9 New features we can’t wait to try in Farming Simulator 25

Farming Simulator 25 is only coming in November but we already are excited with all the new features that are revealed and a lot of things are still hidden. In here we will visit features that excite us and that are already confirmed in the FarmCon 2024 or other game footage.

Graphical Improvements
Improved Weather, Fog, And Water Physics

Like with any game that adds the year to the end of the title, each new iteration comes with graphical improvements. FS25 is no exception. The latest version of the Giants Engine offers some remarkable changes to environmental rendering, with things like atmospheric fog, more dynamic and visually appealing weather changes, and cloud cover that makes sense.

It extends to more than the weather, too, with fluid dynamics for bodies of water, ground deformation from tire tracks, and more. It looks great, and we look forward to seeing the full scope of its fidelity.

Construction Projects
Build Your Own Farm House

In the past, building something was an instantaneous process. You paid for it in full, dropped it down, and were done. FS25 will be introducing a farm house construction system. Instead of placing a fully complete home, we’ll have the option to place construction sites that can be fed resources, gradually developing into a farm house.

The full details remain unknown, such as cost, resources required, or how many options we’ll have to build. The phrasing seems to be specific to farm houses, but mention of “vintage sites” gives us hope that it will be more than that. While some folks might find this to be a tedious bit of extra steps, we’re looking forward to the immersion and sense of progress it will provide.

Water transport
New transport added: Ferry, Boats, Ships

The introduction of ships in Farming Simulator 25 opens up a world of possibilities for large-scale farming operations. These vessels are designed for transporting massive quantities of goods across the water. Smaller than ships, boats provide a versatile option for navigating rivers, canals, and coastal waters. These vessels are perfect for transporting goods to local markets or moving supplies between different parts of a player’s farm. Ferries bring a unique dimension to Farming Simulator 25, enabling players to transport not only goods but also vehicles and equipment across bodies of water.

The East Asian Map

Farming Sim is breaking away from Europe. As heavily showcased in the cinematic trailer, FS25 will put a focus on East Asian farming, offering new crops and animals commonplace to the area. It will be a fantastic change of pace from past maps, which essentially alternated between the great American Midwest and European countrysides.

So far, we know little to nothing about the map, and are left to speculate. Odds are, the “beginner” option when starting a new game will provide us with an existing rice paddy and all the tools needed to get started. They might also include a Buffalo pen and everything needed to care for them. While this isn’t confirmed, it makes too much sense not to.

Buffalo Ranching

Animals continue to be a regular new addition to the Farming Simulator system. This is the first time it enters “exotic” territory, though. While the details are as scarce as the East Asian map, promotional material heavily implies that Buffalo will be joining the animal dealer’s selection.

Press material does say “new animals” in the plural. Whether that’s just fluffy language or an indication that water buffalo won’t be the only addition remains a mystery. It might also be just a selection of various breeds of water buffalo. They will likely provide much of the same as our cows do, producing milk, slurry, and manure.

The Farmer’s Market

While a farmer’s market is already in Farming Simulator, it only ever operated as a selling point, no different from the supermarket. It works, but it’s nothing special. But it sounds like that’s about to change. In Farming Simulator 25, a new level of interactivity has been given to the Farmer’s Market, instead being a building you can enter and explore. The shelves will stock with the products you provide.

How sales there would be any different isn’t clear. It appears to be intended for smaller scale productions, even offering independent market stalls. Some fans are hoping for NPCs or person-to-person interactions, or perhaps self-setting prices, but that’s just speculation.

The Changes To Productions

There are two things about production lines we’re looking forward to: the things we know and the things we don’t. While that sounds like nonsense (and it kinda is), allow us to explain.

One thing that was showcased was the smaller production buildings. Appearing to be small sheds with power tools inside, these are presumed to be more affordable alternatives than the five digit buildings, at the cost of smaller production rates (which could be a blessing for smaller farms). With how much we love production lines already, this sounds like a great way to get into them sooner.

What we don’t know are what other production lines to expect. That side of the game was a hit with FS22, and the DLC it would later receive only reinforced their interest in expanding it. What those new productions are, however, is a mystery. With the East Asian theme, we’re hoping for something to do with Soybeans, like soy sauce or tofu production, but your guess is as good as ours.

GPS And Improved AI Workers

Look, farming large fields can be tedious work. We love the FS games to death, but even we can recognize that. One way to help alleviate that is with the AI workers. They let multiple jobs be performed at the same time, for a small price. While they worked, they were far from perfect — missed corners, stuck on objects, no headlands, and so on. But with the new GPS system, things will be as smooth as ever.

We’ll be able to activate GPS navigation on a vehicle, something that’s been available on real world tractors for a long while. Doing so will create an automated pathway for the vehicle to follow automatically. This means you can automate your motions without hiring someone. And when you do, they’ll have a more advanced system to follow.

Rice Farming

And now, the most obvious for last: rice farming. As part of the East Asian theme, two types of rice will be part of the new selection of crops. It comes with a slew of special treatment as well. Rice saplings are grown in greenhouses and used for planting instead of seeds. The fields they’re planted in (requiring a special planter, of course) need to be flooded using pumps. And while long-grain rice can be harvested with a traditional harvester, short-grain rice requires a special rice harvester.

It’s an interesting crop type with a unique farming process that’s not as tedious as some others (looking at you, sugarcane). Our only hope is that it can be processed further in a production point, perhaps for rice flour.