Review - Farming Simulator Signature Edition

Nikolas Tolgyesi
28 minutes ago
7 min read

Developed by: GIANTS Software

Published by: GIANTS Software

Platform: Nintendo Switch 2

Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch 2

If you did not know, I consider myself to be the biggest Farming Simulator fanboy on this side of the pond. Despite being headquartered in Switzerland, Giants Software has managed to turn this city dweller into a wheat-chewing, hay-baling, country-song-singing farmhand. I have easily put several thousand hours into this series, and while reviewing past titles, this launch marks the grand entrance of modern farming onto the Nintendo Switch 2.

The beauty of Farming Simulator as a whole is that there is so much freedom in how you want to play. You can carve out whatever story fits your play style and cultivate your experience however you choose. Want to focus on crops? No problem. Raise animals, check. Tend to other farmers’ fields instead of your own, done.

Once you begin establishing yourself, you can start acquiring new machines, farmland, and livestock to make the life of a farmer easier and, most importantly, more profitable and efficient. My favorite part of farming and one of the biggest reasons I got hooked almost instantly was how easy it was to fall into step on the farm. I could sit down, turn my brain off, crank the in-game tunes, and get lost in whatever job I was performing. If I did not feel like tending to my own land, there were endless contracts for my fellow farmers. In particular, I found baling hay strangely relaxing and always got excited when a baling job appeared.

Farming Simulator Signature Edition Changed Everything

If you have ever dabbled in a Farming Simulator game, you would notice there is a bit of a difference between playing on a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series system vs. the Nintendo Switch. On PlayStation and Xbox, you had nice crisp picture quality, smooth controls, and a fantastic variety regarding available features on your farm.

However, when you move to the Nintendo Switch, there is a noticeable difference, as the game feels like a shell of its counterparts. Whether it was the extremely limited selection of machines, one very bland map, or the lack of diversity in ways to grow, you couldn’t help but feel like the Switch version was a tired old clone of what my heart longed for. Then came the Switch 2, and Farming Simulator Signature Edition swooped in to save the day!

Everything Missing Is Now At Your Fingertips!

I cannot help but think back to Farming Simulator 23 Nintendo Switch Edition every time I sit down to play. I simply cannot wrap my head around how many features have been packed into this game versus what I was playing less than a year earlier. Do not get me wrong, I understand that the Switch 2 provided the horsepower needed to make the jump. I just expected a performance and noticeable gameplay improvement slowly and over time with maybe a title in between to bridge the gap. Every feature I dreamt about was suddenly in front of me, ready to go.

When you think about basic tasks like fertilizing your crops, liming, herbicides, rock picking, and all the other maintenance items for growing your kingdom, only the basics were available until the Signature Edition. Going from one or two fertilizer attachments, for example, to now dozens can make a significant difference in upkeep and capacity. In addition, different classes of tractors can improve the potential to manage different sizes of fields with ease, rather than trying to maneuver one clunky tractor awkwardly across an area that requires much more precision.

Contracts Are That Breath of Fresh Air

Not to sound like a broken record, but sometimes you simply want a break from your land and perform another job without wearing out machinery, or maybe you simply do not have the opportunity to expand your garage just yet. A change of scenery could be that breath of fresh air as well, no pun intended. At the beginning of the game when every dollar counts more than ever, you need a way to bring in as much cash flow as possible. Contracts are that path.

Man, That Game Looks Sharp

In part due to the new hardware, but also the care put into Farming Simulator Signature Edition, you can actually feel the immersion when getting into a shiny machine. Blowing up the picture with dock mode on my Sony Bravia TV left me in awe of how sharp the environment really is. The way you can see each individual grain of wheat, canola, corn, or whatever your crop of choice is, was spectacular. The way the shadows from clouds or wildlife actually tracked across not only the fields but also the vehicles was like the icing on the cake as far as feeling like a true farmer. Did I mention that zooming in on any item reveals all the components you would see in a real-life comparison? That level of attention to detail was but a wish on the previous Farming Simulator title.

We Do Need to Talk About A Few Things

The following items are by no means criticisms, but items I hope will be taken into consideration as feedback. First and foremost, I am beyond grateful that Giants was able to incorporate the color-blind filter back in. You guys do care about us cone-challenged folk. While I first noticed it during an oilseed radish contract, this also applies to weeding of all sizes. As I was planting the crop, I thought I saw something scattered along the area I was planting, but I couldn’t be sure, as it looked like a dull green against a dark brown ground. Unless you are colorblind, it is hard to understand the utter panic I experienced as I tried to distinguish between the ground and the mystery blobs scattered throughout the field. My thought process was: Is there a bug with the crop destruction? Did I forget to stone pick? Did I misjudge the width of my machine? Of course, this was not the case, but in the moment, it was a head scratcher. Weeds are the answer. While I understand weeds are usually darker greens or even slightly brown on farmland, I hope this tale of survival from this colorblind chap can be taken as hopeful to have the strength of the colors increased for each item throughout the game, so in my next review, I can gloat about my victory over the great weed takeover of 2026.

The other big item I need to bring to the attention of Giants is related to the harvesters in Farming Simulator Signature Edition. The controls are perfectly fine with one small but critical exception. If you have never played a farming game before, you would have no way of knowing how to extend the pipe from the harvester to offload the crop into a transport vehicle. On the list of controls on the upper left-hand side of the screen, you can see different functions by holding the L, R, or L+R buttons. Pressing the L button brings up the control list necessary to collect and manage the current crop. Once collected, there is no button in the list showing how to extend the pipe to begin the dump process. This is rather important at all stages of the game.

Last but not least, again, I understand this may not be possible to change, is the amount of time saving the game takes. Saving should be an automatic action that takes only a few seconds to ensure you can pick up exactly where you left off. Unfortunately, you are stuck for upwards of 20 seconds waiting for your file to be saved, quickly taking away from the time you could be spending on your farm. This could be a limitation, but it is noticeable, and I wanted to make sure it was known.

Time for My Favorite Section: Controls!

I cannot have a review without the control portion. Regardless of the game, a certain amount of adjusting will be required as a one-handed gamer. Farming Simulator is no exception. One of my biggest critiques of Farming Simulator 23 Nintendo Switch Edition was that there was absolutely zero cruise control. Since large working machinery is generally slower, cruise control allows me to focus on steering or operating the device with ease. Without an auto-drive feature, it is a constant battle of power versus control, all while down a player, so to speak. To see my beloved cruise control back in action almost brought a tear to my eye. You cannot see this through the page, but I am kissing my fingers in the same way a chef does when they feel their dish has been made to perfection.

The Future of Farming

This is just the beginning of what I hope is a long and successful journey tending to my farm on the Nintendo Switch 2 console. There is so much potential for DLC, community-built additions as has been the standard on the other platforms, and new equipment. One thing I have dreamt about is oversized tools to perform jobs on larger scales. We have seen some of this in the PlayStation and Xbox Series X simulators, and I would love to have possibly a double-wide planter and seeder, as well as double-wide harvesters and maintenance tools. I would love to see some new locations offering different farmland, maybe some larger areas for farming to excess, as well as more cozy land for a more challenging experience. You could also create maps that focus on specific categories, such as raising livestock or creating complex items such as baked goods. At any rate, I simply cannot wait to see what Farming Simulator has in store for this generation.

This is the perfect time to dip your toe into Farming Simulator.

If you have been on the fence about trying your hand at running a farm, or perhaps you are a longtime Nintendo fan but had concerns with how well a simulator could run on the console. In any case, Giants has brought everything needed for a stunning Farming Simulator experience in the palms of your hands. Functionality, variety, and graphical leaps are just a few reasons why you simply need to try Farming Simulator Signature Edition as your next venture.