Stardew Valley Best Farms - Which is Best?

Stardew Valley opening screen


It’s a guide you’ve seen time and time again, I know. But this time, dear reader, I’m hoping to get the ranking as perfect as possible. I’ll admit that there will always be someone with another opinion (and that I’d be lying if I said I didn’t let my own opinions influence this list) but this list isn’t about politics. It’s about playability, practicality, and, ultimately, the best Stardew farm for both brown and green-thumbed players. 

Here we count down the best Stardew Valley farm layouts, their features, pros and cons, and the perfect players for each of them (because, at the end of the day, it’s Stardew Valley - it’s always fun.)

Note: I will refer to tillable/buildable tiles throughout this list in reference to the standard map, which has 3427 tillable tiles and 235 buildable but non-tillable tiles.

 

 7. Hilltop Farm

Okay, the idea of living in the hills of the rural countryside on a farm is enchanting, yes, but the hilltop farm is far from a fairytale. Whilst I have seen some very aesthetically pleasing builds on this map, they’ve always been from people who know what they’re doing, and who know how to utilize the pokey holes around this map and the limited spaces of tillable land (half that of the standard map).

Key skill: Mining

  • Tillable tiles: 1648
  • Buildable but non-tillable tiles: 930
  • Special Features: small quarry, a stream running through the map.
  • Fishing stats: 50% forest river fish, 50% trash.

Pros:

  • Quarry allows more immediate access to mined materials
  • Easier access to forest river fish (50% spawn rate)

Cons:

  • Decreased farming area
  • The quarry takes up valuable space and is effectively useless once you reach lower levels of the mine/unlock the skull cavern
  • 50% trash fishing rate and 0% chance of catching fish from any other regions
  • The layout is heavily sectioned

Pick this farm if…

You have a specific aesthetic vision for your farm. Sure, it might take a lot longer to get there than if you had a farm with easier resource access, but if you manage to make it work, the hilltop farm can turn out to be a treat! 

 

 6. Wilderness Farm

Only sadists pick the wilderness farm.

Okay, that might be a bit over the top, but I struggle to see the appeal in this farm layout. It’s basically like someone mish-mashed Minecraft into Stardew Valley, hoping it would work - and while the idea sounds good conceptually, it fails in its execution. 

Key skill: Combat

Tillable tiles: 2131

Buildable but non-tillable tiles: 444

Special Features: monsters spawn at night, large ponds.

Fishing stats: 35% lake fish, 65% trash.

Pros:

Spawns more wilderness golems in the late-game stage

Almost double the buildable tiles than the standard map

Monsters spawn at night - useful for gathering certain materials that can be hard to access without mine access

Cons:

Around half the tillable tiles of the standard map

Monsters spawn at night - in the later game, this can make getting home a pain, especially when trying to take shortcuts from other parts of the map

65% of the time fishing produces trash (the most out of any map)

Pick this farm if…

You want a challenge with optimization! For all the wilderness pitfalls, it’s basically hardcore mode SDV. Challenge yourself to use the little space you’ve been given and the limits on your time (both in need to leave the farm, such as to fish, and in avoiding hostile NPCs at night). 

 

 5. Riverland Farm 

Take this from someone who loves Stardew Valley’s fishing system: no one likes fishing this much. Although the Riverland farm is cute, it’s also impractical and doesn’t do anyone any favours when it comes to trying to create a cohesive farming layout, especially if you’re trying to farm animals.

Key skill: Fishing

Tillable tiles: 1578

Buildable but non-tillable tiles: 516

Special Features: the majority of the farm is water.

Fishing stats: 70% town river fish, 30% forest fish.

Pros:

The unique layout is very aesthetically pleasing

0% trash rate

Cons:

No access to sea or lake fish, despite fishing being the map’s main selling point

Very difficult to structure farming logically with very little building space

Pick this farm if…

You’re obsessed with fishing and willing to sacrifice practicality for the fisherman’s life. Whilst the map can be challenging to navigate and manage, it is one of the prettiest and most unique options in the game.

 

 4. Beach Farm

For all its sunny vibes, it took me a while to warm up to this map, even as an experienced Stardew Valley player. But, even though I didn’t take to the luscious (although somewhat geologically improbable) sands of this farm immediately, it has quickly become one of my favourites, especially to play with friends.

Key skills: Foraging & Fishing

Tillable tiles: 2700, with only 202 where sprinklers can be placed.

Buildable but non-tillable tiles: 1928

Special Features: supply crates wash up on shore, forest and beach foragables spawn, sprinklers don’t work in sandy soil.

Fishing stats: 15% seaweed, 5.1% beach foragables, 52.73% ocean fish, 27.12% trash.

Pros: 

Forest and beach foragables spawn

Supply crates randomly wash up on shore with items inside them

Third highest tillable spaces in a map

Pretty and unique design

Easy access to beach fish and foragables, unlike other maps

Cons:

Sprinklers don’t work in sandy areas, which is especially inconvenient in the late game

Sandy look may not be for everyone

Pick this farm if…

You’ve been playing Stardew Valley for a while and want to try something new. This farm layout is pretty different from any of the others offered in the game, and its this that makes it a breath of fresh air for players who have multiple runs down in the game. 

 

 3. Four Corners Farm

Yes, Stardew Valley gives you comprehensive options for making friends with the interactive NPCs in the game, something it’s quite well-known for. However, on the off chance those social skills also translate into real life, the four-corners farm is perfect for players wanting to play co-op with friends!

Key skill: Multiplayer

Tillable tiles: 2952

Buildable but non-tillable tiles: N/A

Special Features: four distinct corners with specialised features, a small quarry, and a small pond.

Fishing stats: 50% forest pond fish, 50% trash.,

Pros:

Map with the most variability, including a small quarry, a pond (50% forest fish spawn), and plenty of farm space.

Great for multiplayer mode

Cons:

Can feel cut off and inconvenient to manage based on its structure

Pick this farm if…

You’re playing multiplayer, or you like to organize your areas. Whilst four corners lends itself to turf wars between you and your friends (I speak from experience), it is perfect for creating multiplayer co-op farms where resource management can become a lot more easily allocated based on the farm layout. Whilst I wouldn’t personally play on this map alone, it can also be good for those who want to organize their farm efficiently.

 

 2. Forest Farm

The forest farm is underrated and under-used. Although it has a smaller number of tillable tiles compared to the rest of the maps offered by the game, it makes up for this with a perfect balance between buildable and tillable tiles. It’s an open map, but with its ponds and forests, it’s certainly not boring or featureless. 

Key skill: Foraging

Tillable tiles: 1413

Buildable but non-tillable tiles: 1490

Special Features: border made up of trees (like the Secret Woods), bushes (including berry bushes), clearing with renewable hardwood stumps, forage items appear seasonally.

Fishing stats: 5% (0.05 + Daily Luck, to be more exact) woodskip,

Pros:

Renewable tree stumps for hardwood harvesting

Foragables spawn in forest clearing

5% chance to catch a Woodskip

Berry bushes available

One of the largest buildable areas of any map

Cons:

One of the smallest number of tillable tiles 

50% trash rate during fishing

Pick this farm if…

You want the organisational abilities of the four corners farm, more convenience in finding foragables, and the chance to balance all aspects of your farm without feeling like you’re wasting tillable tiles.

 

 1. Standard Farm

See? I told you it wouldn’t be controversial. 

No, but really, the standard farm has to be the best all-around map in the game - there’s a reason it’s the original map, and why it was the only one available for so long. I, like many others, spent hours in Stardew Valley developing my farms on this map, and when I think of the game, I think of this farm. Ultimately, it is the map I go back to time and time again to experiment with, or even just to play with when I’m bored. Whilst the other maps can be fun, the novelty can wear off pretty quickly. And, most importantly, the standard farm works for everyone, whether it’s your first playthrough or your fiftieth. 

Key skill: Farming

Tillable tiles: 3427

Buildable but non-tillable tiles: 235

Pros:

A big, open space for you to use as you please

Cons:

No discernable or challenging features

Pick this farm if…

You’re a new player, or if you want a creative challenge. What the standard farm lacks in unique features, it more than makes up for in unlimited potential.

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Equipped with potion bottles of coffee and a notebook that's seen better days, Henry can often be found making friends with local animals (when he's not taming them in-game...)
Gamer Since: 2007
Favorite Genre: RPG
Top 3 Favorite Games:Undertale, Portal 2, The Walking Dead


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