A new farming sim has entered the ring, except you’re a cowboy on a ranch and you have shootouts with bandits and rob trains

Cattle Country, a new addition to the farming sim space, has released on Steam. But to set it apart from what I’d say is a completely oversaturated genre, it strays from your standard routine as a farmer and puts you into the boots of a cowboy. If that’s not enough to convince you to check it out, Arthur Morgan’s voice actor, Roger Clark, narrates the launch trailer. Which, yes, is a selling point.

Of course, you’ll still get to do all the traditional elements of a farming simulator like fishing, mining, crafting, and of course, farming. It wouldn’t be a cozy game without these things, frankly. But you’ll also be able to do things like line dance, participate in rodeos, herd cattle, and rob trains running through the mountains.

Cattle Country also has a real emphasis on the community aspect. The people you’ll meet in the town will play important roles in the story, so it’s best to start befriending them as soon as you settle. There are even 18 romanceable characters for you to meet, or “grab love by the reins” as the launch trailer shares.

You’ll also be able to hunt animals if you so wish, but given how cute some of the creature sprites are, I don’t think I’ve got it in me. I’d much rather admire them from afar and leave them be.

But the feature of Cattle Country that caught my attention? The bandits. Despite the wholesome tag and everyone in the town being pretty friendly to you, you will occasionally have a run-in with the not-so-friendly folk. Rather than just talking it out like you would in Stardew Valley, you will be able to pull your trusty pistol out and permanently evict them from your town.

So while Cattle Country does fall under the farming sim umbrella, there’s a lot more to it than just tilling soil and sowing seeds. Sure, it’s not quite as epic an adventure as Red Dead Redemption; it still has that cozy edge. I just hope none of my townsfolk or my character falls ill later down the line, because I can’t deal with that emotional damage again.