From its first installment in 2008, the Farming Simulator series has remained a staple for fans of simulation games. It has achieved this by emphasizing characteristics of the genre that many developers take for granted, but which are on the minds of many who play the games (farming sims being deceptively addictive, as newcomers often discover).

RELATED: Things You Need To Know Before Playing Farming Simulator 19

Farming Simulator allows the player to be in full control of creating a complex, efficient and varied farm. Despite annual additions to the series, Farming Simulator 19 remains among the best games of the bunch. Thanks to a sizeable and active modding community, Farming Simulator 19 remains fresh, with constant mods that help expand on the many appealing aspects of Farming Simulator as a series. There are thousands of practical, beautiful, or even hilarious mods available, each of which seeks to embellish the base game in its own specific way.

10 GPS: The Best Efficiency-Boosting Mod

Screenshot of a tractor and the menu options available via the Farming Simulator 19 GPS Mod

The Guidance Steering mod, created by Wopster, is the premium mod for those who seek to automate the farming process as much as possible. It seeks to save you energy, effort, and time by allowing you to create customs paths for your farm vehicles to follow, and then promptly sends them down that path automatically without any further user input. Just set the starting point and the end point, and let the mod take care of the rest.

If you purchased this excellent farming sim for the driving mechanics, this one might not be for you. As far as practicality is concerned, however, there are few mods better than this.

9 Government Subsidy: The Best Money-Making Mod

A sign available with the Farming Simulator 19 Government Subsidy Mod which grants the player a sum of money every in-game hour

First, The Sims gave us the iconic and invaluable 'Motherlode' cheat to generate money with a one-word command.

Now, thanks to Realismus Modding, there's the Government Subsidy mod; perfect for players who want their dream farm and want it now, without the hassle of jumping through the standard revenue-generating hoops. Included in this mod is a sign that will generate income (or a 'government subsidy') every in-game hour if placed on your farm. A mod that some purists within the Farming Simulator community might frown upon, but an undeniable game-changer for the people that wish to jump straight into the good stuff.

8 Happy Animals: The Best Animal-Pleasing Mod

Farming Simulator 19 Feeding Cows Straw Happy Animals Mod

Practical and animal lover approved? The Happy Animals mod from StratoViking for Farming Simulator 19 might just be a near-perfect mod. Rather than Best In Show, Happy Animals deserves a time saving award of some sort for all of the monotonous chores it spares the player from spending time on.

RELATED: Farming Simulator 19: How To Get Water

On a daily basis, this mod will do everything in the power it was programmed with to automate the animal-owning process as much as possible. Food and water will be replenished for the animals regularly, spilled grain and food will be cleaned up and returned to the food troughs, and, as the name suggests, it will generally keep your animals happy.

7 Farming Ball Stadium: The Best Tractor Soccer Mod

The nighttime map in action for Farming Simulator 19 Farming Ball Stadium Mod

If you've ever wanted to experience the thrill of Rocket League right from within Farming Simulator 19 itself, Farming Ball Stadium is the perfect niche mod for you. A map crafted in the style of Rocket League by SimulagriModding, with a hand-crafted soccer field lit up by neon lights, Farming Ball Stadium allows up to four players to control their own tractor and, well, play soccer.

Not a traditionally beneficial mod by any stretch, but perfect for those who may have become bored with the standard Farming Simulator grind.

6 Lifting Heavy Things: The Best Time-Saving And Physics-Defying Mod

A player lifting a typically immoveable object with the Farming Simulator 19 Lifting Heavy Things Mod

Many of the top-rated, most downloaded mods throughout the Farming Simulator community can be boiled down to one overarching theme: the ability to save time. The Lifting Heavy Things mod from Thomas/DBLModding is among the finest time-saving tools available. This mod's effects are simple yet invaluable: it allows you to lift heavy things.

With the addition of this mod, players can lift and move items such as seeds, hay bales, and fertilizer without the otherwise mandatory use of a forklift. Playing without it might better give you a sense of realism, but the time saved not having to retrieve cumbersome and slow-moving equipment to move certain objects will be a worthwhile trade-off for most.

5 Marwell Manor Farm: The Best Map Mod

Farming Simulator 19 screenshot Marwell Manor farm map mod

The Marwell Manor Farm map available for Farming Simulator 19 is, as a healthy handful of map mods are, based on a real-life location: Hampshire, England, in this case. The modded map made by Oxygendavid is just about as stunning as the real deal.

RELATED: Farming Simulator 19: Which Map Is The Best?

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, right in the heart of the English countryside, this mod is perfect for those who want the ideal starting point for a picturesque farming experience. Not to mention those who daydream about going completely off the grid in a quaint part of the world. This map mod includes additional features as well, primarily focusing on the practicality and presentation of grass.

4 Big Bud 747: The Best Humongous Tractor Mod

The Big Bud 747 tractor for Farming Simulator 19 mod

Big Bud 747 is among the most downloaded and highest-rated mods available on Farming Simulator 19's very own ModHub. This mod falls into the category of large tractors, which, in this instance, really puts the emphasis on large.

Big Bud 747, like many of the best Farming Simulator 19 mods, is based on a real-life tractor by the same name. It replicates its large, almost intimidating presence to near perfection. Often referred to as one of the biggest tractor models on the planet, the Big Bud 747 mod from GIANTS Software carries with it a similar appeal of unrivaled size.

3 Placeable Tree Pack: The Best Tree-Placing Mod

A plot of user-placed trees via the Farming Simulator 19 Placeable Trees Pack

One of the ultimate 'farm beautification' mods on the market for Farming Simulator 19, without a doubt. The Placeable Tree Pack from DtP Mario is among the highest-rated and most downloaded mods available for download on the Farming Simulator mod page.

Management games and sims aren't known for their visuals (though some genre entries look fantastic), but this mod is for those seeking aesthetic brilliance just as much as productivity and functionality within their farms. The Placeable Trees pack comes equipped with a variety of tree species not included in the base game, and they can all be placed anywhere that makes sense in order to 'Spruce' up the way your farm looks.

2 John Deere 9RT Series: The Best Presumably-John-Deere-Approved Mod

Farming Simulator 19 John Deere 9RT Mod farm on a horse with a tractor next to it

John Deere branded products are quintessential to the farming experience in the eyes of many. Perhaps the greatest of all the John Deere mods available for Farming Simulator 19 players is the John Deere 9RT Series tractor. This mod was crafted with care as a collaborative effort of talented modders RafaZr, Paint-a-Farm Modding, Custom Modding and SB Farms.

It offers multiple configurations for different sizes of belts and tracks, and optional US/EU configuration. Plus, the mod is as aesthetically pleasing as they come, with the tractor available in the signature John Deere green and so well-realized it almost looks like the real thing.

1 Seasons: The Best Reality-Inspired And Gameplay-Varying Mod

Farming Simulator 19 Minibrunn mod seasons landscape screenshot

The classic. The go-to. The most widely celebrated mod of the wide range of popular fan-made updates to Farming Simulator 19. It's the Seasons mod, which adds multiple layers to the overall gameplay experience.

On just the surface level, this masterpiece from Realismus Modding is one of the best mods you will find for adding aesthetic variety to the game. Adding the revolving door of Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer seasons to the game provides more than a simple coat of paint, however. Rather, Seasons introduces a surprisingly complex level of realism to the gameplay.

Crops will grow at different rates depending on whether or not they are in season. The prices of the crops will fluctuate along with the changing temperatures, with tools added alongside these realistic gameplay changes. This allows you more scheduling control to plan which crops you grow and when. Fans of both aesthetic-based and realism-based mods will find something to delight over with the Seasons mod.

NEXT: Best Multiplayer Farm Games