GIANTS Software, the developer of agricultural simulation game Farming Simulator, has announced the newest competitive season for the game’s competitive esports circuit Farming Simulator League.

The fifth season will be the first played on the latest edition of the game, Farming Simulator 22, with a €200,000 (~£174,000) prize pool and a slate of changes.

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Season 5 of Farming Simulator League (FSL) will feature chemical distribution company HELM AG as a new headline sponsor.

GIANTS Software also announced that Farming Simulator’s competitive mode is coming to consoles, and that there will be a new game mode added called Arena.

The Farming Simulator League is the official competitive league played in the Farming Simulator games. The League is now entering its fifth season, and has seen steady growth since its inception as a game mode for agricultural fairs. The League sees traditional esports teams, such as MyInsanity, compete against teams sponsored by agricultural machinery manufacturers.

The fifth season of the league will see notable changes. The most important is the change of the game itself — all previous editions of the League were played in Farming Simulator 19, but from now on the league will take place in the latest edition, Farming Simulator 22. GIANTS Software additionally added the new gamemode, Arena, as an improvement over the game’s previous esports mode.

Furthermore, the FSL and the FS esports mode will arrive on consoles this year, allowing console players to participate in esports competitions for the first time. All players will be able to enter competitive farming via a dedicated “esports” segment in the main menu. GIANTS did not share details about whether console-specific tournaments will be taking place in the future.

A new headline sponsor for the League was also announced. HELM AG, an agricultural brand from Germany, will act as the main sponsor for the fifth season. The brand will support the tournament throughout 2023.

Christian Ammann, CEO of GIANTS Software, said: “We are happy to announce the integration of console players to our esports league. This marks another milestone in the history of our successful endeavours to make virtual farming not only competitive and fun, but professional and inspiring.”