8 Wilderness Farm

Fighting and Farming in Equal Measure

We begin with the Farm that has never appealed to me at all, the Wilderness Farm. This farm has some slight changes in terms of design when compared to the Standard Farm, with a lake in the bottom left corner of the map. For all intents and purposes, though, it's pretty much a Standard Farm. But, the only difference, and the factor that ultimately brings this farm down, is the fact that enemies will regularly spawn on your property, making this farm into a weak imitation of Minecraft's survival mode.

This would be great if you wanted to raise your combat stats early, but even if that's your goal, you only receive a third of the XP for each kill. Some people may like the jeopardy this brings, but honestly, I think it's more of a persistent annoyance rather than a cool mechanic. You may occasionally get a decent drop from the enemies, but this ain't enough to stop this farm being listed as our worst option.

7 River Farm

Time To Put That Fishing Rod To Good Use

In terms of the overall aesthetic, I like the look of the River Farm. It's a gorgeous, aqua-filled space, but due to the body of water that dominates the space, it limits what the player can do with this farm. You see, there is barely any space to farm crops; there's just about enough room for one Barn and one Coop at max. Which means you only have one choice: to lean into fish farming.

If this is your favorite pastime in the game, then this might suit you, but from a purely profit-based point of view, fish just aren't where the money is at. It's one of the most limiting farms in the game and makes the playthrough feel like it's being played on hard mode. If you want a challenge, or want to roleplay as a fish farmer, then this can be fun. But when all is said and done, it's just not as profitable and fun to farm as the other options.

6 Hilltop Farm

Take Your Farm To Another Level

Next up, we have the Hilltop Farm, which I kind of have the same issue with as the River Farm. It's a gorgeous layout and has fun gimmicks, but ultimately it limits the player as much as it helps. The upside is that you get an area where you can mine for minerals, stone, coal and more right from day one without going to the mines. Plus, there's a stream running through the middle of the farm, which is great for fishing.

But because of these areas, there's significantly less tillable soil. The river only has a 50% chance of giving you a fish, and because of the mountainous terrain and raised platforms, there are few places where you can place buildings. Due to having slightly more space, it just ranks above the River Farm, but even with this added space, it's still a farm I would not recommend to new players.

5 Forest Farm

Create A Farm The Junimos Will Love

If you're a player who has played the Standard Farm and is looking for a change of scenery, then I would personally suggest the Forest Farm, as it's the least limiting of the wildly different farm types. And speaking of wild, due to the Secret Woods aesthetic of this farm, this farm has the potential to look like a magical place where pixies and mythical creatures would happily roam. Provided you are willing to put in the hard graft.

This farm does have less tillable soil than some options due to the ponds and grassland dotted around the map. The trade-off, however, is the ability to forage rare early-game items easily, get a daily allowance of Hardwood that replenishes on the farm and you'll also be able to fish for Woodskip too. Heck, even the weeds are useful on this farm as they are guaranteed to drop Mixed Seeds. It's the most beginner-friendly standard Farm alternative, so if you fancy a change, try this one on for size.

4 Beach Farm

The Best Place To Top-Up Your Farmer's Tan

When the Beach Farm was added to the game in the 1.5 update, I was so excited to hop in and give it a go, because it sounded like a farm that had a lot going for it. You have the ocean at your front door, allowing you to fish for Sea Fish without heading to The Beach. You also have the ability to forage for Coral, Clam, Sea Urchin and more. Plus, you'll often see Supply Crates wash up on shore with some goodies from a distant land.

It sounds too good to be true, and it is, because there is a catch. There's lots of tillable soil on the farm, but sprinklers don't work on the sandy areas of the map, meaning you can only water them manually, limiting your ability to automate crop growth. This can be circumvented by leaning into livestock, tree farming or fish ponds, but ultimately you will struggle in the early to mid-game without sprinklers there to free up your time and energy for other pursuits. That being said, it's still a fun and challenging farm for veteran players and one you should try at least once.

3 Standard Farm

Ol' Reliable

You can chop and change things all you want, but sometimes, the original is the best choice. The standard Farm is the ideal farm for beginners, essentially offering a blank canvas for you to make any type of farm you like. You have tonnes of space with lots of tillable soil, allowing you to farm lots of crops, give plenty of space to your livestock and you'll have plenty of space left over for Fish Ponds, Slime Hutches or whatever you think is best.

The obvious downside to the Standard Farm is that it's pretty 'No thrills.' You don't get any gimmicks like mining space, rivers, forest land or enemies running around the place. But this relaxed and free-form farm type is hard to beat. I've played every farm type in the game, but I have used this one most often simply because you can shape it in your own image with no compromises. So, if you, too, are someone who doesn't compromise when it comes to making a farm pretty, this is the way to go.

2 Four Corners Farm

A Little Bit Of Everything

Our runner-up is the Four Corners Farm, a farm that is primarily designed for multiplayer sessions, but is equally fun to use in solo experiences too. The Four Corners Farm is, surprise, surprise, made up of four unique corners, which essentially offer four mini-farm types. You get a small fishing area mimicking the River Farm, a Forest Area akin to the Forest Farm, and a mining area giving you the core gimmick of the Hilltop Farm.

A slight downside to this one is the cliffs that separate the four corners, limiting the overall space on the farm. It's a small price to pay for access to all these unique gimmicks and resources from your first day on the farm, though. It's essentially a Standard Farm with welcome added extras. Plus, if you do choose to play multiplayer, this splits the farm up equally, allowing each of you to lean into a particular profession. It's a wonderful design that's well worth trying alone or with friends.

1 Meadowlands Farm

The New Kid On The Block

Then, in our top spot, we have the newest farm added to the game, the Meadowlands Farm. You might think by this point Eric Barone would have run out of ideas for cool and unique farms, but you, my naive little farmer, would be wrong. This farm is a great beginner farm that gives you a bit of a headstart. Instead of your traditional 15x Parsnipat the beginning of the run, you'll get Hay and begin with a Coop and two chicks without needing to build or pay for any livestock.

But that's not all, as this farm allows you to grow Chewy Blue Grass, a grass variant that usually isn't available until late in the game via Ginger Island. This grass feeds animals twice as efficiently, can be harvested for double the Hay and also doubles your relationship between animals. Honestly, the only downside is that you don't get to name your little chicks yourself, but if that's the only downside I can level at this farm, then that goes to show that this farm is something special and our pick for Stardew's finest farm type.