18 Summers trailer shows lawn-mowing game spanning 18 years
Solo developer FancyRancy's first-person mowing game covers seven summers and collects childhood keepsakes in a scrapbook.
The first trailer for 18 Summers, a first-person lawn-mowing game from solo developer FancyRancy, has been released and drew attention after being posted to the Reddit community r/IndieDev, according to Automaton Media. The post on October 17, 2026 gathered about 700 upvotes.
18 Summers is planned for PC via Steam, with no release date set. The game follows seven summers across 18 years, with three years passing each time the player finishes mowing.
The player takes the role of the father in a three-person family, mowing the backyard of a suburban house. Items from the child's past — including a baby bottle, a pacifier, a plush toy and a single sock — can be found while mowing and recorded in a scrapbook.
Grounded in the developer's own yard
FancyRancy, a father of three, has said his own lawn mowing and clearing away toys his children left in the yard inspired the game. He also found a dinosaur toy his own child left in the garden and put it in the game.
The developer said 18 Summers aims for nostalgia rather than sadness, and that he hopes players want to hug their children after playing.
Quick answers
When is 18 Summers coming out?
No release date has been announced. The game is planned for PC via Steam.
What is 18 Summers about?
It is a first-person lawn-mowing game covering seven summers across 18 years, in which the player, as a father, finds childhood keepsakes in the yard and records them in a scrapbook.