GamingPickz
Game vs game · side by side

Farming Simulator 22 vs Universe Sandbox

Farming Simulator 22 is an open-world sandbox game from GIANTS Software (2021) while Universe Sandbox is an open-world sandbox game from Giant Army (2015).

Quick answer: Farming Simulator 22 and Universe Sandbox are too close, or too thinly reviewed, to separate on the numbers; the table below shows what each holds.

Farming Simulator 22

2021 · GIANTS Software

8.2GamingPickz Score

$19.99

Steam: Very Positive

Universe Sandbox

2015 · Giant Army

8.2GamingPickz Score

$20.09

Steam: Overwhelmingly Positive

What each one is

Farming Simulator 22 is filed under Open-World and Sandbox. In contrast, Universe Sandbox under Open-World and Sandbox.

Farming Simulator 22

Create your farm and let the good times grow! Harvest crops, tend to animals, manage productions, and take on seasonal challenges.

Description from its Steam store page

Universe Sandbox

Create & destroy on an unimaginable scale with a realistic physics-based space simulator. Explore the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Use science to bend the laws of gravity, collide planets, boil away oceans, fire epic space lasers, and customize your universe.

Description from its Steam store page

Story, characters and reception

Farming Simulator 22
Reception

Reception of the Farming Simulator series has been mixed across all titles, with critics praising its sense of relaxation and array of realistic machinery and vehicles. Some have criticised the games for their repetition and lack of interesting mechanics, while others argue such qualities should be expected in a simulator. Though the series targets the audience that are knowledgeable in the farming industry, the series is generally liked by both farmers… (Wikipedia)

Universe Sandbox
Reception

Reception Both games have received near-universal acclaim. Duncan Geere of PC Gamer gave it an 84/100 and spoke positively of the game, " Universe Sandbox is not going to change your life. It is not going to make you cry, and it won't sit in the top of your most-played list in Steam for weeks. (Wikipedia)

At a glance

Farming Simulator 22Universe Sandbox
GamingPickz Score8.2/108.2/10
Steam ratingVery Positive (93%, 92,640)Overwhelmingly Positive (96%, 32,082)
Critic aggregateNo aggregate83/100
Price$19.99$20.09
Install size35 GB4 GB
Steam Deckplayableplayable
Released20212015
DeveloperGIANTS SoftwareGiant Army

Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.

Farming Simulator 22 vs Universe Sandbox, point by point

Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.

  1. Genre and premise

    Farming Simulator 22Open-world sandbox game
    Universe SandboxOpen-world sandbox game

    What each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.

  2. How it plays

    Farming Simulator 22Simulation, Farming Sim, Co-op
    Universe SandboxSandbox, Space, Simulation

    The tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.

  3. Reception

    Farming Simulator 22Score 8.2 · 93% on Steam
    Universe SandboxScore 8.2 · 96% on Steam · 83 critic

    The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.

  4. Content and scale

    Farming Simulator 2292,640 reviews · 23 add-ons · 35 GB
    Universe Sandbox32,082 reviews · 4 GB

    Reach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.

  5. Price

    Farming Simulator 22$19.99
    Universe Sandbox$20.09

    Read live from Steam and subject to change.

  6. On a Steam Deck

    Farming Simulator 22Playable
    Universe SandboxPlayable

    Valve's own Deck compatibility rating.

Farming Simulator 22 takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.

The two on the grid

Compare the whole catalogue

Farming Simulator 22 and Universe Sandbox on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.

2 games have both

01000100PlayersPopularity

Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.

Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.

  • PC

Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.

See the whole grid

How positions are decided

No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
  • Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
  • Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
  • No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
  • A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
  • Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.

Which to pick, by what you want

  • The cheaper right now: Farming Simulator 22 ($19.99)
  • Lighter on storage: Universe Sandbox (4 GB)
  • The safer bet by weight of reviews: Farming Simulator 22 (92,640 reviews)

What they have in common

Both are tagged by Steam players with:

SimulationSandboxOpen WorldFamily Friendly

Where they differ

Farming Simulator 22 is also

Farming SimCo-opMultiplayerAgricultureModdableManagement

Universe Sandbox is also

SpacePhysicsScienceDestructionRealisticGod Game

Tags players apply to one game and not the other.

Difficulty and who each is for

By the tags players apply, Farming Simulator 22 is family-friendly and approachable. Universe Sandbox is relaxed, easy to pick up.

System requirements, side by side

Farming Simulator 22Universe Sandbox
Minimum GPUGeForce GTX 660
Minimum CPUIntel Core i5-3330
Minimum RAM8 GB
Install size35 GB4 GB

Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Farming Simulator 22 · Universe Sandbox.

Accessibility features

Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Farming Simulator 22 and 6 for Universe Sandbox. A declaration is a floor, not a review.

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Common questions

How different are Farming Simulator 22 and Universe Sandbox in scope?

Farming Simulator 22 has drawn 92,640 Steam reviews, ships 23 add-ons and installs in 35 GB. Universe Sandbox has drawn 32,082 Steam reviews and installs in 4 GB.

Is Farming Simulator 22 or Universe Sandbox better?

By the GamingPickz Score, Farming Simulator 22 rates higher (8.2 to 8.2). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.

Which is cheaper, Farming Simulator 22 or Universe Sandbox?

Farming Simulator 22 is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $20.09. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.

Should I get Farming Simulator 22 or Universe Sandbox?

Farming Simulator 22 and Universe Sandbox are too close, or too thinly reviewed, to separate on the numbers; the table below shows what each holds. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.

Do you rank one above the other for a fee?

No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.

How we compare, and what we will not do

The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.

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