Release date: 2026
Version played: PC (via Steam) in 2026
Developed by the team of Zac Marvin and Edward DePew, Lawn Care Simulator is a job simulator game published by Moonlighter Games. Players control a nameless gardener who is tasked with cleaning up various locations across the town of Trimsdale and beyond. Six unique tools become available and can be upgraded to allow for faster or easier lawn care, such as a trash picker, hedge trimmer and the old faithful lawnmower, allowing you to continually expand your business.
+ most importantly, the lawn care work is satisfying and varied. You’ll have to not just mow the lawns (including some very large fields), but clear up clippings, pick up trash, spray weeds, edge the grass borders and trim the bushes. It’s busy work, sure, but it’s consistently different enough across each level that it never turns into a slog
+ there is indeed a story to this game, more than other ‘simulator’-style games. Comparable to Powerwash Simulator, levels escalate in scope from small, empty block lawns to entire golf fields and beyond. I really loved the progression and the fact that it always kept things fresh. A small handful of the levels specifically made me ‘woah’ at their grandeur
+ there are no time limits. There is a grading system, but as long as you compete the checklist it won’t matter if you finish in five minutes or five hours — not that any level should take you more than, say, an hour at maximum. Some levels have bonus objectives not related to the lawn and garden specifically
– I had a few visual glitches, such as grass not appearing cut, but counting toward my total progress. It was annoying, but hardly a game breaker. On the newly released Quick Play levels, things such as the bush growths to be chopped do not align with the actual bush
> it was difficult to get screenshots which showed the gameplay, as we all know what mowing a lawn is like. Things like picking up trash and cutting the hedges were best visible when using the ‘highlight’ button, which did not make for good screenshots
Should you play this game: I bought this as a stopover before Lawn Mowing Simulator 2, coming next week, and I had an absolute blast. Maybe my expectations were low, or this game over-achieved (or a combination of both), but I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of my 30 or so hours playing.
