Farthest Frontier

Farthest Frontier stands as one of the most authentic and rewarding city builders in years. Despite some dated UI and performance hiccups, its depth and realism make it a must-play for fans of the genre.

85%Game Brain Score

gameplay, graphics

optimization, grinding

87% User Score Based on 15,212 reviews

Critic Score 83%Based on 5 reviews

Platforms

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About

Farthest Frontier is a single player survival city builder game with economy, medieval and historical themes. It was developed by Crate Entertainment and was released on October 23, 2025. It received positive reviews from both critics and players.

Protect and guide your people as you forge a town from untamed wilderness at the edge of the known world. Harvest raw materials, hunt, fish and farm to sustain your advancing town. Produce craft items for villagers to trade, consume, equip and fight with as you battle for your survival against the elements and outside threats.

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 15,212 reviews

gameplay684 positive mentions

optimization298 negative mentions

gameplay
2,140 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
62%
6%
The gameplay of "Farthest Frontier" is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics and frustrating elements, particularly in its reliance on AI and micromanagement. Players appreciate the depth of farming and resource management systems, such as crop rotation and market dynamics, but many find the game can become repetitive and lacks clear objectives as it progresses. While the graphics and immersive atmosphere are praised, issues like performance problems, confusing mechanics, and a lack of polish in certain areas detract from the overall experience, leading to mixed feelings about its replayability and long-term enjoyment.
- “Gameplay is not incredibly groundbreaking, but it gives a really nice level of control over your production chains, farms, market trading, and defense.”
- “It’s a beautifully crafted game that offers deep, engaging, and rewarding gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is engaging without being tedious, and the upgrade system is a nice addition that has been fleshed out more than in other similar games.”
- “Since the game is heavily reliant on AI for most of the gameplay, there's some portions of the AI that are kind of infuriating to deal with.”
- “Lack of any goal/point to the gameplay.”
- “The gameplay loop ends in like 2 hours when you figure out the basics and proceed with repeating the same stuff all over again.”
graphics
1,714 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
35%
2%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beauty and detail, with many reviewers highlighting the stunning visuals, seasonal changes, and intricate animations that enhance the immersive experience. However, some players have noted performance issues, particularly in late-game scenarios where frame rates drop significantly, even on high-end systems. Overall, while the graphics are considered a strong point, there are calls for better optimization to fully enjoy the visual splendor without technical hindrances.
- “I love the graphics, the effects such as weather and constantly changing harvesting grounds to go with it.”
- “The graphics are stunning, with beautifully rendered buildings and landscapes.”
- “Farthest Frontier draws players into its visually stunning and intricately designed world, offering a glimpse into a promising early access game focused on deep economic systems and visually striking graphics.”
- “This is probably the biggest issue: even on my high-end rig during the later game phases I get barely 20-25 fps on low graphic settings.”
- “Graphics definitely do not justify how much it tasks your hardware; even the best of systems are struggling if you check the forums and other reviews.”
- “The graphics get in the way so much you're trying to build with grid and constantly mess up or waste time rotating and trying to figure out what you can and can't build and how much, etc.”
optimization
1,210 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
65%
25%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly as population sizes increase beyond 200-500 inhabitants. Despite some patches aimed at improving performance, users continue to experience stuttering, frame drops, and crashes, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience. Overall, while the game shows potential, its current state is deemed poorly optimized, especially for larger cities, making it difficult to recommend until further improvements are made.
- “The game is relaxing and fun; however, it desperately needs optimization.”
- “I know the devs are working on performance, so I hope that will help. I have been playing the game for a few weeks now and have seen several updates, including one that just dropped as I'm writing this, so I am very optimistic for when this game leaves early access later this year.”
- “The game does have optimization issues in which the devs are addressing; this is only early access, so the game isn’t finished.”
- “Overall a decent simulation/colony sim but it's exceptionally poorly optimized.”
- “The performance in mid to late game is a large problem.”
- “That being said, what kills it for me is the godawful performance mid- to late-game.”
grinding
816 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players finding the farming mechanics both intricate and tedious. While the depth of the farming system, including crop rotation and soil management, is praised for its realism and engagement, it often leads to excessive micromanagement that can feel overwhelming and detracts from the overall enjoyment. Players frequently express that the game requires significant time investment to manage resources effectively, leading to a sense of frustration rather than fun.
- “City builders are meant to be fun, not tedious.”
- “Game is meant to be fun, not tedious!”
- “There are weird things that happen, such as farmers not farming when they should for no reason, fixed by assigning and then reassigning them.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I finally start farming clay so I can upgrade my town to level 2, but you need 200 clay and they were harvesting it with agonizing slowness - it was going to take years to be able to get enough to upgrade to level 2.”
- “The farming system is explained terribly, the seasons go by too quickly to be impactful, villager behavior in regards to predators is nonsensical, the UI is missing obvious elements like showing idle villagers, flattening terrain is just a bog down mechanic that prevents fun looking hilly towns, the progression system is far too flat and there's no fanfare or depth to unlocks.”
music
486 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
39%
2%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its soothing and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall relaxing experience of city-building. Many players appreciate the beautiful soundtrack, which complements the game's aesthetic and atmosphere, although some note that the limited variety of tracks can lead to repetitiveness. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and appeal.
- “The music is beautiful, the graphics are gorgeous, I usually just play on pacify mode as I enjoy the more chill just building up your city mode.”
- “The tranquil music added to the pleasure of the experience.”
- “The soundtrack is like none I have seen in a game before; it gives a cinematic, heartfelt feeling of leading your village through the hardships of starting over and prospering from the sweat of your own brow.”
- “These may look like nitpicks - but all of them in under an hour, as a new player, made me just close the game and go play Songs of Syx instead for the entire rest of my morning and I must say I had a much better time despite the slower pace.”
- “I agree with another reviewer that the music is kinda meh - no happy tunes, so maybe make a playlist of fun city building music.”
- “The music is basic, nothing extremely notable but nice for when you are playing.”
stability
372 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
1%
89%
The game's stability has been a significant concern among players, with many reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and performance issues, particularly as city populations grow. While some users acknowledge that the game is in early access and expect improvements, others express frustration over persistent freezing, crashes, and poor optimization, making gameplay challenging. Overall, the consensus is that while the game shows potential, it currently suffers from stability issues that detract from the experience.
- “Very stable and bug free for an early access game.”
- “For early access, it feels very stable and bug free, but bad frame rates are common in late game.”
- “The time I have spent with this title so far is both highly enjoyable and almost entirely bug free.”
- “Technical: there was quite a lot of screen tearing, the performance overall seems pretty poorly optimized, and most importantly - every time you click a building, the entire game freezes for half a second.”
- “Game freezes often for about 30 seconds.”
- “I can't even get past the first few 'years' (a year is like 3-5 minutes) before a cascade of bugs and glitches makes the whole thing collapse, everything stops working.”
story
270 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
71%
17%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of narrative depth, structured missions, or a campaign mode, leaving players feeling aimless in a sandbox environment. Many reviewers express a desire for quests or a more guided experience to enhance engagement, as the current gameplay often feels repetitive and devoid of purpose. While some appreciate the potential for personal storytelling within the game, the overwhelming consensus is that a more defined storyline or objectives would significantly improve the overall experience.
- “The slow pace of this game may not be for everyone, but if you immerse yourself into an imaginary story behind your town, it makes the game so enjoyable.”
- “The fiddles and piano totally made you feel immersed in a story about a group of trailblazers trying to break free from the old life and take on a new life carved by themselves.”
- “Overall, this is a great game, it's beautiful, the citizens walk at a good pace, most things make sense, and you are making your own story.”
- “No quests, no reason to continue playing.”
- “This mode lacks structured storylines, missions, or quests, which can be a significant drawback for players who prefer a more guided gaming experience with clear objectives and a narrative to follow.”
- “It doesn't have a campaign or a story - it's truly a sandbox game - so at times it can feel a bit aimless.”
replayability
176 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
56%
10%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the variety offered by random map generation and customizable difficulty settings, which encourage multiple playthroughs. However, some reviewers note that the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth after a few sessions, leading to diminished interest in replaying. Overall, while there is potential for high replay value, particularly with future updates, some players feel it currently falls short in providing a truly varied experience.
- “It also has high replay value, since you can customize the game difficulty and randomly generate new maps for your settlement.”
- “The game has a very high level of replayability and it makes sure each play-through will feel different from the previous.”
- “This alone adds a ton of replayability, as you can always try something a bit different, in a brand new world, along with trying some new build styles.”
- “The geography does inspire any specific layouts which really hurts replayability once you've figured out some optimal layout.”
- “Overall I think it lacks replayability; after 3-4 games you have basically seen it all and there is little difference in your gameplay - I'm not talking about difficulty, you can change that by changing starting resources, map type etc., but the game style is very similar every time nonetheless.”
- “I really wanted to like Farthest Frontier more, but the unnecessary micromanagement, lack of replayability, and numerous bugs dampened my enthusiasm.”
atmosphere
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
25%
4%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, featuring beautiful graphics, soothing music, and vibrant environmental details that transport players to a serene world. Reviewers highlight the cozy, bucolic feel of the settings, enhanced by seasonal changes and ambient sounds, making it a standout in the city-building genre. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's engaging experience, although some players note room for additional content.
- “What captivated me about this game was its immersive atmosphere and vibrant flora.”
- “Its beauty, immersive atmosphere, and ambient sounds transport players to another world, making it a worthwhile journey for those seeking a truly engaging gaming experience.”
- “The art design and graphics are also so gorgeous, they really add to the atmosphere and immersion the game brings.”
- “I'll be honest, since this is in early access, I would love to see either a mod or expansion with a fantasy D&D atmosphere.”
- “Performance optimization is required; since it's early access, it's no big deal at this point. No major issues I encounter yet, just a few small bugs and hiccups. Other than that, even though they are totally different genres, Farthest Frontier's atmosphere accomplishes what Age of Empires 2 achieved back in the day.”
- “I don't know why this is compared to Banished so much; Farthest Frontier nails the most important aspect of city building - atmosphere.”
humor
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
95%
5%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding joy in both intentional jokes and unintentional glitches, such as floating characters and absurd animal behavior. The developers are noted for their comedic approach and community engagement, contributing to a lighthearted atmosphere despite some gameplay frustrations. Overall, the game balances amusing quirks with darker themes, creating a unique comedic experience that resonates with players.
- “Even the early quirks mostly just made me laugh instead of frustrating me. For example, my entire army left unexpectedly because money was in the wrong 'building.' It cracked me up trying to figure it out on my own.”
- “I encountered some bugs during gameplay, but there was a silly one where a wounded woman was floating while carrying herself to the healer. I found that so funny I couldn't help but laugh.”
- “Enjoy building up your village and fending off raider attacks, until the game sends a raid that's 1/3 the size of your total population. Your little town guard has no chance against the raider swarm, and they casually cause as much collateral damage as possible without even pillaging.”
- “The constant disasters and negative events are overwhelming; it's not funny anymore, it's truly tormenting.”
- “The frequency of negative events is so high that it stops being humorous and just becomes a source of frustration.”
monetization
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
31%
63%
The monetization aspect of the game is primarily characterized by the presence of microtransactions and in-game purchases, which some players view as a potential cash grab. However, many users appreciate the developer's commitment to quality, noting the absence of aggressive monetization tactics and high-quality DLC. Despite some technical issues and frustrations with gameplay, the overall sentiment leans towards a positive reception of the game's value proposition.
- “Anything Crate Entertainment produces is blessed by the hands of their talented development team that listens to the community, produces only high-quality DLC, and has an absence of microtransactions.”
- “I keep having to re-roll the maps I get because they just suck for resource layout, and it takes forever to load. It even asks me if I'd like to close the program when it hangs up trying to load. I have a brand new computer that runs faster than 95% of others according to benchmarks, but this game feels like a delayed cash grab right now.”
- “Ideal city builder for people who are enticed by those fake ads for things like Rise of Kingdoms.”
- “This company seems like they really want to make a great game and not just a cash grab.”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to their settlements, feeling fulfilled by the process of building and leading their medieval worlds. The unique soundtrack enhances this experience, evoking a cinematic and heartfelt atmosphere, although some note a lack of narrative depth during raids that diminishes emotional involvement. Overall, the game fosters a sense of investment and care for the player's community, despite calls for more content and quality of life improvements.
- “The soundtrack is like none I have seen in a game before; it gives a cinematic, heartfelt feeling of leading your village through the hardships of starting over and prospering from the sweat of your own brow. Despite playing like a madman for several days, I am yet to feel it is getting worn out.”
- “I found I was actually getting emotionally invested in my settlement and cared about what was happening.”
- “Needs more content and a few quality of life changes, but otherwise made me feel fulfilled building my medieval world.”