8 Gardening and Plant-Based Video Games for Spring

Growing up in Kansas, I knew many people involved with agriculture, and Farming Simulator 22 is a well-executed representation of a rural industry. Farming Simulator 22 is ideal for gamers who like business management sims and large vehicle replicas. The career mode has varying levels of difficulty, from “New Farmer,” where you begin with land, equipment, and a profitable economy to “Start from Scratch,” where existing bank issues and a tepid economy are stacked against you. Run your farm as you see fit and harvest an abundance of crops: wheat, barley, soybeans, potatoes, olives, and more.

Prune is described on the app store as “a love letter to trees,” and its artwork primarily pulls from Japanese ink-wash paintings. Guide your sapling to the sunlight by cutting off excess branches and navigating around toxic red balls. Win by getting enough flowers to blossom. Apple Arcade members can play Prune as part of the subscription service.

A fantastic game to play for a little escape from reality after a rough day, The Sims 4 has splendid gardening mechanics in the base game. If you’ve ever fantasized about owning a nice house with the perfect backyard for gardening, try The Sims 4. In her roundup of the best game additions available for purchase, product writer and reviewer Louryn Strampe recommends Seasons ($40). She writes, “If you’re only getting one expansion, this is the one you want.” In addition to dynamic weather, the Season pack unlocks a gardener career path, which lets you role-play as a botanist or floral designer.

For gardening gameplay tips, check out this video from Carl’s Sim Guides. Devoted players searching for even more plant experiences may appreciate crafting homestead fantasies with the Cottage Living Expansion Pack ($40) or designing the ideal outdoor space for making out with the Romantic Garden Stuff ($10).

Good vibes emanate from Viridi, a cozy game about caring for succulent plants. Pick your starting pot and succulents, then sit back as the plants slowly develop, making sure the right amount of water is doled out. A little snail hangs out with you, traveling around the lip of the pot. The laidback soundtrack adds to the overall mood. Viridi is free to play, and all of the extra downloadable content is available for $7 on Steam.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is an adorable game that exploded in popularity during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and remains fun to play on occasion. The game was such a cultural phenomenon in 2020 that it inspired memes, hot takes, and unusual political outreach events. In Strampe’s extensive tip guide for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, she shares how to grow hybrid flowers on your island. A video from Austin John Plays on YouTube has great advice for breeding those elusive golden flowers.

This is a decent game if you’re looking to spend a few minutes on your phone each day caring for digital plants. In Terrarium: Garden Idle, you passively grow a collection of potted plants that eventually produce the required amount of oxygen to level up. As you progress through the game, more plants become available, like yucas, moonstones, and Venus flytraps. The app is free to download and includes in-app purchases.