Discover the adorable free sci-fi farm game that takes place in the corner of your office

Although Valley of Stars has dominated the farming simulator conversation for years, there are plenty of other projects, from indie to AAA, that offer many of the same vibes. Best of all, some of them are free.

This includes Farlands: Small harvestwhich you can play right now for free on Steam. The most interesting thing is that it is a game that plays entirely in the corner of your deskmaking it very easy to play while relaxing or even working.

Farlands: The little harvest is adorable

You play as a small space farmer

Not only does the name “Tiny Harvest” suit the game’s small on-screen size, but it’s also a feature in its own right. It’s a small desktop game that runs in the corner of your screen, allowing you to do pretty much whatever you want while still running on your operating system. Your worker will also harvest and plant items themselves, and the developer even describes the game as a “virtual houseplant.”

Fascinatingly, Farlands: Small harvest takes place in a sci-fi setting, as your spaceship is prominently displayed on the farm and you can harvest space plants to earn credits. Eventually, you’ll upgrade tools, crops, house, and spaceship, if you’re looking for some form of progression while playing.

You can play it completely for free

Sci-fi angle adds character

If you’re on the fence, Farlands: Small harvest is completely free and has a “mostly positive” rating on Steam at the time of publication. There’s also a little reward-based system, as you’ll have the option to customize your farmer with a range of hats that you can collect throughout the game, with two characters to choose from in total. I wouldn’t mind seeing a full version of this one day using the same aesthetic, as it reminds me of Subset Games’ indie titles, like Into the breach.

If you have exhausted all possible avenues Valley of Stars and you want something different, try Farlands: Small harvest. Since it’s free, you have nothing to lose except your time. While there are certainly more complex farming simulators out there, it’s hard to get more comfortable than a game that runs on your screen while you do something else.

Systems

Released

February 26, 2016

ESRB

E for everyone (fantasy violence, mild blood, mild language, pretend play, alcohol and tobacco use)

Developer(s)

ConcernedMonkey

Editor(s)

ConcernedMonkey

Engine

Owner

Multiplayer

Local multiplayer, online multiplayer

Cross-platform play

Stardew Valley does not currently support crossplay between different consoles and PC

Cross save

cross-progression is only available between the PC and mobile versions of the game

Number of players

1-4