Two pulse-pounding PvP modes come to Farming Simulator 22, and yes I am serious

You might not think of the Farming Simulator series as a place for thrills, ticking clocks, ruthless competition, and head-to-head PvP, but you really should because Farming Simulator esports are not only a thing but an awesome thing.

If you haven't seen the Farming Simulator League before, it consists of fast-paced hay bale stacking competitions and Arena Mode, where two teams race across identical farms to harvest wheat, press hay bales, and deliver them to a barn as quickly as possible. It's a real gas to watch, and if you don't believe me here are some FSL highlights in gif form:

Now you can play those some modes yourself, because both hay bale stacking and arena modes are available in Farming Simulator 22 for free. Up to six players can compete, with three per team. Just like the pros, the PvP modes have a pick-and-ban phase, powerups that can be grabbed during the match, and bonuses for delivering grain to a silo or loading your bales into the upper window of the barn rather than the door at ground level.

So if you've ever watched a FSL tournament and dreamed of speeding around in those virtual tractors and harvesters as a crowed cheered for you, you can give it a try at home. (Note: You will have to supply the sound of a cheering crowd yourself.) 

If esports aren't your thing, there's still plenty of excitement to be found in Farming Simulator 22, like that time I spent $1.3 million dollars to farm enough ingredients to make a single cake.

Christopher Livingston
Senior Editor

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.

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