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Overview
A full in-game day in Starsand Island lasts approximately 40 real-time minutes, covering 20 playable in-game hours from 6:00 AM to 2:00 AM. Each in-game minute equals roughly 2 real-world seconds. The game features a dynamic weather system, four seasons of 28 days each, and time-of-day effects that influence fishing, bug catching, crop growth, and NPC schedules.
Daily timeline
6:00 AM: Day begins. You wake up automatically.
6:00 AM - 8:00 AM: Most shops are closed. Good time for farming, gathering, and exploring.
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM: Peak hours. All shops open. NPCs are out and about.
10:00 PM: Most shops close (except Zerine's General Store and Soluna Cafe Lodge, which are open 24/7).
2:00 AM: Hard curfew. You pass out regardless of what you are doing.
The 2 AM curfew
At exactly 2:00 AM, your character passes out no matter where you are or what you are doing. It does not matter if you are mid-swing with a pickaxe or running back to your bed, when the clock hits 2:00 AM, you drop.
Pass-out penalties
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Single pass-out | You wake up the next day at 6:00 AM with only 50% stamina instead of a full bar. |
Voluntary sleep | If you go to bed before 2:00 AM using your bed, you start the next day with full stamina. |
Three consecutive pass-outs | The game forces you to sleep through an entire day due to exhaustion. You lose a full day of farming, gathering, and NPC interaction. |
Beds can be placed outdoors and work identically to indoor beds, saving you the time of entering a building. Sleeping triggers an auto-save.
Weather system
Starsand Island has a dynamic weather system with at least three confirmed weather types: Sunny, Rainy, and Snowy. Weather changes each day and affects several gameplay systems.
Weather effects
Trait | Effect |
|---|---|
Crops | Rain influences crop growth, potentially replacing the need for manual watering on rainy days. |
Fishing | Different fish appear in different weather. Some species are rainy-day exclusive (Tiger Puffer, Archerfish), while others prefer sunny conditions (Foureye Butterflyfish). |
Bug catching | All butterfly species require Sunny or Snowy weather only. They do not spawn in rain. Fireflies, cicadas, mantis, and scarabs spawn regardless of weather. |
Seasons
The game has four seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter each lasting 28 in-game days. At approximately 40 real minutes per day, a full season takes roughly 18-19 real hours of gameplay.
What changes between seasons
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Crops | Different crops grow in specific seasons. Spring: Green Grape, Tomato, Pineapple. Summer: Water Spinach, Pepper, Watermelon, Corn. Autumn: Beetroot, Cabbage, Pumpkin. Winter: Carrot, Winter Melon. Some crops span multiple seasons. See the farming guide for full details. |
Fish | Fish populations change by season. Spring: Payara, Red Carp. Summer: Tiger Puffer, Moorish Idol. Autumn: Butterflyfish, Mackerel. Winter: Kissing Gourami, Leaffish. |
Bugs | Cicadas, glazed cicadas, and mantis only appear in Spring, Summer, and Autumn (not Winter). Butterflies, bees, dragonflies, scarabs, and moths spawn all year. |
Visuals | Summer has blue skies and lush greens. Autumn features warm oranges and sunset tones. Winter brings snow. |
Festivals | The Beach Festival occurs on Summer 27 (preparation starts Summer 25-26). See below. |
Beach Festival (Summer 25-27)
The Beach Festival is the first major seasonal event confirmed in Starsand Island. It spans three days:
Summer 25-26: Preparation days
NPCs request materials from you to help set up the festival. Delivering materials to each NPC rewards 200 coins, 15 Starsand, 50 Beach Coins, and 20 Affection per NPC.
Summer 27: Festival day
Item | Description |
|---|---|
8:00: Crab herding mini-game near Marston's house. | -- |
10 | 00: Offshore racing with jet ski. |
12 | 00: Market opens. Beach Coins are accepted as currency. |
19 | 00: Bonfire party with a stage performance. |
0:00: Festival ends. | -- |
Time-of-day effects
Fish availability
Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
Morning (6 | 00-14:00): Spinefoot, Boxfish, and others. |
Afternoon (12 | 00-18:00): Humphead Wrasse, Blue Tang. |
Evening (18 | 00-22:00): Redfish and others. |
Night (20 | 00-02:00): Ribbon Eel, Mandarinfish, and other nocturnal species. |
Bug availability
Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
Daytime (6 | 00-18:00): All butterfly species (Sunny or Snowy weather only). |
Extended daytime (6 | 00-20:00): Dragonflies. |
Evening/Night (18 | 00-02:00): All four firefly species (Red, Blue, Green, Glazed). |
Extended hours (6 | 00-02:00): Cicadas, mantis, scarabs. |
Shop hours
24/7: Zerine's General Store, Soluna Cafe Lodge.
6:00-22:00: Green Pasture Ranch.
6:00-11:00: Marlo's Morning Delights (closes at 11 AM).
8:00-22:00: Most other shops, Lex Woodworks, Happiness Seed Shop, Aureleaf Kitchen, G-Power Bike, AquaBlue Outpost, Bloom Atelier, Exploration Club, Woof & Wow Pets, Ethereal Styles, Silvan Notes, Chrono Arcade, and the Starsand Port Merchant Ship.
Shops do not close on specific days of the week. Self-checkout terminals are available in stores even when the shopkeeper is not at the counter.
Night activities
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Firefly catching | Four species of fireflies only spawn between 18:00 and 02:00. |
Night fishing | Several fish species are exclusively available from 20:00 to 02:00. |
Blue Tears event | A limited-time nighttime visual event at Half-Moon Bay (21:00-02:00) where the water displays bioluminescent effects. |
Chrono Arcade | Open until 22:00 for arcade games, gacha machines, and lottery activities. |
Moonlit Forest | Accessible at any time, combat and mining in this dungeon area are a popular evening activity. |
Crop growth and time
Crops grow in real in-game hours, not calendar days. The fastest crops (Pasture Grass) mature in 12 in-game hours, most vegetables take 1 to 4 days, and saplings take 8 to 30 days (Lychee Sapling takes 30 days). Processing items like pickled crops also use in-game time (approximately 15 hours). Bees can provide growth bonuses that allow some crops to mature and be harvested multiple times in a single day.
Tips
Always go to bed before 2:00 AM to wake with full stamina. The 50% penalty from passing out adds up fast.
Place a bed outdoors near your main work area to avoid wasting time walking inside when the night runs late.
On rainy days, skip watering and focus on fishing or Moonlit Forest runs instead, rain-exclusive fish are valuable.
Check the clock before starting a Moonlit Forest run. If it is already 10 PM, you only have 4 in-game hours before curfew.
Use the Hot Springs or cooked food to recover stamina during the day rather than sleeping early and losing productive hours.
Do not miss the Beach Festival prep days (Summer 25-26). The Starsand and Affection rewards from each NPC delivery are substantial.