Running your own farm sounds calm and idyllic but is actually a lot of work. Farming Simulator 25 gives you a good look at what farming entails and the work that goes into creating our food. While not the most intense activity, your future hangs on the success of your choices. You must align your actions with the seasons and ensure you don’t fall into debt. As you soon discover, being a farmer is hard work, not just riding large vehicles all day.

Farming Simulator 25 lets you inherit your grandfather’s farm and take it in new directions. Even if you have never touched a tractor in your life, you quickly learn the basics of farming. The freedom to develop your farm also means you can pursue your own goals. However, the tutorial only covers agriculture basics, leaving you to figure out the rest. The amount you must learn on your own is intimidating. Stay the course to learn and your farming experience will be worthwhile.

You start Farming Simulator 25 by inheriting the family farm from your grandfather. While he teaches you the basics, you soon find yourself in complete control of the farm. There are three different locations you can start your farm from, but they all function similarly. You can hit the ground running or get a tutorial to show you the basics if you are new to the game. The tutorial covers the foundations of agriculture as well as some travel to other parts of town.

The tutorial is good for learning the basics of farming because you work on every part of the harvest. This includes using the machinery and figuring out your plans after you harvest your crops. If you forget something, you can always check the Help section of the menu to learn more about the game. There are several charts with good data to help you make decisions about the crops you will grow.

Having all that information makes it easy to get started and it’s fun driving different vehicles. It gives you a sense of how intensive farming is, helping you appreciate it more. While you can use AI workers to make the process easier, you are still responsible for most actions. You get to drive powerful vehicles with different specialties, helping you expand your farm or properly develop farmland.

Unfortunately, the tutorial is considerably bare when you consider the options available to you. After it is done, you realise how much more there is to learn. For example, a big part of future crop growth is applying lime to your fields. But you are never taught about fertilising your fields or the vehicles involved. If you didn’t look up the Help section or pay attention to your field status, it’s easy to miss.

For veterans of previous Farming Simulator games, this likely isn’t an issue since not much has changed. Newer players could easily be overwhelmed by the knowledge they must learn. This goes beyond just planting seeds and waiting for them to grow. You must also decide whether you stay with crops or delve into animal husbandry, and figure out what part of the supply chain you want to focus your efforts on. None of that is easy to decide if the systems are too complex.

This isn’t to say that you can’t eventually figure out a plan forward. But there’s a lot of trial-and-error that feels avoidable. The tutorial feels geared towards agriculture and solely agriculture; leaving out aspects such as contracts, harvest seasons, and animal welfare seems like a bad idea. While farming isn’t an easy endeavour, losing guidance after covering one aspect of farming risks losing players too early.

Once you do get a grasp on your goals, Farming Simulator 25 opens up considerably. Contracts are farming jobs you can perform on other farms for a quick investment. It’s also good practice for learning how to use different vehicles on the job. You can manage different fields and invest in several crops. For those interested in animal husbandry, you can raise farm animals for meat or dairy products.

The world opens up considerably and you can drive around to other farms. Everything else feels empty though, as if it is just there for realism. You don’t actually need a gas station and there’s no reaction if you hit a car or pedestrian. It feels like you are in a world that’s dedicated solely to farming and the experience of being a farmer. Even the roads are just for driving around to other farms or drop-off points.

Your experiences with the farming aspects are realistic and this isn’t a game about causing chaos on the road. But it does make the environments feel superficial even if they look impressive. People don’t react to anything that you do and you don’t make good use of the world. Unless it’s related to farming, everything else is just an extra in the background. On the other hand, it does make it easy to identify what is and isn’t relevant to the task at hand.

For an authentic farming experience, you won’t find anything better than Farming Simulator 25. The work may seem monotonous but it feels fulfilling after a while. Experiencing the struggles and successes of a farmer helps you develop a true appreciation for them. It’s certainly not easy, with lots to learn even with the tutorial. Stay with the farming experience and make several mistakes. With all the effort you put in, you eventually see the return on your investment.