Relaxing gardening simulator The Garden Path is the breath of fresh air I've been in desperate need of

GamesSimRelaxing gardening simulator The Garden Path is the breath of fresh air I’ve been in desperate need ofWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: carrotcake)

The Garden Path

On its surfaceThe Garden Pathis a very sweet gardening simulator. Rather than a farming sim time sink that takes you hours to get stuck into, it’s designed to be played in short bursts. As someone who feels a little burnt out with slice-of-life simulators at the moment, I really appreciate that. Between foraging, fishing, and gardening, there’s a surprising amount of depth to The Garden Path. Pair that with its stunning visuals and it’s a hard game not to fall in love with from the get-go. But once you start to delve deeper, it quickly becomes a valuable lesson in slowing down and recognising the importance of patience.

Whenever I was at a loss for what to do, I headed to these characters for some guidance. Each interaction gave me a new quest to complete, but they’re never too tough. Your pals give you tasks like investigating a statue or playing a game of conkers, which means The Garden Path is in no way a difficult game to complete. Different characters appear in the garden each day, which is another incentive to keep checking in.

But despite the changing seasons and the drive to unlock new characters, there are no time challenges. You’re just expected to do what you can. Because of this, I found it much easier to relax into the game and find my own groove, rather than feeling obliged to follow a routine. Some days I wanted to spend more time exploring the map to find new foragable items, while others I wanted to spend more time working on my garden. Being able to take things at my own pace slowed down the process and helped me appreciate the gorgeous environmental design and soundscape instead.

To help the experience, The Garden Path is absolutely stunning. The gardens are designed in a way that looks hand-crafted. Brush strokes can be seen in tree leaves, and characters look like watercolour craft paper. It has an impressive amount of details for a game with such a simple premise, but this detail makes it even easier to sink into. A lot of the time, The Garden Path gave me the feeling of being wrapped in a warm blanket on a rainy evening, which is exactly what I want when playing something so relaxing.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

As a person who is constantly working at a thousand miles an hour and struggling to ever find time to stop and smell the roses, The Garden Path is a necessary practice of patience. It forces my hand to slow down regardless of how hard I’ve tried to make things go quicker at times. It really is the dictionary definition of a peaceful game, and for once I think I’ll listen to its lessons and take things one step at a time rather than getting overwhelmed at the bigger picture.

More about simThe Factorio ‘God Factory’ was one of this year’s greatest gaming feats: ‘Most players will never find themselves hitting the limits of the game. We are.‘Rule the talking movie industry in tycoon game Hollywood AnimalLatestToday’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11See more latest►

More about sim

The Factorio ‘God Factory’ was one of this year’s greatest gaming feats: ‘Most players will never find themselves hitting the limits of the game. We are.‘Rule the talking movie industry in tycoon game Hollywood Animal

Factorio base screenshot with photo of Oppenheimer actor Cillian Murphy in front

The Factorio ‘God Factory’ was one of this year’s greatest gaming feats: ‘Most players will never find themselves hitting the limits of the game. We are.’

Screenshot of a movie-making compound from game Hollywood Animal

Rule the talking movie industry in tycoon game Hollywood Animal

LatestToday’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11See more latest►

Latest

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

Wordle answers

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

See more latest►

Most Popular

The Witcher 3’s now 2-year-old bonus quest is our first taste of the ‘vibe’ CD Projekt is going for in The Witcher 4

2024 was the year updates for old games beat out all the new ones for me

Train like you game with this adventure-inspired workout

‘It’s simply impossible to make a difficulty level that’s just right for all players’: How Final Fantasy 14’s lead battle designer has been playing a precarious balancing game for Dawntrail’s dungeons and raids

Please join me in getting super excited for all the cool looking survival games coming in 2025 (and beyond)

Competitive shooters are at a crucial crossroads in 2025: ‘sweaty’ teamplay vs. casual fun

Call of Duty’s $28 Squid Game skins are the perfect crossover for our capitalist dystopia, and Activision knows exactly what it’s doing

These are the 14 biggest upcoming RPGs of 2025—get ready for another amazing year for the genre

Five new Steam games you probably missed (January 6, 2025)

I’ve seen enough: No more forcing singleplayer studios to make mediocre live service games

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals