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Squirrel's Pick Squirrel's PickThe best game on this page. If you only try one, try this.
Farming SimAutomobile SimAgriculture
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$14.99 ~105.5 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 93.5% of 26k
The Squirrel's verdictSame core loop as Pure Farming 2018: crop cycles, equipment management, multiple countries and machinery brands, with co-op support. FS17 is the more established, mod-heavy sim Pure Farming was built to compete with, offering deeper long-term systems (median playtime over 105 hours) rather than Pure Farming's broader but shallower feature spread. Suits players who want the genre's deep end.
Not for you if you wanted Pure Farming's wider variety of crops and animals out of the box rather than relying on mods to expand a narrower base game.
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Farming SimAgricultureEconomy
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$19.99 ~108.2 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 92.7% of 92k
The Squirrel's verdictFS22 covers the full farming loop — field work, crop rotation, livestock, equipment management across multiple regions — with a 92.7% positive rating and a median playtime past 100 hours. Reviewers who came from FS19 note it plays nearly identically, with mods filling gaps the base game leaves thin. Suits players who wanted Pure Farming's step-by-step realism delivered through a more polished, long-supported package.
Not for you if you want variety out of the box rather than relying on mods to fill in what the base game leaves thin.
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Closest Match Closest MatchThe most similar game to the anchor, by what players say.
Farming SimImmersive SimTime Management
$29.99 ~95 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 86.9% of 55k
The Squirrel's verdictBoth put you through full step-by-step farming: planting, harvesting, livestock, equipment management, with realism as the point rather than an obstacle. FS25 is the more established version of that same loop, with co-op support and a larger crop/animal roster across three biomes. Reviewers note little has changed since FS19 if you've played prior entries. For players who wanted Pure Farming's detail but built out further.
Not for you if you already own a recent Farming Simulator entry, since reviewers report FS25 plays almost identically to FS22.
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Classic ClassicOlder, proven, and still worth your time. Budget Pick Budget PickThe best game here for the least money.
Farming SimAutomobile SimOpen World
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$12.99 ~72.4 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 92.5% of 16k
The Squirrel's verdictFS15 carries a Very Positive rating built on a stable, heavily mod-supported foundation rather than feature variety packed in from the start. Crop cycles, animal care, and equipment management are all present, and the 72.4-hour median playtime reflects a game that holds players well beyond the basics. Reviewers highlight forestry as a standout addition. Suits players who prefer a community-tested sim they can expand through mods.
Not for you if you want built-in crop and animal variety without hunting down mods to extend a narrower base game.
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Farming SimAgricultureAutomobile Sim
$19.99 ~14.3 hr median no co-op complexity: heavy 66.8% of 2k
The Squirrel's verdictBoth put realism ahead of arcade farming, with step-by-step processes and no hand-holding. Cattle and Crops pushes further into physics: mud, weight, and vehicle handling get simulated in detail, at the cost of the crop and animal variety Pure Farming offered. Reviewers describe it as closer to a Lego Technic set than a standard farm sim. Suits players who wanted more mechanical depth than Pure Farming's broader feature list delivered.
Not for you if you want crop and animal variety over vehicle physics, or need confidence that the game is actively maintained.
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Professional Farmer 2014
PC
Farming SimAgricultureFarming
$2.39 ~2.9 hr median no co-op complexity: light 46.7% of 621
The Squirrel's verdictProfessional Farmer 2014 covers plowing, cultivating, seeding, and fertilizing as manual, sequential steps — the same approach Pure Farming 2018 takes — but strips out most of what surrounds that loop. Animals exist in the background with no feeding or care systems, there is no co-op, and the Mixed rating with a median playtime under three hours suggests most players exhaust the content quickly. Suits only the most budget-conscious farm sim newcomers.
Not for you if you want animal husbandry, co-op, or enough content to hold attention past a few hours.
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Farming SimAutomobile SimDriving
$19.99 ~5.4 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 46.3% of 693
The Squirrel's verdictFarm Expert 2017 shares Pure Farming 2018's step-by-step farming task focus rather than arcade shortcuts, with an emphasis on realistic terrain and vehicle physics. Reviews describe wonky tractor handling, bouncing on flat roads, and crashes. Steam rating sits at Mixed, median playtime 5.4 hours, no co-op.
Not for you if you need stable vehicle physics and a polished build rather than one reviewers describe as buggy and crash-prone
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Farming SimAgricultureOpen World
~4.1 hr median no co-op complexity: light 40.3% of 288
The Squirrel's verdictSame field: drive tractors, manage crops and livestock, compete against the Farming Simulator template rather than replace it. Real Farm strips scope down further than Pure Farming did, with less to do overall and no steering wheel support. Reviews call it more SimCade than sim. Fits players who want a shorter, simpler entry point before moving to bigger farm sims.
Not for you if you want more content and mechanical depth than Pure Farming offered, not less, or need proper wheel support for tractor driving.