Moving in and Cohabitation

Overview

Starsand Island has a Cohabitation and Dynamic Romance system rather than traditional marriage. The highest level of a romantic relationship is having your partner move into your house, which happens when you reach Heart Level 5 with a romanceable NPC and invite them to move in. The game currently does not include marriage or children; the developers at Seed Sparkle Lab have confirmed these features are planned for the 1.0 release.

There are 15 romanceable NPCs on the island: 7 bachelors and 8 bachelorettes. Romance is gender-neutral, meaning you can pursue any character regardless of your avatar's gender.

Heart Level System

Every NPC relationship is tracked through a 5-heart affection system. You can check your current standing by opening the Social app on your in-game phone and navigating to the Residents tab. Romanceable characters display the label "Bond" beneath their portrait. A heart gauge also appears at the top of the dialogue box when speaking to an NPC.

The jumps from Heart 3 to Heart 4 (400 points) and from Heart 4 to Heart 5 (750 points) are significantly larger than the earlier levels, so reaching cohabitation takes sustained effort.

How to Earn Affection Points

• You can give only one gift per NPC per day.

• Disliked and hated gifts cause affection loss. Trash, weeds, failed dishes, and Red Firefly (except for Sylvain and Youfang) are universally hated.

• Neutral gifts award zero points. The game does not flag neutral gifts, so you need to track them yourself.

• Profession mentors are easier to romance because you naturally earn affection through profession quest progression.

Romance Progression

There is no separate confession or dating phase in the current version. The relationship progresses organically as you accumulate affection, and the Move In dialogue option appears once you reach Heart Level 5. The full progression looks like this:

Meeting (0 Hearts)

Encounter NPCs around the island. Check the Social app to see who you have met. Some NPCs arrive later in the game; for example, the crossover characters Fang and Nia from My Time at Sandrock arrive on Autumn 1, Year 1.

Heart 1: Return Gifts

The NPC begins sending you small gifts via mail. You can have basic daily interactions and start building the relationship through conversation and gifts.

Heart 2: Outings and Photos

You unlock the ability to take group photos with the NPC and go on outings together. Activities include bike rides, picnics, and beach visits.

Heart 3: Bedroom Access

You gain access to the NPC's private bedroom. Each bedroom contains a special gift chest you can open. Shared outings expand to include hot springs (requires Hot Spring Tickets, 100 Gold from the General Store or vending machines), backyard swings, and more.

Heart 4: Personal Quests

Character-specific requests appear on the bulletin board. For example, Zephyria requests items from the Moonlit Forest, while Delphin requests rare fish. Personal story quests also become available, giving deeper insight into each character's background.

Heart 5: Cohabitation

The Move In dialogue option appears when talking to the NPC. You must actively select it; cohabitation never triggers automatically. Once confirmed, the NPC moves into your house.

Move-In Requirements

• Reach Heart Level 5 (~1,520 cumulative affection points) with a romanceable NPC.

• Have adequate space in your house. The game warns you to make sure you have room to accommodate your partner.

• Place an extra bed. The NPC will sleep at home if you provide one.

• Select the Move In option through dialogue. It does not happen automatically.

All Romanceable NPCs

Bachelorettes

Bachelors

Important Notes

• Youfang is the one romanceable character who cannot be invited to move in as of the current Early Access build. This appears to be a deliberate design choice related to his backstory as a monastery disciple.

• Gust and Ginger (crossover characters from My Time at Portia) are capped at Heart Level 4 and cannot be romanced.

• Fang and Nia (crossover characters from My Time at Sandrock) arrive on Autumn 1, Year 1 and are also crossover characters with limited romance progression.

For detailed gift preferences for every NPC, see the Gift Guide article.

What Happens After Moving In

Once your partner moves in, their daily routine changes. They still go to their shop or workplace during the day but return to your house in the evening and sleep there.

Farm Help

Your partner contributes to household tasks when they are home:

• Clears debris from the farm.

• Pets and cares for animals.

• Waters plants.

• Cleans rabbit pens and collects wool (if you have ranch animals).

Shared Activities

You can enjoy the following activities together at home and around the island:

• Watch TV together on the couch.

• Relax at the hot springs.

• Swing on the backyard swing.

• Ride bikes together.

• Go on picnics and beach visits.

Schedule Changes

• The NPC keeps their daytime job (they do not abandon their shop or role).

• They come home when their workday ends.

• They sleep at your house overnight.

• They leave your house in the morning to resume their regular schedule.

Multiple Partners

You can only have one partner living with you at a time. However, you are free to build all 15 romanceable NPCs to Heart Level 5 simultaneously. The game does not penalize you for having high affection with multiple characters; you simply choose which one to invite to move in.

Outing Activities

Starting from Heart 2 and expanding as your relationship deepens, you can invite NPCs on outings. Some activities become available at higher heart levels.

NPCs may also proactively invite you to outings, send surprise letters, or meet you after activities. Shy NPCs may decline invitations if the relationship is not close enough.

NPC Autonomy

Starsand Island uses a dynamic NPC system where characters process environmental cues and player behavior signals. According to technical producer Golton Gao, NPCs evaluate their interest level and make independent choices about deepening relationships. They remember your habits and preferences, and conversations evolve as your bond grows. Each relationship supports multiple endings and personalized companionship paths.

Related Achievements

Tips

• Give a loved gift every single day for the fastest affection gain (+15 per gift, +5 for daily conversation = +20 per day).

• Profession mentors (Zerine, Graminova, Pastelle, Delphin, Zephyria) gain affection naturally through quest progression, making them the easiest to romance.

• Complete bulletin board requests at Heart 4 for large affection boosts (25 to 30 points per hard request).

• Do not give hated items. A single hated gift can undo multiple days of progress.

• You can raise all 15 romanceable NPCs to Heart 5 before choosing who to invite. There is no penalty for having multiple maxed relationships.

• Place an extra bed in your home before inviting a partner. The game checks for available sleeping space.

• Your partner's farm help is a meaningful time saver. They water plants and tend animals while you focus on exploration or crafting.

• Check the Social app frequently to track your progress toward the next heart level.

Future Updates

The developers have confirmed that marriage and children are planned for Starsand Island's 1.0 release. The April 2026 roadmap specifically mentions expanding NPC voice content and further developing the NPC Dating System, which may introduce a more formal confession and dating phase before cohabitation.