Farming Simulator 25 is launching on November 12, developer Giants Software announced today—but before we get to all the details about the new game and cinematic reveal trailer, I want to talk about something else. Giants also announced that there's a "Collector's Edition" of Farming Simulator 25 which comes with a "USB ignition lock" that lets you insert and turn a real key "to start the engines of in-game tractors."
I kinda laughed at this when I saw it, and then I stared at it for a few seconds, and then I realized it's one of those things I never would have thought of but now that I know it exists I kinda absolutely want it. Yes. Give me that, please. I want to take a real key and stick it into a thing on my desk and turn it and have a tractor engine start in a videogame. That'd be satisfying as hell, wouldn't it? (You can see it in the image below, click the upper-right corner to enlarge it.)
Now that I think about it, that's how I'd like to start everything on my desk. Turning on my lamp? Use a key. Starting my PC? I absolutely want to turn a key to do that, too. Unlocking my iPhone? Okay, that would probably just get annoying. But the other stuff I definitely want keys for.
The Collector's Edition has a few other bonus items, like a keychain (perfect for those keys we just talked about!), a retro soundtrack from composer Chris Hülsbeck, a poster, some stickers, and a few other things that aren't nearly as cool as a fake ignition lock. I don't see a price on it yet (though I've asked and will update when I get one), but the standard version of Farming Simulator 25 is $50 on Steam, with a Year 1 Edition priced at $80, which covers the DLC packs and a map expansion for FS25.
With that out of the way, can we unpack the trailer now? It's a weird one, entirely cinematic with no actual gameplay, though at least we can glean some new features from it. The trailer begins with two farmers intently trying to boil a small pot of rice and failing miserably, so they do the same thing I do when one of my meals doesn't turn out great: they backpack across the continent that meal was invented in.
In this case it's Asia, and while getting stranded in a downpour they encounter a water buffalo that leads them to a paddy field where rice is being farmed. "Farmin' is an art," the narrator drawls. "But sometimes it's about being in the right place at the right time. " Correct, wise narrator, and when it comes to learning how to farm rice the "right place" is Asia and the "right time" is at any point within the past 9,000 years. I'm not sure why our two farmers needed to visit in person instead of consulting what must be volumes of agricultural data on rice farming, but two people reading books and watching videos probably wouldn't make for a dramatic trailer.
The farmers, having built a farm and some paddy fields—and ridden a motorcycle around for some reason—finally harvest their crop and boil a proper bowl of rice."Is it missin' somethin'?" one farmer asks after tasting it. Yes, white man, you probably want to have a little something extra with your bowl of plain, unseasoned rice. They consider killing a nearby chicken (presumably to also eat it plain) but as the trailer ends they decide on sparing the chicken and adding spinach instead. Are they off to backpack through Persia to boldly discover how to grow spinach? Unclear: the trailer ends there.
So, what did we learn from all that? Farming Simulator 25 will have rice farming, water buffalos, spinach as a crop, and apparently a motorcycle. You can also expect "400 authentic vehicles" plus "tools & items from more than 150 international top brands," says developer Giants Software, along with "a general tech upgrade with improved graphics and physics based on the latest and modding-friendly GIANTS Engine 10." That engine upgrade will allow for "distance fog, enhanced shadows, dynamic weather effects, ground deformation" and other improvements come November.
