Although Stardew Valley may seem like it's a simple farming game, there's actually a lot to do and a ton of little secrets hidden in this game. While farming is only a small piece of what you can do, it's still definitely an important part of the game.
When starting a new file, you'll have a few options for what type of farm you want to be living on after leaving the big city for a simpler life. There's a brief description of each farm, but it's definitely not enough to really tell you about the pros and cons of each farm map. To help you make your choice, we've ranked them on their general qualities. However, in the grand scheme, it's not really that important which one you choose, and they end up being mostly aesthetic in the long run, so choose whichever one you like!
Updated on July 20, 2023: Whether you're playing through Stardew Valley for the hundredth time or it's your very first time enjoying this gem of a farming game, choosing your farm type at the beginning is a big decision, so you'll want to know the pros and cons of each farm and which is the best farm type overall. So, we've updated this ranking once again to make that decision as clear and easy for you as possible.
7 Hilltop Farm - Overrated
| What Defines This Farm? | Related Skill(s) | Tillable Tiles | Fishing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini-Quarry | Mining | 1,648 | 50% Odds | Player catches forest river fish. |
| 50% Odds | Player catches trash. | |||
The Hilltop Farm is one that has some fascinating quirks. This farm's most notable feature is the fact that it has several areas that are actually raised above the rest of it. There are slight steps up to these raised plateaus in multiple places and there's a single river running throughout the entire farm. One of these plateaus will spawn rocks and ore as you level up through the Mining skill.
Even though having all that ore right there on the farm may be really appealing and seem pretty handy, it's not all that helpful in the long run. The rocks and ore that spawn on that plateau aren't all that fast to spawn and, by the time you're seeing anything like gold or iridium, you've likely already encountered it in the mines and have plenty of it. Using that space for crops, coops, or barns may be a better option, but this layout is still pretty limiting.
6 Wilderness Farm - Sounds Cool But Doesn't Deliver
| What Defines This Farm? | Related Skill(s) | Tillable Tiles | Fishing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monsters Spawn At Night | Combat | 2,131 | 35% Odds | Player catches lake fish. |
| 65% Odds | Player catches trash. | |||
The Wilderness Farm is a unique farm layout for two reasons. The main thing that sets this farm apart from the others is that, after the sun goes down, monsters will start to spawn on it. This is helpful if you want to try to level up your Combat skill or increase your numbers for the Adventurer's Guild.
Unfortunately, the lake in the middle of the farm and the large cliff to the side tend to limit the space that you have to work with. Plus, having monsters to deal with at night can limit the amount of peaceful time that you have on your farm and take up time that could be spent elsewhere.
5 Forest Farm - Easy Foraging But Not Much Room For Crops
| What Defines This Farm? | Related Skill(s) | Tillable Tiles | Fishing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvesting Hardwood And Seasonal Items | Foraging | 1,413 | 35% Odds | Player catches lake fish. |
| 65% Odds | Player catches trash. | |||
| 5% Odds | Player catches Woodskip. | |||
If you love to forage and harvest things out in the wilderness, the Forest Farm map is definitely a solid choice. This farm will spawn hardwood stumps and has a chance for different foraging items to be found in the clearing on the left side of the map.
| Season | 25% Chance Of Spawning... |
|---|---|
| Spring | Dandelion |
| Leek | |
| Morel | |
| Wild Horseradish | |
| Summer | Common Mushroom |
| Grape | |
| Spice Berry | |
| Sweet Pea | |
| Fall | Chanterelle |
| Common Mushroom | |
| Purple Mushroom | |
| Red Mushroom | |
| Winter | None |
It has the lowest number of tillable tiles any farm type, but there are also 1,490 tiles on which farm buildings can be constructed, which is worth considering. Despite its positive points, if you care more about keeping crops than having animals, going fishing, and making Artisan Goods, the Forest Farm map can be slightly limiting. The large areas of grass can't be planted on, and the hardwood stumps can just be in the way if you haven't upgraded your axe yet.
4 Riverland Farm - Underrated
| What Defines This Farm? | Related Skill(s) | Tillable Tiles | Fishing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Made Up Of A Series Of Islands | Fishing | 1,578 | 70% Odds | Player catches town river fish. |
| 30% Odds | Player catches forest river fish. | |||
The Riverland Farm is one map that many Stardew Valley players tend to overlook when they're choosing their map. The idea of the entire farm being so broken up by rivers may seem like it's not something that's appealing, but if you enjoy fishing, it can be helpful. Despite the broken-up land, there are still 1,578 tillable tiles on this map where crops can be planted and a generous amount of space for animals, equipment, and silos.
Although this map may be really versatile, its large number of rivers is not for everyone. If you only want fish to finish the Community Center or prefer to fish in other locations, this map may not be the right choice. Time is limited in Stardew Valley and having to run all over those bridges to the different areas can seriously take up a lot of it.
3 Beach Farm - For The Pros
| What Defines This Farm? | Related Skill(s) | Tillable Tiles | Fishing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mostly Made Of Sand, Where You Can't Use Sprinklers | Foraging & Fishing | 2,700 | 15% Odds | Player catches Seaweed. |
| 5.1% Odds | Player catches Oyster, Coral, Mussel, or Cockle. | |||
| 52.73% Odds | Player catches ocean fish. | |||
| 27.17% Odds | Player catches trash. | |||
If you want an extra challenge, this is it. This farm layout was added in the 1.5 update and is not for the beginner or those who want an easy ride. Focused on an oceanic and tropical vibe, the Beach Farm is mostly sand and grassy areas, with a long coastline and irregular shape. Crops can be grown but — and this is where the challenging part really comes in — sprinklers will not work.
This means that you'll need to manually water most of your crops unless you use the space for something else. The large open areas allow for a lot of buildings and room for animals to graze, though. Additionally, supply crates will wash up on the beach with helpful items, which is a feature unique to this farm map. However, of all the Stardew Valley farm maps, this one is definitely the hardest to work with, so be sure that you're ready if you choose it.
2 Standard Farm - Back To The Basics
| What Defines This Farm? | Related Skill(s) | Tillable Tiles | Fishing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Most Available Space | Farming | 3,427 | 100% Odds | Player catches trash. |
The Standard Farm is basically the 'default' map in Stardew Valley. This map has no real quirks or anything to make it stand out from the other farms, but it does have a whopping 3,472 tillable tiles. It's more or less just a large, solid area of farmland for you to do whatever you want with.
This map has no special characteristics, which may seem boring to some, but to others, that makes this a really simple map to play with. It means that you're not limited with where you place anything and your farm's layout is totally up to you. But, if you're looking for a challenge, the lack of unique features on the Standard Farm map may not be the best choice. The Standard Map is a good one to start out with when you're new, but it's also a great one for someone who likes clean lines and a nice, blank square with which to work.
1 Four Corners - Great for Multiplayer/A Bit of Everything
| What Defines This Farm? | Related Skill(s) | Tillable Tiles | Fishing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divided Into Four Quadrants By Hills & Each Quadrant Has Its Own Niche | Farming & Mining & Fishing & Foraging | 2,952 | 50% Odds | Player catches forest pond fish. |
| 50% Odds | Player catches trash. | |||
The Four Corners map is another post-launch map layout that was added in Stardew Valley's 1.4 update. This layout is, as the name would suggest, divided up into four different sections, each of which has a large, open area. These areas are connected by pathways that can be cleared with upgraded tools and a crossroad in the center, where the Greenhouse can also be found.
While this layout is definitely ideal for multiplayer because it gives each player their own area, it's also excellent if you just want to organize your farm without having to think about where things go. The four areas can easily be divided up into sections: one for your crops, one for your animals, and so on.
Plus, there's a little bit of each of the other Stardew Valley farm types in each corner: one corner has a quarry where ore spawns, one has a pond for fishing, one has a grassy spot with some stumps and weeds that drop mixed seeds, and one has a large space for farming.