Farming Simulator 23 on Switch a Streamlined Experience

When I heard that Farming Simulator 23 was coming to Nintendo Switch, I knew there were going to be a few sacrifices. I played the game a ton on PlayStation 5, and it ran well and looked fantastic. There was no way that same experience was coming to the Nintendo Switch. While I was right with that assertion, I did wonder what the experience on Switch would look like. I expected something pretty bad, but was amazed when I found a game that was actually really good.

Let’s get a few things out of the way right now. That game doesn’t look great, the draw distance is pretty terrible, and there are some minor, although not game breaking, frame rate issues. There are less tractors and machines in this experience compared to the other releases, and the lack of a modding marketplace limits what you can obtain even more. You can’t place buildings in this version of the game, and you won’t be buying things on pallets either (seeds, manure, etc). This is a streamlined version of the game, and I’m all about it.

If you are a hardcore Farming Simulator fan, this won’t be an experience you enjoy. Everything is streamlined, and I’m actually OK with it. Here are a few examples that I think highlight the experience you are going to have.

On Ps5, if you wanted to fill your seeder with seeds, your manure spreader with manure, or your sprayer with pesticide, you need to purchase jugs/bags of it from the store, and either transport the pallets to your farm or drive your equipment to the store to fill up. Here, you drive under a spout on your farm and direct fill your machines.

On PS5, you would buy a harvester, buy a header, and buy a trailer to move your header legally from A to B. On Nintendo Switch, your header, when detached, is automatically placed on a trailer (you don’t need to buy this). When you attach the header to the harvester, it automatically removes the trailer from the map. Detatch the header, and the trailer reappears.

Another big difference is how you operate your machines. On the PlayStation, you need to press different buttons to perform different actions. A button to attach trailers or headers, a button to raise or lower the harvester header and spout, buttons to turn machines on and off, buttons to change the height of items, and so much more. On the Nintendo Switch, all of that is stripped away. When you hop onto the machines, they auto start for you. When you need to perform a job, you just click one button and everything moves into position for you to begin your work.

This. Is. Streamlined.

Your enjoyment of Farming Simulator on Nintendo Switch will depend on how serious you are about simulation games. If you want an overly accurate experience, you won’t find that here. But if you want a laid back, Uber streamlined farming time, this is the way to go. Despite the “issues” (which are entirely due to hardware restraints), this is my go-to way of playing Farming Simulator 23!