Farming Simulator VR: Preview, Interview & FAQ

February 27, 2025

Farming Simulator VR is just hours away. This special experience, optimized for a VR environment by our virtual-reality experts allows you to put digital hands on machines, tools, and plants.

Want to know why we decided to make FSVR a standalone game? We answer your questions! Watch our VR Steam recording with Lukas Kure (Branch Manager in Brno), read the interview with Tomáš Dostál (Head of Art), and enjoy a couple of new screenshots!

➡️ New Screenshots & Stream Recording

➡️ Dev Interview with Tomáš Dostál

➡️ FAQ: Why is FSVR a standalone game?

Farming Simulator VR releases just in time for the weekend on Friday, February 28th. Available for Meta Quest 2, Quest 3, Quest 3S, and Quest Pro!

Stream & Screenshots

There's even a basketball!

Did you miss our VR stream? Martin and Kermit talked with Lukas Kure about how the VR standalone version came to be and watched the other Lukas (we have several) play FSVR live on the stream. Check it out! Highlights were probably a look at the greenhouses and the workshop.

Soon you'll be able to do it yourself. If you're into greenhouses and gardening, you'll probably spend some time planting seeds, watering, removing weeds and dead plants, and then picking and selling healthy vegetables - all by hand. Choose from tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, squash, strawberries, and beets.

Or would you rather spend time on the fields? You'll be able to inspect and operate these machines as if they were right in front of you!

Kubota M8 - Tractor
Fendt 900 Vario - Tractor
John Deere T560 - Harvester
Case IH 1660 - Harvester
Case IH 1030 - Header
JD 625X - Header
JD 608C - Header
CLAAS Quadrant 5300FC - Baler
Arcusin FX 63.72 - Loader
Horsch Terrano 3FX – Cultivator
Horsch Taro Partner + front tank - Seeder
Köckerling Allrounder Flatline 600 - Cultivator
Amazone KG 3001 + Centaya 3000 - Seeder
Lemken Azurit 9 + front tank - Planter
Krampe Big Body 750S - Trailer Prop

You'll have to do some maintenance from time to time as some of your machines will wear. That doesn't just mean cleaning them with a pressure washer, but changing parts like tires or other elements of those mechanical beasts!

And yes, you will have to grab onto ladders, and climb up the machine to repair and refill it! Use tools like different types of wrenches, including an impact wrench, oil cans, and more to screw, grease, and handle all these parts.

When you're done in the fields, repairing and cleaning your equipment, and tending to your greenhouse plants, there's even time to shoot some basketballs or put on some vinyl in the shop's rest area.

Talking to Tomáš

Head of Art Brno

Tomáš, tell us about your role at GIANTS!

As the head of Art Brno, I am the director of art production here in the Brno office. I plan, define scope, and coordinate production with my team leaders. In addition to management, I’m involved in defining new art-related features such as new visual features, efficient workflows, suggesting new tools, shaders, etc.

Tell us about the VR team - what kind of expertise came together here?

It was a great experience to work with people who have a rich background in the game industry. From project managers, coders, and artists, we put together a great team of professionals, some with more than 20 years in the industry.

Besides that, we had great support from within the GIANTS team on specific technical and agricultural topics related to machines or farming. However, it was sometimes challenging as we couldn't drag them away from Farming Simulator 25, of course.

In the concept phase, how did you approach defining the gameplay?

I greatly appreciate the freedom we received from top management. The initial concept was entirely in our hands with a minimum of feedback. The platform was very new to us, so we had to research not only repair and power-washing mechanics but also the target audience.

We wanted to ensure the game was accessible to everyone who wanted to experience the hard work of farmers from the comfort of their living room.

Considering the possible fatigue from wearing a headset, we adjusted the gameplay to be realistic and engaging yet meaningful in shorter sessions.

What were the challenges in realizing the mechanics in virtual reality?

Shorter playtime and farming experience gave us a hard time. The hardware limitations of the standalone device we targeted were the biggest headache, especially for artists.

You know, we always want everything to look as beautiful and possible. I remember the initial performance test… With a sigh, we had to accept the constraints we were facing.

It would be unfair to compare an otherwise excellent device with a PC. On the other hand, it pushed us out of our comfort zone and helped us deliver our best.

How (and why) differs FSVR in terms of art design compared to the main series?

As mentioned above, FSVR’s goal is to provide a farming experience to a wide audience using VR for greater immersion. Its ambition is to complement the main series by offering a different kind of experience.

Any other unexpected surprises during development?

The project was full of surprises. It’s hard to recall them all. One of the best surprises was when the coders came in with big smiles and said, “We can render a whole field of crops!” My wish came true, and I couldn’t imagine a better team of experts than these.

Which gameplay mechanics benefit the most from virtual reality?

Changing flat tires—it’s really good for back stretching!

Did you/the team have a personal “wow” moment when trying something in FSVR?

First, realizing how bad I am at basketball. Second, discovering that our friend Mateusz from QA found 1000+1 ways to reach and climb a ladder outside the playing area.

How did you balance realism and accessibility for VR players?

The realism of the main title was not our goal, partly because our small dedicated team had a very different workforce compared to the team on the main FS series.

My main goal for the artwork was to provide “stylized realism,” which I believe was the best choice for the title. I hope players appreciate that.

Testing a VR game is probably quite different, too, right? What’s special about that?

Ladders!

Anything else you want our fans to know or share with them?

I wish them as much fun playing the game as we had developing it for them.

Thank you!

FSVR WHY?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Meta Quest?

Meta Quest is by far the most popular VR headset on the market. Focusing on this platform allows us to cover the biggest base of players to enjoy virtual farming, as it potentially includes the most players - even if they do not own a potent PC and/or other headsets.

Why a Standalone Version?

A standalone version that is purely optimized for virtual reality is the most efficient way to produce an VR experience within the franchise. Especially in regard to not drawing resources from Farming Simulator 25. Here's what's to keep in mind regarding VR in general:

VR sessions are usually shorter compared to playing regular games like FS25.
The game loops and mechanics in a standalone VR game are optimized for that.
This enhances the overall flow and experience for VR.
Other elements (UI, accessibility) could also be optimized with more focus.

Why did you not focus on FS25 instead?

We did! FS25 had nothing taken away because of FSVR. Since not all teams work on the same thing at the same time, the development of FSVR was independent of FS25 and the VR team’s resources could not be applied to FS25 during the timeframe where they focused on VR.

Explain!

Think of GIANTS as a big farm with multiple fields and multiple farmers.
Each farmer is specialized in different tasks.
These tasks can’t be shared (like multiple cooks can’t stir the same soup at the same time).
"Team FS25" is in full harvest mode, together with other teams specialized in hauling and transporting, etc.
"Team VR", however, are experts in plowing and preparing new fields.
Team VR did their duty for FS25 a while ago already.
They can’t harvest at the same time as other teams, but don’t want to stand around doing nothing!
Instead, they’re putting their skills to work, prepping fresh soil for FSVR. And this is what they did.

What about VR for the Main Series?

Implementing VR into the main series, is a far more complex undertaking. It needs to not only work in VR. But to work WELL in VR.

"Slapping a VR mode" onto it quick will not be an experience that is as enjoyable as it should be - especially since VR experiences are tricky due to many factors like the risk of motion sickness, performance & hardware, etc.

The way, the series has grown in almost two decades would require us to retro-fit everything you can do in the game. Unlike FSVR, the main games were not built to be played in VR from the get-go.

From the way characters move on foot, the complexity of controls and commands, over how machines shake and behave on fields and various ground conditions to keeping performance, multiplayer and other things intact, poses a challenge.

It may sound easy on paper, but it's not as easy as it appears.

What does it mean for the future?

Bringing VR to the main series requires a lot of resources and attention and could draw from other aspects of the game.

While we bear the wish for a VR mode in mind, we’d have to prioritize it over other features and improvements that might be higher up the list of requests from the community.

While this does not mean, we’re dropping the possibility, we will have to find a way to make the addition of VR as efficient as possible, and to guarantee that other features and improvements do not suffer from it.

We will regularly revisit and examine it, but do not have anything to announce at this time. But, we hope, you will have fun with Farming Simulator VR!

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