phpFarm

One farm. One deploy. No backup.

You write PHP. A robot runs it. The skill tree unlocks the language itself.

Play now on Steam Join the Discord

Out now in Early Access · Windows and macOS

ready
index.php 
<?php
while (1) {
    if (can_harvest()) {
        harvest();
        plant('grass');
    }
    move('north');
}

Valid phpFarm code. Fred runs it on the field.

Who you are

You are not a farmer. You are a PHP script running on a forgotten shared host, automating a farm. The last developer is gone. There is no staging, no backup, no ticket system. There is index.php, and there is you.

farm-code.jpg
The farm with a code window open
The farm with a code window open.

What sets it apart

  • The skill tree unlocks the language.

    At the start you can call harvest() and nothing else. while has to be earned — and by the time you get it, you know exactly what you want it for.

  • Errors that teach.

    Every message names the line and the column, explains the problem in one sentence and suggests a fix. No unexpected T_VARIABLE.

  • Real PHP, not a lookalike.

    Sigils, semicolons, type juggling. '5 melons' + 3 is 8 in here too — and yes, you will debug that.

  • A path, not an empty sandbox.

    Twenty missions from the first harvest() on a single tile to a farm that runs itself. Every concept on the smallest field where it is needed.

What to expect in Early Access

  • Missions or a free farm.

    Learn step by step in 20 missions with 22 optional warm-ups, or start straight on your own farm.

  • Fred’s logbook.

    Fred keeps track of what your code did and notes where time was lost.

  • Orders.

    Customers order crops, you deliver them with the van.

  • Day and night.

    A calm day cycle with lanterns and fireflies. Purely visual, can be turned off.

  • Eleven languages.

    The interface in eleven languages, the code stays PHP.

  • Mouse, trackpad or keyboard.

    Every gesture and shortcut is listed in the settings.

Windows and macOS · 11 languages

German, English, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Greek, Russian, Simplified Chinese

Supporter Accessory Pack. Hats, accessories and color schemes for Fred. For everyone who wants to support development. Not needed to play. View on Steam

Trailer

running
Early Access Trailer

Screenshots

Click an image to see it full size.

  • skilltree.jpg
    The skill tree, with unlocked and still locked language features
    The skill tree.
  • missions.jpg
    The mission list with the current mission open
    The mission list.
  • reference.jpg
    The code editor next to the built-in command reference
    The editor and the built-in reference.
  • aborted
    error.jpg
    An error message naming the line and suggesting a fix
    An error that names the line.
  • running
    output.jpg
    A script running, with its output in a separate window
    A script running, with its output.

Roadmap

roadmap.md

Everything here is planned, not promised.

  1. Early Access since October 15, 202601live

    20 missions and 22 warm-ups · a skill tree with 33 skills in four branches plus late-game upgrades · seven crops, three pests · your own farm growing from 8 × 8 to 24 × 24 · medals, an order board and 45 Steam achievements · eleven languages · Windows and macOS

  2. During Early Access02

    sharpening the learning path and the missions with player feedback · balancing · an estimated six months at most, not a commitment

  3. Towards the full version03

    classes and objects · Fibers, and with them more than one robot working the field at the same time · irrigation and a power budget for the robot · more crops, and the missions that teach them · leaderboards · feedback may change the order

Further out we plan to keep adding pieces of PHP and to build on them — a labyrinth first, then sensor logic for Fred, then a fertiliser system.