Farming life is very humbling, calming, relaxing, and fulfilling. One might crave such a thing after living in the city for a long time. Until we can make such a shift in our lives, let’s enjoy the fantasy of country life in video games. Welcome to the list of best farming games with animal husbandry.
There are many farming games you can play, but most of them don’t focus enough on animal husbandry. Animal stuff is what interests me the most.
So, I made some digging and found out the best games where you can tame, buy, sell, breed, domesticate, and feed the livestock in your ranch.
Based games about animal husbandry:
1. Farming Simulator 22
2. Ranch Simulator
3. Slime Rancher 2
4. Farm Together 1 & 2
Farm Together offers the ultimate farming experience. You start from scratch, with a small plot, and end with a huge farm.
Does have tons of animal stuff as well. It’s one of the highest rated games of this genre.
The together word in the name indicates the co-op mode. Farm Together is the perfect choice for co-op sessions between casual/relax players.
5. Banished
6. RimWorld
RimWorld is set in a dangerous world full of bandits and other dangers. But you can always play in peaceful mode with almost zero combat.
The game does have 85+ animals that can be tamed. They can provide your settlers with milk, wool, eggs, meat, leather, and more.
Again, Rimworld is a very hard game. But you can always set it to peaceful mode and enjoy the farming life like I do.
7. Farmer’s Dynasty
8. Spirit of the Island
9. My Time At Portia
10. Dawn of Man
11. Story of Season: A Wonderful Life
Story of Season: A Wonderful Life (2023) is a remake of Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life (2004). Now it’s available for PC, can be bought from Steam.
It’s about a peaceful life in the town of Forgotten Valley. You can cultivate crops, raise animals, befriend and possibly romance townspeople, and raise a family.
It’s very different from other farming games, might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But those who played it before on PS2 will be bombarded with good feelings and nostalgia.
12. Harvest Moon
Harvest Moon franchise is known for its cute graphics, relaxing playstyle, lovely music, and adorable animals.
In the older Harvest Moon game (Tale of Two Towns) the game would let you choose between two starting farms, one focused on crops and the other focused on animals.
Two different farm styles integrated into one in Harvest Moon: One World. Can raise take animals such as cows, sheep, camels, and reindeer from all over the world. There are beaches, desert, volcano, and lush terrains all filled with endemic species.
13. Roots of Pacha
Roots of Pacha is a farming life simulation set in prehistoric era. That what makes it unique. You’ll be taming bunch of different (now extinct) wild animals breed them.
Discovering new ideas like wheel / fire, domesticating corps, taming animals, and building a village in stone age is so much fun. Can played with friends co-op as well.
All in all, Roots of Pacha is a must play for those who enjoy farming life because of its unique prehistoric setting.
14. Minecraft
Minecraft is a legendary open-world survive game. There is no need to explain it because everyone knows or played Minecraft at some point.
There are over 40+ animals you can tame and breed in Minecraft such as chicken, pig, sheep, goat, cow, horse, rabbit, donkey, horse, wolf, cat, and more.
Minecraft is mostly played for online PVP stuff. But I really enjoy single-player survival mode. Building my own farm, ranch, and small house is extremely satisfying.
15. Everdream Valley
Everdream Valley is just another farming life simulation game. What makes it standout for this list is the emphasis on animals in this game.
You can literally crate an animal paradise in Everdream Valley.
Just look at the variety: Pigs, cows, chickens, ducks, goats, alpacas, horses, sheep, bees, wild boar, magpies, beavers, bisons, geese, deer, frogs, beetles, butterflies, dragonflies, wolves, mice, snails, slugs, fish and more.
Can have doggos and cats as well.
16. The Ranch of Rivershine
Ranch of Rivershine is a unique one in this list because it’s exclusively focused on horses. You build and run your very own horse ranch!
What you can do is to raise foals, care for horses, and train them. After that you can participate in competitions and become the champion horse rider.
Can also cultivate crops, befriend townsfolk, and explore the wilderness. Pretty similar to Stardew Valley but The Ranch of Rivershine is horse oriented.
17. Apico
Apico is an interesting one. It’s about breeding, collecting, and conserving bees. Perhaps we hit the beekeeping age early.
Apico is pretty casual, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your bee kingdom. It’s dirt cheap too. Can play co-op as well.
Resource gathering, biology, and beekeeping mixed perfectly in this game.
18. Farmer’s Diary
19. Wildlife Park 2 – Farm World
20. Archeage
ArcheAge is a vast open-world sandbox MMORPG. An interesting combination. It’s completely free-to-play too. Can play on original or private servers depending on your region.
Its motto is everything you can possibly imagine.
You can always go fighting, raiding, and grinding. But what I enjoy the most is building a house, farming, fishing, and tending my livestock. ArcheAge does offer a peaceful farming life.