Treeplanter: Plant real trees – Review

I’ve often been called a tree hugger, and for good reason. I was always passionate about recycling and conservation as a child, and I even have a degree and a diploma related to environmental sciences. So, I guess, I embrace the nickname even if it was meant as an insult. But I digress, this isn’t about me, it’s about a game releasing this week called Treeplanter from Henry Driver. An artist, game developer, and sixth-generation farmer, Henry will personally plant a tree for every copy of Treeplanter sold. Partnering with schools, communities, farms, and charities, over 900 trees were planted during the last year of development alone. He has a goal of 8000 trees and millions of wildflowers planted in 2026.

I could leave the review right there, spend less than $4, have a tree planted, but let me tell you a little about this charming game to further convince you.

While Treeplanter may only give you 2-3 hours of gameplay, it has infinite replayability in my opinion. It’s a relaxing, cozy woodland simulation game on Steam where you create vibrant ecosystems by planting a variety of trees, plants, buildings, and various other items. There is a lot of customization with the ability to change the time of day, the season or even the weather, allowing you to create beautiful and relaxing scenes. As you create the grove in front of you, animals and birds will move into your dynamic ecosystem.

I particularly loved the puppy, Polly, whom you are introduced to through the first collectible card you can get in Treeplanter.

For the gameplay, I’ll let the final line from the Steam page explain it: “Please keep in mind that this is a small game with no goals or challenges, created by Henry with help from his friends – it’s all about creating small but beautiful dioramas, using the tools and items from the game alongside the influences of nature.”

Treeplanter began as an EU Social Fund project aimed at providing real-life game development opportunities to students. There is a large educational component to the game, and I loved the little pop-ups full of information. I would definitely recommend this game if you have some nature-loving smaller members of your family.