Farming Simulator 26 Review: Farming a day keeps boredom away

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GIANTS Software has just released Farming Simulator 26 for Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch, launching on May 19, 2026. Having played a lot of the previous Farming Simulator games and enjoyed driving the tractors, I wanted to see if this new version offered a significant improvement.

I played Farming Simulator 26 for six to eight hours on my Samsung M55 – a good, mid-range phone – which gave me time to really get to know the game. I tested its features, how it plays, the improvements it’s made, how well it runs, and whether it’s worth the price. Here’s my review to help you decide if it’s a good buy.

Familiar farming gameplay with very few noticeable improvements

If you’re already familiar with the Farming Simulator series, you’ll quickly pick this one up – it’s very similar, but with some nice new features, challenges, and improvements. It also has a few frustrating elements. If you’re new to farming simulators, this is a good place to start.

The game is straightforward: you begin a farming career, complete a series of goals, and manage daily tasks. As your farm grows, the challenges become harder. Unlike some games, it’s not about quick, easy actions – it requires real effort and management.

This game requires you to control every aspect of your farm yourself. You’ll directly operate the tractor, manage your workers, and even harvest crops by hand. Be prepared for unexpected challenges – like sudden rain that can damage your crops, or clumsy workers who might accidentally drive the tractor into a lake, making the experience surprisingly unpredictable!

While farming is progressive, driving a tractor isn’t

Driving the tractor can be challenging. The controls sometimes feel slow to respond, which can be frustrating, particularly while plowing. Keeping track of all the tractor attachments and quickly switching between workers adds to the difficulty.

This game is very open-ended, letting you choose your own path. You can focus on traditional farming, raising animals, or working with the forest. There are no limits to what you can do, but you’ll need to manage your finances carefully – running out of money means the game ends.

Strong content variety offers plenty to manage and explore

When you first start the game, it might seem simple with only a career mode available. However, after completing the tutorial, the game expands to reveal a surprising number of activities and in-depth systems. Plus, you can choose from two different maps to play on, adding to the replayability.

You can earn money to expand your farm by completing daily challenges and unlocking achievements. The game also offers a lot of variety in how you farm, with options like growing crops, raising animals, and running plantations. Each of these areas has its own unique activities and management systems.

The game includes 7 animal species, 3 types of farms, and 19 different plants. It also has a realistic day and night cycle that you can adjust to change the difficulty. There are many ways to earn money, but be careful not to spend more than you can afford!

Graphics and optimization struggle to justify a new release

The game’s graphics aren’t great – they’re about the same quality as the developers’ last mobile game. Performance is inconsistent. It runs smoothly on medium settings, but switching to high causes noticeable frame rate drops and stuttering, so the game needs better optimization.

Honestly, the settings are super basic. You can only pick between low, medium, and high graphics – that’s it! For a game from a big franchise like this on mobile, I expected way more options. It’s kinda funny, actually, because there’s only one vehicle you can drive – a tractor – and they have fewer graphics settings than that!

UI lacks polish, while the audio design feels inconsistent

The game’s interface looks unfinished and a bit rough around the edges. Text isn’t always neatly arranged, and parts of the menus sometimes disappear off the screen. This makes it especially annoying when you’re trying to learn how to play.

The tractors and farm equipment sound fantastic, adding to the satisfying feeling of working the land. However, the game could benefit from more background sounds to make the world feel more alive. The menu sounds are also a bit repetitive – there isn’t much variety, so you hear the same ones over and over.

The text on the screen is too small and difficult to read. More importantly, a lot of useful information is buried within menus, making it hard to find. It would be much better if this information was displayed directly on the main menu instead of requiring players to start a game to access it. It’s unclear why this design choice was made.

The overall simulation and immersion are just not good enough

While the game aims for a realistic simulation experience, many elements feel simplified and more like an arcade game. You can delegate most key tasks to computer-controlled characters, letting them handle things for you. This feature, though potentially useful later on, makes the game too easy when available from the beginning and undermines the sense of actually playing a simulation. It raises the question: if the game can play itself, what’s the point of you playing?

The game features background characters and vehicles that you can’t interact with at all. You can walk up to people, but they won’t react – they just mindlessly walk back and forth. They seem to exist only to give the impression of a living world, but their graphics look very outdated, like something from a game made in 2006.

As you’d expect, Farming Simulator 26 is a premium game – you buy it once, and there are no ads, which is great.

Final Verdict

Despite being called Farming Simulator 26, this installment doesn’t feel significantly different from the 2023 version. While it includes some nice improvements, new things to do, and more detailed systems, many of these features have appeared in previous Farming Simulator games. That said, if you’re new to farming simulators, you’ll still find a lot to like.

With plenty of content, a gentle learning curve, and the flexibility to manage your farm however you like, Farming Simulator 26 is a good option, particularly at its $7.99 price. It’s currently easier to suggest to players new to the series. If you’re already a fan, it’s probably best to wait for a sale before buying.

Farming Simulator 26 Review by GamingonPhone

Gameplay Mechanics – 7
Content and Replayability – 7
Graphics and Music – 6.5
Controls and UI – 5
Value for money – 7

6.5

Average

Farming Simulator 26 is a familiar and comfortable experience for fans, but doesn’t push the series forward in a significant way. While still relaxing and full of content, particularly for those new to the game, it feels a bit outdated and lacks the improvements needed to stand out as a top-tier simulation title. The visuals and overall feeling of being immersed in the farming experience could use a boost.

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2026-05-26 23:13