Starting a new game is never easy. There is so much to learn when you get into a new game series, especially one as complex as Farming Simulator 22. Farming Simulator has come on leaps and bounds since it first launched back in 2008. If you haven't been there for the whole journey though, it can be a very steep learning curve for FS22.
Never fear though, we're here to help. Our beginner's guide will take you through ten things we wish we knew when we were starting out.
1 - New farmer mode
You have to make sure that you get off on the right foot in Farming Simulator 22. You wouldn't start a new game of F1 23 with the difficulty turned up to max. The same should apply here, as when you start a new save of FS22, you're given a choice of difficulty.
In fairness to GIANTS, they have made it a lot clearer which is the hardest and easiest difficulties in 22 than they did in games like 19.
You're presented with three options for a new Career Mode in FS22. New Farmer, Farm-Manager and Start from Scratch are the easy, medium and hard difficulties, respectively. We highly recommend opting for New Farmer mode as the farm is effectively setup when you start. All that has to be carried out is maintenance and upgrades at that point.
2 - Go easy on the mods
In-game modifications literally add new elements to your video game experience. The same can be said for Farming Simulator 22. However, these can be to your detriment if you're a beginner. You should learn the basics of the game before you go changing the fundamentals of it.
That's not to say you can't have any, as some can really help beginners out. We've got a list of recommended mods for FS22 and an install guide for them on our site if you want to check those out.
3 - Get rid of surplus equipment
If you took our advice earlier and started a game with a pre-built farm, you'll have a lot of new toys to play with. When you're just starting out though, you don't need all of the equipment this comes with. This is a great way to earn some money and spend it on the things you actually need.
Something else to note as well is that if you're ever struggling to understand anything in FS22, the in-game tutorials do a great job of explaining things.
4 - Start with the basics
Planting, growing and harvesting crops isn't the easiest aspect to FS22. In fact, it's probably the hardest, but you can make it easier for yourself by opting for simpler crops. The likes of sorghum, wheat, barley, oats, canola and soy are all very simple to grow and harvest.
Avoid the likes of sugar beets like the plague, those are complex enough for even the most experienced farmer!
If you start in new farmer mode as well, you'll have a healthy supply of all of these already in your stock when you start the game.
5 - Do your research
It's fair to say there are a lot of vehicles and equipment types in Farming Simulator 22. The FS22 store has as many options for brands as sim racers like Gran Turismo 7 and Forza Motorsport. Things may look flash, but you have to go for substance over style in FS22.
Know what you're needing and shop around to see if there's not a cheaper or better option available somewhere else before clicking buy.
6 - Start small, then build
Leading on from number five, you can't go buying the biggest, most powerful tractor for just one field. In other words, start small, then build upon this as the farm grows. Purchasing the most expensive equipment right off the bat is a terrible idea, because there is a thing as having too much available.
7 - Don't get into debt
Farming Simulator 22 is that in-depth that you can get into debt pretty quickly if you're not careful. There is a loaning system in-game which can come in handy, but it's also dangerous if misused. When you're a more established farmer, loans can make a big difference to your purchasing power. In this situation, they help, but for the newbie, it's reckless.
When you're first starting out, you don't really know your finances. You also don't have much money to fall back on either, so if things go wrong, they go very wrong. Get some serious savings before even considering this.
8 - Contract work
Something that you can easily miss in the menus is contract work. Contract work basically gives you an assignment to complete and a financial reward for doing so. The equipment is loaned to you as well, so you don't have to worry about being a beginner, that's all taken care of. These are some of the easiest wins in FS22.
9 - Turn seasons off
One of the coolest new features in Farming Simulator 22 has been the addition of seasons. Despite this though, they do add an additional level of difficulty for the player. This is something newbies can definitely do without, so we'd highly recommend turning them off when you start a new save.
10 - Keep to plants
In FS22, it's definitely best to go vegan, at least at first. Animals such as cows are excellent ways to make money in Farming Simulator 22. However, they all require a lot of money to get started and also maintenance to keep productivity levels high.
Crops like the ones we listed earlier are the easiest thing to focus your time and effort on as a new start-up. Branch out into animals eventually, but only do so once you're comfortable with the crops in the ground.
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