Ranch Simulator
- November 3, 2023
- Toxic Dog
- 14h median play time
"Ranch Simulator" is an open-world game with support for 2-4 players in co-op or PvP multiplayer modes. The goal is to restore your family's struggling ranch, which includes rebuilding and renovating buildings, purchasing and caring for livestock, and managing resources. Despite outstanding graphics and humor, the game is poorly optimized and can be very grinding, with plenty of bugs.
Reviews
- grinding557 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of "Ranch Simulator" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that the game can be excessively grindy, particularly in the early stages where progress feels slow and tedious. While some enjoy the repetitive tasks associated with farming, hunting, and building, others find the lack of meaningful rewards and the clunky mechanics detract from the overall experience. Overall, players who appreciate grind-heavy gameplay may find enjoyment, but those seeking a more balanced and polished farming simulation might be disappointed.
“Not too grindy either.”
“The feeding/watering mechanic is straightforward and not tedious.”
“No farming or mining or crafting.”
“Too much grinding for very little payout.”
“The grinding the game asks you to do isn't hard, but it isn't rewarding on any level.”
“It's just pointless, tedious repetition with no purpose and no end.”
- gameplay426 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the driving mechanics as clunky and frustrating, often leading to a lack of immersion. While some enjoy the slow-paced, open-world simulation aspects and find the building mechanics engaging, others feel the gameplay is repetitive and plagued by bugs, resulting in a grind-heavy experience with minimal payoff. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant improvements in mechanics and content to enhance the player experience.
“There’s still room for improvement with some of the game’s mechanics, but overall, it’s a great game for anyone who enjoys slow-paced, open-world simulations.”
“Diverse gameplay: the combination of farming, animal husbandry, and hunting creates a rich experience.”
“The atmosphere is immersive, enhanced by day-night cycles and dynamic weather patterns that affect gameplay and add to the sense of realism.”
“Every action you take is either delayed or doesn’t register at all, making gameplay a complete nightmare.”
“The driving mechanics are horrendous, and overall, the game is quite boring.”
“With its poor graphics, clunky mechanics, repetitive gameplay, and a slew of bugs, it falls short of delivering a fulfilling simulation experience.”
- graphics358 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful environments and attention to detail, while others criticize the optimization issues, glitches, and overall lack of polish. Many users report that the graphics can be demanding on hardware, leading to performance problems even on capable systems, and some feel that the visuals do not meet modern standards. Overall, while there are moments of stunning visuals, many players find the graphics inconsistent and in need of significant improvement.
“The open-world environment is beautifully crafted, offering stunning visuals and a varied landscape that invites exploration.”
“The graphics are stunning, and the attention to detail is impressive.”
“The graphics are beautiful and the world is breathtaking!”
“The overall concept is exactly what I have been looking for, but the graphics are so bad that it isn't even enjoyable to play.”
“The graphics are lacking and appear to be a very basic layout from a generic online generator.”
“Absolutely horrible graphics and too many issues; don't release a game that's this bad, honestly.”
- story297 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players noting that there are very few quests available, often limited to basic fetch tasks. While some appreciate the relaxed gameplay without a heavy narrative, the overwhelming sentiment is a desire for more quests, NPC interactions, and a more developed storyline to enhance the overall experience. Overall, players feel that the game is fun but becomes repetitive quickly due to the minimal story content and mission variety.
“You're basically doing your farm 'chores' each day, like milking cows or harvesting crops, then selling your ranch's yield and--in your spare time--doing things like building new barns or fences, or doing quests around the map.”
“The quests have a lot of potential in the future, and to my surprise for an early access game it performed exceedingly well!”
“The missions feel repetitive and uninspired, and the game does little to encourage exploration or creativity.”
“The story, fed to you by notes left behind, still seems to be the original ideas/placeholders for a story that never turned into something interesting and are poorly and obviously translated.”
“There's only 4/5 NPCs, and only a couple have a very limited number of quests for you to complete.”
- stability238 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent and frustrating glitches that disrupt gameplay, including crashes, vehicle handling issues, and AI pathfinding problems. While some players find the bugs amusing and part of the charm, the overall consensus is that the game feels unfinished and often unplayable, especially in multiplayer modes. Despite its potential, the numerous bugs and lack of polish detract from the experience, leading many to recommend waiting for further updates before purchasing.
“The game has been smooth, no glitches so far, the controls are nice and the layout is super too.”
“When I first bought the game, I read a few reviews saying that the game runs poorly, controls are wonky, and the driving mechanics are not very good. This game runs great, has a good control setup, and the driving mechanics are good enough for you to go hunting/selling your products.”
“Otherwise, it's a good, bug-free foundation for what I hope becomes a great game.”
“The game is listed as complete, but it's very buggy and feels very much like early access.”
“There are so many glitches and bugs that I cannot be bothered to list them, but others have thankfully had the patience to do so, so please continue scrolling.”
“This game is a buggy mess and very unfinished even for an early access game, not really a fun experience in my opinion.”
- optimization126 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting severe performance issues, including low frame rates, stuttering, and high GPU usage even on low settings. Many users express frustration over the game's inability to run smoothly on decent hardware, indicating that it feels unfinished and poorly coded. Overall, the consensus is that significant improvements in optimization are necessary for a better gaming experience.
“Honestly, I think it's an awesome game, but the lack of optimization completely overshadows what this game can really do.”
“The game itself and the concept are good, but the performance side is pretty meh.”
“If the optimization problem is solved, it will be a truly perfect game.”
“I will say, this has to be one of the worst optimized games I have played.”
“This game is absolutely broken, there's a myriad of features that it's easy to tell were meant to be there but were never completed, and it still requires a ton of optimization in the graphics department (it's eating 90% of my GPU in the lowest settings).”
“Even after releasing an update claiming to have fixed optimization issues, these problems continue, which is unbelievable.”
- humor96 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from its janky mechanics, hilarious driving physics, and numerous bugs, which often lead to amusing moments, especially in multiplayer settings. Players report that while the game can be frustrating due to its glitches, these same issues contribute to a fun and entertaining experience when shared with friends. Overall, the game's comedic value is enhanced by its chaotic nature, making it a source of laughter despite its shortcomings.
“My wife and I were laughing for the first two hours.”
“The game allows you to team up with your friends and work together to manage a ranch, which can lead to hilarious and memorable moments.”
“This game has repeatedly made me laugh out loud with my friends; I've enjoyed it a lot and I look forward to updates!”
- music42 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding the in-game music and radio stations enjoyable and fitting for a relaxing gameplay experience, while others criticize the lack of variety and poor sound quality. Many users suggest that the game is too quiet overall, with some opting to play their own music to enhance the experience. Overall, the music can be described as either a pleasant addition or a disappointing absence, depending on individual preferences.
“The music is very nice.”
“The visuals, the music, it's all great.”
“I enjoyed the techno music in the radio... good vibes.”
“Even the radio station music makes me want to throw my headset into the wall.”
“The background music and sound effects quickly become grating.”
“Turned up sounds to 100% and the radio still didn't play any music and the ambient sounds are dull to nonexistent.”
- atmosphere19 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive qualities, enhanced by dynamic weather, day-night cycles, and interactive elements that capture the essence of country living. While some players note the absence of ambient sound effects as a drawback, many appreciate the relaxed, welcoming environment fostered by helpful staff and a supportive community. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal despite some technical issues.
“The atmosphere is immersive, enhanced by day-night cycles and dynamic weather patterns that affect gameplay and add to the sense of realism.”
“This sim captures the atmosphere of the country and the never-ending and ever-growing task list of country living perfectly.”
“The atmospherics of the game are awesome: animated grass and trees, realistic clouds, storms and lightning, livestock that is interactive, and the current ability to harvest wood anywhere and build with the logs anywhere.”
“Added a beautiful weather aesthetic to the game which adds to the atmosphere but somehow made the game feel even less realistic.”
“#1 low hanging fruit: the game desperately needs some ambient sound effects like birds, wind, etc. It's not gonna be a simulation in the end, so atmosphere will be paramount.”
“Kills atmosphere a bit.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players find it infinitely replayable due to its engaging gameplay loop and potential for extended playtime, others criticize its limited scope and repetitive tasks, leading to a lack of motivation to replay once the basics are completed. Suggestions for improvement include adding more missions and customization options to enhance the replay experience. Overall, the game's replayability largely depends on personal preferences and the desire for additional content.
“✅ infinitely replayable”
“To surmise: very few to no bugs, fun gameplay loop, replayability is there, multiplayer capable (I haven't tried personally), easy 50+ hours playtime though can definitely be into the hundreds of hours as they continue adding multiple things.”
“🔲 infinitely replayable”
“The devs have taken a number of decisions that feel aimed at addressing the glaring issue with the game: harshly limited scope and replayability, on a game that looked and felt beautiful and full of potential.”
“Hopefully my long response to them on this post as well (as influence from others) help the devs realize that in the century that we live in, mods have huge value and potential, especially for the ridiculously limited scope of this game; it has such a small replay value because once you set up whatever version of a barn that you prefer, all you can do is repeat, over and over, producing the same sausage or the same cheese, or plant the same crop (if you'd rather suffer through their primitive farming instead of playing a proper farming game; they even have a greenhouse that feels equally unmotivating as the outdoors farming).”
“I have completed the basics of the game and I don't feel the need in its current form that it is replayable at all.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be heartwarming and touching, particularly due to the wholesome interactions with characters and the attachment to in-game animals, like an overfed pig. However, technical issues, such as poor driving controls and glitchy NPC behavior, detract from the overall experience, leading some to feel frustrated despite the emotional engagement.
“That was touching.”
“Had to uninstall as I had an emotional attachment to an overfed pig.”
“Waking up every day to tend your fields and livestock has a good 'wholesome' feel to it.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been widely criticized as a cash grab, with players expressing frustration over a lack of content and engagement. Many feel that the developers have not addressed community feedback or bugs, leading to a perception of low effort and execution in the game's design. Overall, the sentiment suggests that the game's monetization strategy prioritizes profit over player experience.
“It feels like a cash grab; there’s just not enough meat on the bones to keep players engaged.”
“To me, Rancher Simulator is feeling more like a cash grab, and the devs are either not listening to the gaming community reporting all these bugs and complaints of lack of content that has been reported in the past month before release from the YouTube streamers they gave keys to, which gave them plenty of time to fix and add content, and the devs did nothing. That's why I feel it's a cash grab and the devs don't care.”
“Well, by having 'ranch' in the name and because Yellowstone is popular, it feels like an instant cash grab for low effort, low execution, and the saddest looking game for UE5.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Character development has been criticized for its misleading design options, as players feel the transition from the high-tech trailer to the actual gameplay is jarring, with characters exhibiting awkward movement animations that detract from immersion.
“The character design options were very misleading; once you start the game, it's as if you're going from high-tech trailer mode into almost a 2D version of gameplay. Your character sort of 'jogs' when walking and sprints like a maniac when running.”
“The character development feels shallow and uninspired, lacking meaningful choices that impact the story or gameplay.”
“I was disappointed by the lack of depth in character progression; it feels like you're just going through the motions without any real growth or change.”
Buy Ranch Simulator
Ranch Simulator (PC) - Steam Gift - JAPAN
$8.63Ranch Simulator (PC) - Steam Gift - NORTH AMERICA
$9.46Ranch Simulator (PC) - Steam Gift - GLOBAL
$10.20Ranch Simulator EU Steam Altergift
$13.95Ranch Simulator (PC) - Steam Key - EUROPE
$14.57Ranch Simulator (PC) - Steam Key - RU/CIS
$17.99Ranch Simulator (PC) - Steam Gift - EUROPE
$23.56Ranch Simulator - Build, Farm, Hunt
€24.99Ranch Simulator