The 20 Best Farming Games On Nintendo Switch

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home November 5, 2024 5 Views 27 Min Read
The 20 Best Farming Games On Nintendo Switch



Key Takeaways

  • Garden Life offers a peaceful, complex gardening experience at your own pace. Prune, weed, and watch nature flourish.
  • Paleo Pines lets you raise colorful dinosaurs on your farm, adding a unique twist to the usual farming sim excitement.
  • Farming Simulator 23 delivers a realistic farming experience with tractors, harvesters, and intricate tools on the go.

Sometimes, you just want to stretch out your legs, lay back on the fluffiest pillow you can find, and indulge in a little virtual farming. The farming sim is a beloved genre because of the immaculately chill vibes it brings and our need to micromanage garden plot placements. Best of both worlds.

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While you can find farming sims on almost anything that plays video games, there’s something undeniably attractive about farming sims on the Nintendo Switch. Maybe it’s become the console itself radiates comfort – or perhaps because everyone just loves being able to bring their little farm anywhere they go.

Since the nature of what makes a farming game so enjoyable is very much up to personal preference and style, we’re listing each entry in no particular order. So instead of being a ranking, think of this list as a collection of farming-style games that are all worth looking into.

Updated November 5, 2024, by Branden Lizardi: The holiday season means it’s the perfect time for some gift shopping. And what gift is better than a new video game? With this in mind, we’ve added a new game to the list that would be a great choice for younger audiences. Or for the young at heart, of course.

1

Doraemon: Story Of Seasons

An Oddly Beautiful Crossover

In collaboration with Doraemon (or maybe the other way around), developer Marvelous produced a farming RPG in the world of the Doraemon anime series. It follows Nobi as he temporarily moves onto a rural farm. It offers less complex mechanics while still following the themes that Story of Seasons is known for. Those wanting a sophisticated experience might not find it here, but it’s a great choice for anyone looking for a more casual, lighthearted time. It’s a great choice for kids, too.

For those unfamiliar, Doraemon is a popular Japanese children’s animated show. It follows a young boy named Nobi, who is helped in daily matters by a blue robot cat (with no ears) from the future named Doraemon.

Even more outstanding, however, is how downright beautiful it is. It takes major cues from the anime and combines them with a very watercolor-esque paint style. Throw in the vibrant and glowing dynamic lighting system, and this is the prettiest farming game on the Nintendo Switch we’ve ever seen.

2

Roots Of Pacha

Just A Bit After The Hunter/Gatherer Era

Roots of Pacha is one of the more creative takes on the cozy farming sandbox game. While the genre most commonly takes place in the more rustic era of the last generation, Roots of Pacha takes it further, far, far further, into the Stone Age. You do all the same stuff—farm some crops, ranch some animals, go to festivals—but Roots of Pacha puts a greater focus on the sense of community, working together to form the earliest stages of an organized society.

It has all the charm of a cozy farm RPG but with the unique style of the Stone Age. And with multiplayer functionality, it’s a game you can share with your friends, which fits the community theme even further. Developing humanity is all about collaboration, after all.

3

Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator

Engaging Tranquility

There’s something beautiful about a well-maintained garden. But when the community garden becomes neglected after its previous caretaker passes away, it falls to you to restore it. Garden Life tasks you with managing this land, weeding, planting, and otherwise reinvigorating the natural landscape.

Garden Life embodies a very specific combination of traits only found in some farming games: it’s complex but peaceful. Tending to the garden takes more than just watering once a day and forgetting. There’s pruning, weeding, developing color variants of plants, and other aspects to tend to. But there’s no rush. You can do things at your own pace, and there isn’t anything that you can’t wait until tomorrow. It’s a game with depth but not haste. This makes it one of the more relaxing options on this list.

4

Paleo Pines

Raise A Herd Of The Cutest Carnivores You’ve Ever Seen

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You know what farming has always been missing? Gigantic lizards. That’s where Paleo Pines comes in. Establish a farm in the charming, non-violent landscape full of dinosaurs. Tame them, bring them back home, cater to their specific needs, and even give them chores to do. This cute and colorful game is half crop farming, half dinosaur ranching.

Paleo Pines’ greatest strength, as you can likely guess, is the dinosaur system. With more than 30 different dino varieties, each with different color variations, you’ll have plenty of reptilian mega-fauna to find, tame, and bring home.

5

Stardew Valley

The King Of Cozy Farming Games

Well, of course. Not since Harvest Moon has a farming sim loomed so large – though it’s fair to say Stardew Valley has eclipsed its inspiration at this point. Welcome to Pelican Town, a sleepy little village tucked away from the big city and the corporate rat race you’re desperate to escape. Your grandfather left you his old farm – while it has seen better days, you can make this work.

Stardew Valley doesn’t force you to farm – you can mine, fish, forage, or indulge in combat. There are even different farm layouts that emphasize these particular play styles, making every new farm a singular experience. From its pixel art aesthetic to the ease with which you can just pick up and play, Stardew Valley excels on the Switch.

6

Harvestella

Like If Final Fantasy Met Harvest Moon

Blending JRPG elements with farming sim goodness, Harvestella lives between genres. The apocalypse is coming faster than anyone would like to admit, and you, a person with no memories, might be the only person who can stop it. Well, you and your party, of course.

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In between combat missions and general end-of-the-world problems, you will be able to tend to your crops. Surely the apocalypse can wait while you water your thirsty vegetables, right?

7

Farming Simulator 23

The MOST Realistic Farming Game

Are these games too cute, casual, and enjoyable? Do you long for the most tedious, confusing, and complicated parts of modern farming, like Lime balance, paying $40,000 for something called a “Roller” that you don’t know why you need? Do you need it on the go? Well do we have good news for you! Farming Simulator will satisfy those needs. Farming Simulator focuses on realism, and they deliver it in spades (farming pun!).

In FS23, you use tractors, harvesters, and numerous different farming tools that all exist in the real world to manage your farm. Till the soil with a plow, harvest the wheat, and bale the leftover hay. Learn about subsoilers, silage, and whether a disc harrower is better for your needs than a cultivator. It can be an intimidating game for newcomers. But once you know what your doing, it can be one of the most time-stealing farming games on the Nintendo Switch.

8

My Time At Portia

Make The Most Of Your Time

Don’t worry about the apocalypse – it’s already happened. My Time at Portia is not about creating the best, most perfect farm that can be – it’s about rebuilding and creating a better world. Sure, you want to be the best there is at the thing, but that’s not where the fulfillment comes from – building bonds with the folks around you and creating a brighter future.

Your crops, animals, and gathering skills serve that singular focus. This is a small town, and people are relying on you to help them – so don’t keep them waiting. Who needs glory when you have simple satisfaction?

9

My Time At Sandrock

Like Portia, But Better And Sandier

A sequel to the previous entry, My Time At Sandrock is a direct improvement on Portia. Like before, you accuire your own land, where you build up an empire of resource crafting. Mine, fight, farm, and socialize. When you’re in town, you can meet a colorful cast of characters that bring new life to the dry landscape.

It also has some of the rough edges the previous game was known for, such as some technical complications and overly long late-game questing. But these are hardly rough enough to keep you from having a bad time.

10

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Add Farming To Your Busy Day Of Bug Catching And Fishing

Is the purpose of Animal Crossing to farm? Not exactly. But can you farm? Absolutely. Animal Crossing: New Horizons didn’t ship with the ability to create sprawling vegetable gardens initially – you could make a fruit tree orchard, sure, but that didn’t feel like the true farm experience. Luckily, the game was updated to include pumpkins in time for Halloween 2020, and subsequently, we were all blessed with more vegetables to meticulously place.

Everyone’s island is a little different, and some people’s “farms” will be messier than others. Still, Animal Crossing scratches that itch, allowing you to build your perfect vegetable patch – the only drawback, compared to other farming sims, is that you have to wait real-world days to see the fruits of your labor. You know, like a real farm.

11

Cult Of The Lamb

You Have A Hungry Cult Following To Feed

Okay, listen. Cult of the Lamb is not really a farming sim – you’re not out here to keep your people happy; you’re here to build a thriving cult of fanatical followers. Half of the game is focused on rogue-like combat dungeons, with terrifying eldritch monsters waiting at the ends of each one.

But then, you get back to your little, uh, compound, and your people’s faith is waning. You aren’t feeding them properly, and some may have begun to revolt. Don’t worry; you have access to farming plots, which allow you to grow your own food, harvest it, and keep your little cult-that-could happy. Besides, like in most traditional farming sims, you can also fish, mine, and get married, so who is really to say Cult of the Lamb doesn’t belong here?

12

Graveyard Keeper

Because Fresh Tomatoes Are Important To Tending Graves Apparently

It may not seem like it, but Graveyard Keeper offers a surprisingly in-depth farming mechanic. Sure, the game centers around keeping a graveyard, so it may not be the most family-friendly experience. But it doesn’t stop there. You can grow a decent selection of crops, like wheat, tomatoes, carrot, and more. You can process them further into food ingredients and full meals, which can both benefit your stats and help you progress through important storylines.

This can be augmented further with the various DLC, introducing mechanics like zombie-based automation and opening your own tavern. Before you know it, you’ll have a league of zombies working the wheat fields, brewing that into beer, and delivering that to your own tavern for a nice and tidy profit.

13

Fae Farm

Equal Parts Fae And Farm

Fae Farm has everything you could ask for in a slice-of-life style farming RPG. You can mine, forage, craft, romance, and of course, farm. You settle down in the land of Azoria, a magic-touch place that’s as cozy as it is enchanting. Then you and up to three friends can get to work expanding, creating furniture, decorating your farmland, and befriending the locals.

Where Fae Farm excels is in the balance of it all. It combines the management, RPG, and social sim in an engaging way, ensuring that you have plenty to do. Wrap it all up in a charming art style. Just be ready for a slow start.

14

Story Of Seasons: Friends Of Mineral Town

A GBA Classic, Remade For The Switch

Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a remake of a GBA game, and one of the most popular iterations of the Harvest Moon games. It features everything that fans loved about the original game, from the in-depth characters to the surprising depth of the mechanics. It was also given a 3D coat of paint.

Like in the original, you are a young adult that inherited your grandfather’s farm. By growing crops, and tending to animals like cows and chickens, you gradually ingratiate yourself to the town locals, learning about their lives and even settling down with one. Its a great way to experience the classic Harvest Moon Experience with modern quality and convenience.

15

Story Of Seasons: A Wonderful Life

Another Remake Of An Even More Innovative Title

Like Friends of Mineral Town, Story Of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a Switch remake of an older Harvest Moon title. What made A Wonderful Life stand out so much, however, was the level of innovation that was only ever seen in this particular game. While it has all of the traditional mechanics of a Harvest Moon game—growing crops, raising animals, befriending locals, getting married—it also features a handful of unique mechanics.

In this game, you progress through the entirety of your life, raising your child to adulthood, and even passing away from old age at the end. As you age, so does everyone else in town, too. You get to watch as the local children grow up and your once-young friends grow old. Its also the only Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons game where your child grows to complete adulthood, with how you raised them influencing their decisions for the future.

It’s a fantastic remake of a remarkably one-of-a-kind game.

Some unqiue aspects didn’t make it to the remake, though. For example: cows no longer need regular breeding to continue giving milk, and they no longer die of old age or sickness.

16

Littlewood

Build The Entire Town, One Square At A Time

Littlewood is a unique, charming game. There’s no world to save here – you’ve already done all that. Now, it’s time to build a better future, starting with your village. You will farm, mine, and forage as you try to create a better, happier town for your villagers.

They relied on you, once, to be the hero they needed. But, now that things are at peace, you must prove that you’re much more than that. Tend to the people of your town as steadfastly as you tend to your crops, and watch them flourish.

17

Rune Factory 5

Like If Final Fantasy Met Harvest Moon, But In A Different Way

Rune Factory 5 doesn’t settle for just farming. Oh no – you get to befriend monsters, too. Like Harvestella, it’s a little looser with its exact genre, blending exploration and combat into its farming sim base seamlessly. After losing your memory (jeez, this keeps happening to you), you are recruited into a ranger group.

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You’re tasked with maintaining peace and dealing with monsters for the locals. Of course, that’s not the end of it – you’re also given a piece of land to cultivate while you forge connections with those around you. It’s traditional farming sim fare, but hey, what else could you want?

18

Ooblets

Grow Your Own Silly Little Guys

Ooblets is one of the stranger games on this list. It’s a mix of monster collecting, turn based dance battles, card-based combat, and farming. What do you farm? More monsters to dance battle with, of course! Make friends, settle into town, and help improve the community; it has all the makings of a cozy, casual adventure.

The dance battles provide drive and motivation to expand your farming efforts, instead of farming for the sake of farming. And with it’s undeniably charming style and character designs, its a great game to play when you want a llighthearted fun time.

19

Farm Together

Farm With A Focus On Friends

Teamwork makes the dream work. Farm Together is best played, well, together, though you can go solo if you so choose. Whether you want to raise animals, drive tractors, or just chill out, Farm Together has you completely covered. Unlike a lot of other farming sims, which tend to incorporate combat or RPG elements, Farm Together is exactly what it sounds like.

Plus, even without your input, your farm progresses in real-time, so you’ll always have something cool to do once you return. Come, hang out, and watch your ambitions bloom.

20

Slime Rancher

The Cutest Creatures Without Bones You Can Farm

Ranching, but in space. Slime Rancher is a little different from a lot of other farming sims in that you play as a character named Beatrix, who has established her slime ranch on a planet far away from Earth. Your task is to raise, care for, and breed slimes until they produce “plorts,” which can then be exchanged for money that you will, of course, use to further upgrade your farm.

Other than its first-person perspective and literally out-of-this-world setting, it feels very familiar for anyone who has touched a farming sim before. Besides, the slimes are adorable.

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