Farm Manager 2018

Farm Manager 2018 is a PC farm-management simulation that combines seasonal agriculture, staff scheduling, livestock care, machinery purchasing, production chains, and market decisions. The game is still listed under its original name on Steam, with no verified rebrand or replacement edition for the 2018 release. It is a single-player strategy game from Cleversan Games and PlayWay S.A. with a strong focus on running the business side of a working farm.

Build a farm around timing and logistics

Farm Manager 2018 uses an isometric strategic perspective for planning, while additional camera modes let you view the farm through the eyes of an employee. The main loop is straightforward but interconnected: prepare land, plant crops, maintain fields, hire workers, buy equipment, harvest at the right moment, and sell or process the results before quality and value fall.

Seasons and weather give the calendar real weight. Drought can force you to manage watering, while the timing of planting and harvesting determines whether your workforce and machinery are available when they are needed most. Greenhouses provide an earlier route to market for selected crops, making infrastructure and scheduling as important as the initial planting decision.

This is not a first-person tractor simulator. You direct the operation from above, assign work, and decide how the farm should grow. Players searching for a management-heavy alternative to hands-on agricultural games may prefer the planning emphasis found in farm simulations focused on workers, livestock, machinery, and operational control.

Crops, livestock, and production chains

The base game supports more than 20 crop types, including field crops, orchard produce, and vegetables. Each harvest has a defined expiration period, so harvesting is only half the job. You must also decide where to store products, when to sell them, and whether processing them will create a better return.

Crop quality depends on preparation and care. Land must be made ready before seedlings are planted, and neglected plants can become diseased, lose quality, or die. The result is a farming loop built around prevention and timing rather than simply placing fields and waiting for money to arrive.

Livestock expands the operation beyond crop farming. Sheep, cows, and goats create additional management demands and can supply milk for cheese and butter production. Farms can also move toward meat production, while processing buildings support products such as juice and frozen food. These chains make expansion more meaningful because new buildings can change how you earn from an existing harvest.

Employees and machinery decisions

Staff are a central part of the simulation. You can hire regular workers for ongoing duties or bring in seasonal employees when harvest pressure rises. Good scheduling reduces idle labor costs, but understaffing can leave crops waiting in the field while their usable window disappears.

The machinery market offers nearly 40 agricultural machines, including new and used equipment. Used machines are cheaper but can break down more often, particularly when operated by inexperienced employees. A garage is required to provide sufficient parking space, so equipment ownership also creates a building and capital-planning decision.

Farm Manager 2018 is most interesting when these systems collide. Buying a machine too early can strain the budget, but delaying it may leave you dependent on slower manual work. Hiring a large workforce can protect a harvest, yet permanent staff may be wasteful outside the busiest periods.

Three ways to play

Campaign mode introduces the main mechanics through a sequence of farm-development objectives. It works as the clearest entry point for new players because goals provide structure while gradually exposing cultivation, livestock, buildings, staff, and production.

Scenario mode presents more focused challenges with defined objectives. These situations are useful when you want a specific management test rather than an open-ended farm, such as expanding a particular facility or reaching a production target.

Free mode removes most of that guidance and gives you the tools to shape the farm according to your own priorities. It suits players who enjoy setting their own economic goals, experimenting with layouts, and balancing production chains without campaign prompts.

Brewing & Winemaking DLC

The commercial structure is simple: the base game is a paid single-player title, and Steam lists one gameplay expansion, Farm Manager 2018 - Brewing & Winemaking DLC, alongside a separate soundtrack item. The expansion is not a cosmetic pack; it adds a new production direction built around vines, barley, hops, malts, beer, wine, and cellar aging.

The add-on introduces 13 new plants, including six vine varieties, barley, and six hop species. It also adds a vine-harvesting machine, new scenarios, production buildings, malt facilities, and recipe customization. Players can create different beer and wine mixes, develop products step by step, and apply their own bottle labels.

That expansion changes the farm from a raw agricultural supplier into a more specialized food-and-drink business. It is most relevant for players who enjoy extending a management game through processing, product differentiation, and longer production chains.

Who should play Farm Manager 2018?

Farm Manager 2018 is a good fit for PC players who want staff management, crop scheduling, livestock production, farm construction, and economic planning in one interface. It favors people who enjoy checking several connected systems at once rather than focusing on direct vehicle control.

It is less suitable if your priority is realistic tractor handling, a large licensed-equipment catalogue, or cooperative farming. The game is fundamentally about directing the business from a strategic view, not personally performing every field task.

The strongest audience is therefore management and strategy players who like gradual expansion, seasonal pressure, and the satisfaction of turning raw crops into higher-value goods. The campaign offers structure, while Free mode provides the clearest sandbox for long-term experimentation.

PC features, controls, and language support

The Steam edition includes Steam Workshop, Steam Cloud, Steam Achievements, Steam Trading Cards, and Family Sharing. Workshop support allows players to browse and share modifications, including user-created additions related to plants, machinery, and farm buildings.

SteamDB records partial controller support, so keyboard and mouse remain the safest assumption for menus, staff assignments, production management, and detailed farm planning. The game is listed as a Steam single-player release; there is no verified co-op, split-screen, or competitive multiplayer mode.

Interface and subtitle support covers 14 languages: English, Polish, French, German, Spanish from Spain, Russian, Turkish, Portuguese from Portugal, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Ukrainian, and Hungarian. Full audio is not listed for these languages, so localization is primarily text-based.

Farm Manager 2018 FAQ

Is Farm Manager 2018 still the official PC name?

Yes. The current Steam listing continues to use Farm Manager 2018. No verified rebrand, definitive edition, or renamed storefront edition was found for this specific game.

Does Farm Manager 2018 have multiplayer or co-op?

No. The verified storefront feature list identifies the game as single-player. Co-op, split-screen, and online competitive modes are not listed.

What is included in the Brewing & Winemaking DLC?

The expansion adds 13 plants, vine-focused harvesting, beer and wine production, malt facilities, cellar aging, new buildings, product recipes, labels, and additional scenarios.

How does the gameplay differ from Farming Simulator?

Farm Manager 2018 concentrates on strategic farm administration: assigning employees, buying machinery, planning seasonal work, processing goods, and controlling costs. It does not center on personally driving tractors through every agricultural task.

Does the game support mods?

Yes. The Steam version includes Steam Workshop support, allowing players to discover and share compatible modifications.

What gameplay mode should new players choose?

Campaign mode is the clearest starting point because its objectives introduce the management systems progressively. Scenario mode is better for focused challenges, while Free mode is designed for unguided farm planning.