8. Harvest Moon: Magical Melody (GCN)

Almost 20 years after its release, Harvest Moon: Magical Melody truly captures the essence of a fantastic Harvest Moon game. It manages to replicate the feel of the classics while making some considerable gameplay improvements, and even though there are lots of new mechanics, it doesn't take too long to slip into that familiar rhythm of farming and friendship.

You'll need to put in the work in order to get the results, but Magical Melody is just that — magical. A great farming sim and Harvest Moon game. Oh, and you can have multiple horses, too.

7. Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life (GCN)

Another Wonderful Life goes hand-in-hand with A Wonderful Life, really. The two games are essentially the same, just the former lets you play as a girl. And for an entry that many people grew up with, Another Wonderful Life has nostalgia and charm in spades.

But the slow movement and dialogue certainly show the game's age. Sadly, this was never released in Europe, but if you want to experience AWL as a girl, then the remake should keep you satisfied.

6. Harvest Moon: Animal Parade (Wii)

Animal Parade no longer restricts your farming to a... farm, and this first original Wii entry in the series adds tons of new features that make this one a favourite among many. This was the last game to be produced by series creator Yasuhiro Wada, and you can feel the love and quality put into this title. Raising circus animals like lions, elephants, and giraffes is just the start as you attempt to restore the five elements to your home islands.

Zipping around the island is easier than ever when you can ride on the back of your animal friends, too. Packed full of events, crops, animals, and locations, Animal Parade is an all-around great Harvest Moon game.

5. Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life (GCN)

For many people, A Wonderful Life was probably their jumping-off point in the Harvest Moon franchise. Though many aspects haven't aged all that well in the 20 years since its launch (which makes the Switch remake such an attractive prospect), there's no denying that this GameCube title oozes charm from beginning to end.

It boasts wonderful music and a quiet, calming atmosphere that many other games in the franchise haven't been able to replicate. The ending is a bit of a downer though, we won't lie.

4. Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town (GBA)

What's better than some friends? More friends, of course! Silly title aside, Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town may be very quaint by modern standards but it has the same charm as its predecessor with just a bit of icing added on the cake. Those who have already played the original Friends of Mineral Town wouldn't be missing much by passing on this version, although this one does enable you to play as a female and take on a new set of potential mates.

For those who have yet to play or own either title, however, More Friends of Mineral Town has the edge with more suitors and the ability to increase funds quicker by flogging them to travelling merchant Won. When all's been tilled and it's time to bring the chickens home to roost, it's hard to go wrong with either of the classic Harvest Moon experiences — this one just has a tad more.

Actually, maybe it was a good title after all.

3. Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns (3DS)

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is a relaxing yet surprisingly deep farm game. Though it takes some time to pick up speed right out of the gate, once it establishes a rhythm, it's hard to put down. An in-game day passes by so quickly in real-time, you'll find yourself going for just one more day, and this naturally makes the game a good fit for quick bursts of play on the go.

When you take a look at all the content on offer (three distinct towns, dozens of unique NPCs, multiplayer options, and more than enough farming chores for one day), you have a game that offers an incredible amount of bang for your buck. For the 20th anniversary of Harvest Moon, fans couldn't have asked for a better gift, even if legal matters meant that it wasn't — officially — part of the celebrations.

2. Harvest Moon 64 (N64)

As with most entries in this farm sim series, let its gentle cycle of farm work and soil-based simulation seep into you and Harvest Moon 64 has the potential to suck hours and days from your life.

It's hardly a technical tour-de-force, but tending livestock, sewing seeds, harvesting your crops and striking up a relationship doesn't require massive hardware horsepower, and the series' 64-bit entry is as engrossing as any.

1. Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town (GBA)

Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town might be available on Switch (carrying the Story of Seasons branding in the West nowadays), but the GBA version is still a good pick-up for cultivating types who enjoy that core Harvest Moon portable gameplay with 16-bit style visuals.

Additional fun and secrets outside land-working are present, but the game isn't overwhelmed with the twists or gimmicks we've seen introduced in more recent entries to 'keep things fresh'.

This remains a great jumping in point for anyone new to the series — it's undeniably lacking in some areas by modern standards, but it's still got charm to spare.

That's every Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons game ranked by you. Has the cream of the crop risen to the top? Or is there a wonky game that you just love and think deserves to be higher? Have your say in the comments, and don't forget, you can score the games out of ten if you haven't already.

Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons FAQs

You might know your chickens from your ducks, but do you know your moons from your seasons? No? We have the most common farming questions and answers for you below. Though, don't ask us about real-life farming...

So, what's the difference between Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons?

Admittedly, not much, but there's a pretty crucial story behind the reason there are now two series with similar premises on modern Nintendo consoles.

Essentially, there was a "schism" back in 2014 when Marvelous, the developer of the Bokujō Monogatari games, parted ways with publisher Natsume, which causes a bit of a headache. Nastume's response was to make its own Harvest Moon series, while Marvelous rebranded in the west to Story of Seasons.

Essentially, Story of Seasons is classic Bokujō Monogatari, while modern Harvest Moon is now.

What's the latest Story of Seasons / Harvest Moon game?

On the Story of Seasons side, the newest release is Grand Bazaar, which is available on Switch 1 and Switch 2. It's pretty fantastic, too.

With Harvest Moon, the Switch just got a rerelease of both The Lost Valley and Skytree Village, which you can grab separately or as a bundle.

How many remakes are there?

Three older older Harvest Moon games have received remakes in recent years, now under the Story of Seasons moniker in the west. All of these are available on Switch (and Switch 2 thanks to backwards compatibility or upgrade packs) too.

Here's all three remakes currently available, along with which game they're a remake of:

Where's Rune Factory?

Rune Factory may have originally started life as a Harvest Moon spin-off, but at this point, it's very much its own thing. So we opted to give those games their own list!

The series is more action RPG heavy and involves more character building, RPG mechanics, and fantasy elements, so if you're hankering for a little more than just farming, that may well be the series for you:

How can I change the ranking in this article?

As easily as you can milk a cow. Well, maybe even easier. The above list is actually ranked by each game's User Rating in our database, meaning you can actually influence the order even as you read this.

So, all you need to do is click on the star next to the game you want to rate and then give it a score. Alternatively, look for your favourite Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons game below and then rate them.