Peasant war of the pixels or why the mud makes it to the desk: Farming Simulator 22 in test

1 - Einfühung | Gameplay | Grafik 2 - Testsystem | Deaktivieren des FPS-Limits 3 - Performance | Kantenglättungsmodi 4 - Bugs | Crossplay | Modding 5 - Fazit | Galerie

Wondering why a niche game like LS22 deserves an article at Igor’s Lab? Well, besides the fact that there’s a ton of hype surrounding the game, it’s actually the second game ever to support Nvidia’s AI edge smoothing DLAA! Admittedly, although I’ve lived in the country all my life and my granddad ran a grain business until the mid-90s, the subject of farming never really grabbed me. Later I had smiled a bit at my buddies when they asked me again and again in the last years if I would like to spend an evening with them. Seriously?

Pulling lanes across a field for hours on a lame tractor? That sounded so boring to me that I never even dreamed of it! Some time ago, the Farming Simulator 2019 was once given away at EPIC and in my desperation after our move – we had no internet for 9 months – I had actually looked at it at some point. Completely without expectations and with the prejudice that the subject matter would certainly not excite me, I just started and after a while I actually enjoyed it.

Well, I certainly don’t need it every day, but the tedious and non-committal “grinding”, so without pressure, that has something very relaxing. When it was announced that the new Farming Simulator 22 supports Nvidia’s DLSS and even DLAA, it was clear that I would be there this time when my buddies asked me if I wanted to go for a round of farming with them. You know, for science and stuff.

Gameplay

The aim of the game is to build up a respectable farm with a small starting capital. You can completely adjust your priorities to your own interests. Those who prefer to grow crops till their fields, those who prefer to raise livestock build a barn. Whether beekeeper, potato farmer or the production chain for a pizzeria, there are hardly any limits to the imagination. While in the multiplayer, in my opinion the heart of the Farming Simulator, we went straight to tilling the fields as a large landowner:

Took it much easier on my little farm in single player. A few bees here, a few chickens there, a small field tilled with wheat so I can feed the critters with my own harvest:

Whereas in the beginning, with smaller machines and low yields, it is still laborious:

Is one after a few hours of play almost only with heavy equipment on the road:

Graphic

From a graphical standpoint, of course, Farming Simulator isn’t up against a caliber like Red Dead 2 or Forza Horizon 5, and the jump from LS 2019 isn’t really a quantum leap either. Still, the game looks really good in places. The vehicle models are very detailed:

Some areas of the different cards are lovingly designed:

And in places, the lighting makes quite a splash: