around to change the mushroom production. These blacked out spaces are designed to block out the sunlight for farmers to grow a lot of spongy mushrooms.

4 Farming Simulator 25 Includes Five New Crops

Including Rice Varieties Requiring Rice Paddies

After many years of players using special mods to add rice fields and rice to their games, Farming Simulator 25 finally has an in-depth method of growing rice and long grain rice. Both of these crops require different water levels, machines, and more, to keep everything as realistic as possible. This crop takes quite a bit of extra equipment and prep work to get started, but at least they do not need extra fertilization like other crops do.

Players also have the option of purchasing a special Rice Greenhouse which is dedicated to rice production.

In order to grow either type of rice, a special dropped field is necessary for water retention so it can be properly flooded for the crops. In the case of long grain rice, the player will want to check their water pumps daily to make sure the water is managed at the proper levels.

3 Goats And Water Buffalo The Farm Family

And New Ways Of Customizing Animal Pens

Though animal husbandry is an entirely optional part of the game, seeing the adorable animals certainly adds a nice touch to a farm. In addition to the dog that will lazily enjoy spending time on the farm, players can raise livestock to get products from. New for Farming Simulator 25 is the addition of Water Buffalo and Goats to the game. As is the case with all animals, these adorable creatures can be newborns, juveniles, and then adults, and they will not die even if the farmer forgets to feed them.

Farmers can customize their animals pens by changing the colors, adding solar s to buildings, and drawing fences to be any shape (within reason) that the player wants. This means that rather than having specific sized layouts, these animal pens and pastures can work around obstacles and look more realistic with the environment.

2 Third Person Camera Changes The Viewpoint

Better For Motion Sickness, And Finally See The Character's Clothes

For Farming Simulator 25, developers listened to the community and made the third person view camera a base game feature for all platforms. Animations for the player character movement have also been greatly improved and smoothed out to look more realistic.

Though this may not seem like a drastic change to the game, for some players it can be revolutionary. Being able to play the game in third person can significantly reduce the possibility of motion sickness happening while either running around or driving farm equipment. Whereas previous games required modding and extensive tweaks to the field of view and other settings in order to improve this aspect, this time around it is a base game feature.

Even for those without motion sickness concerns, not only is seeing the main character a fun option, but third-person viewpoints also make for good screenshots.

1 Beware Of Dangerous Weather Events Ruining Crops

Tornadoes, Hail, And Fog Bring Extreme Weather Patterns

The biggest change to this version of the game is the addition of extreme weather events. Mimicking more of the real-world possibilities, the weather isn't simply relegated to sun, rain, and snow. This time around, there can be days with heavy fog, or more destructive forces of hail and tornadoes. Farmers will want to take precautions where possible by making sure their hay bales are covered and everything that can be secured is protected. Even being careful, there is still a very real chance of seeing damage to crops and buildings.

Unlike in real life, extreme weather events in the game do not include any risk of animals dying, thankfully.

If a player wants a calmer experience, it is possible to turn off the destruction that can be created from these weather events by toggling it in the in-game settings. However, it certainly does add another layer of realism. Combined with the new Ground Deformation, rainy thunderstorms and tornadoes can then have a side effect of prepping the soil for extra damage when the farmer drives over to check on their fields in Farming Simulator 25.

Source: Farming Simulator/YouTube