Farming Simulator 22 Starter Guide: Maps, Career Mode, Crops, and Animals

Farming Simulator 22 gives players a detailed farming sandbox without the sunburn, machinery loans, and suspiciously early mornings of real agriculture. That realism is also why the first few hours can feel busy. Between machines, seasons, crop prices, animals, and menus, there is plenty to learn before your farm starts running smoothly.

This beginner guide covers the main systems new players should understand before building their first serious farm.

Getting Started in Farming Simulator 22

Farming Simulator 22 lets you adjust many settings to fit the pace you want. One in-game day can equal one real-world day, but the day and night cycle can be changed from the menu. If the default pace feels slow or too fast, tune it before your schedule becomes a tractor-shaped problem.

Career Mode Difficulty

Career Mode is the single-player mode in Farming Simulator 22. When starting a save, you choose one of three difficulty presets:

• New Farmer: The easiest start. You already own land and equipment, the economy is forgiving, and gameplay systems are set to easy.
• Farm Manager: A balanced start. You begin with strong funds but no land. The economy is stable, grain prices are fair, and gameplay settings are standard.
• Start from Scratch: The hardest start. Prices are low, the economy is rough, and you begin with bank credit already weighing on the farm.

New players should usually begin with New Farmer. It gives you room to learn harvesting, selling, and equipment handling before the money pressure arrives. Players who already know the series can choose Start from Scratch if they want the full financial headache.

Choosing a Map

The base game includes three maps, each with a different layout and level of challenge.

Elm Creek

Elm Creek is the classic Farming Simulator 22 starting map. It is set in the US, includes a small town, and has large areas of mostly flat land. That makes it the most beginner-friendly option, especially when placing buildings and structures.

Haut-Beyleron

Haut-Beyleron is set in Southern France. It has a warmer climate and more hills than Elm Creek, but it is still manageable for newer players. Grapes and olives fit the setting well, and the smaller landscape keeps travel times reasonable.

Erlengrat

Erlengrat is located in the Swiss Alps and suits experienced players better. It has steep terrain, fewer ready-made farm essentials, and more of a blank-canvas feel. It is a strong choice if you want to build a farm from scratch, but it is not the easiest place to learn the basics.

Note: Choosing Erlengrat does not start the tutorial.

More maps can be added through DLC such as the Platinum Expansion, or through mods.

Reading the HUD

The HUD gives you useful information without digging through menus.

Standard HUD

• Available controls
• Mini-map
• Weather, month, time, and money

Vehicle HUD

• Speed
• Fuel
• Gear
• Vehicle condition

Crop Status HUD

• Field information

Learning these displays early helps you avoid simple mistakes, like planting at the wrong time or driving a nearly broken machine until it complains with smoke.

Harvesting Basics

Although farming usually starts with planting, the tutorial teaches harvesting first. Walk to the harvester and press E by default to enter it. Attach the header with Q. If the header is not lined up in front of the harvester, drive to it first.

Once attached, these controls matter most:

• Switch tool selection: G
• Unfold or fold selected tool: X
• Turn selected tool on or off: B

Press X to unfold the harvester, then lower the header with V. Press B to turn the header on, then drive through the crop. The machine gathers the harvest while leaving processed grain or residue behind.

You can deal with leftovers later by buying a baler and using it with a tractor. For now, focus on clearing the field or filling the harvester.

Press H to hire an AI worker for jobs such as harvesting. AI workers are useful, but they can make mistakes, so check their progress before trusting them with the entire farm budget.

Cultivating After Harvest

After harvesting a field, you usually need to cultivate it before planting again. Enter a tractor, attach the rear cultivator and front weight, then drive across the field to prepare the soil.

You can do this manually or press H to hire AI help. Hiring workers costs money, but it frees you to handle other jobs around the farm.

Sowing Seeds

After cultivation, attach a sower to the rear of a tractor. If you are still in the tutorial, the sower should already contain seeds. Outside the tutorial, you need to refill it first.

Common ways to get seed into a sower include:

• Buy seed bags from the shop and move them to the farm with a forklift.
• Rent or use a truck, forklift, or trailer to transport seed bags and other supplies.

Once the sower is ready, unfold it, lower it, and drive over the cultivated land. Make sure the correct seed type is selected with Y by default. Planting the wrong crop in the wrong month wastes money and time.

For example, in August, Canola Seed is the only valid planting option. Use the Crop Calendar before sowing so your field does not become an expensive patch of regret.

Unloading Crops

When the harvester is full or finished, attach a trailer to a tractor. Open or remove the trailer cover, then drive beside the harvester on its left side. If positioned correctly, the harvester pipe connects to the trailer and unloads the crop.

Selling the Harvest

Farming Simulator 22 does not automatically sell crops for you. Open the map, find a trader, and drive the loaded trailer there.

On Elm Creek, one merchant is located at the building below the number 1 marker on the map.

Park the trailer on the unloading area and deliver the harvest. Payment is added immediately after unloading. Use the Prices tab to compare traders and seasonal price changes. If prices are poor, storing crops in a silo until a better month can improve your return.

Using the Crop Calendar

Press Escape by default to open the menu. The Crop Calendar shows when each crop can be planted and harvested. Check it often, especially while learning seasons. It prevents planting mistakes and helps you plan what each field should do next.

Buying, Selling, and Leasing Equipment

Some merchants sell seeds, tools, vehicles, and other supplies. You can visit these locations in person or open the shop from anywhere by pressing P by default. The same menu also lets you buy land and expand your farm.

Leasing vehicles and attachments can reduce early expenses. If you buy an attachment, you need to collect it manually from the shop by connecting it to a tractor and driving it home.

Animal Care Basics

Animals add another income path beyond crops. Each animal type needs the correct housing. Chickens need coops or pastures, while cows need barns or pastures.

For cows, build a barn from the P menu, buy animals through the same system, then feed them correctly. Cows can eat grass, hay, or total mixed ration. Over time, animals produce goods such as milk, slurry, and manure that can be sold or used.

If you want to farm with friends, a HolyHosting Farming Simulator 22 dedicated server can keep the world available while everyone works their corner of the land.

Before expanding, learn one field cycle from start to finish: harvest, cultivate, sow, fertilize, unload, and sell. That loop teaches most of the early game faster than buying extra land immediately.