Multiplayer

Overview

Starsand Island launched into Early Access on February 11, 2026 as a single-player only title. Multiplayer co-op is confirmed for the 1.0 full release in June 2026, making it one of the biggest planned additions to the game. The feature was a Kickstarter stretch goal and appears across the official roadmap, publisher trailers, and developer Q&A sessions.

Early Access Roadmap

The roadmap leading up to multiplayer:

Player Count and Format

The publisher trailer confirms 1 to 4 player online co-op. Some earlier press materials described it as 2-player co-op, but more detailed breakdowns from the roadmap and developer posts consistently cite up to four players. There is no split-screen or local co-op planned. The multiplayer is online only.

Shared Deeds

The shared deeds system is one of the standout multiplayer features. Using the Modular Villa system, up to four players can hold joint ownership of land and buildings. Everyone with a deed can build, decorate, and modify the shared space in real time with no host-only restrictions. All players can place furniture, expand rooms, modify terrain, and alter structures. Multiplayer homes support multi-floor villas (up to three stories) and accumulate upgrades based on collective effort rather than individual saves.

Collaborative Building

Shared deed holders can work on the same property simultaneously:

• Place and rearrange furniture.

• Expand rooms and add new floors.

• Modify landscaping and garden plots.

• Edit walls, floors, and structural elements.

• Share blueprints from the Blueprint Library.

The system is described by the developers as true co-building, where property progress persists for all deed holders even when they are offline.

Team Encounters

Certain regions feature encounters designed to scale for groups. The Moonlit Forest is specifically called out as having combat encounters that reward coordinated teamwork with complementary roles rather than solo rushing. Boss fights, including the Ruin Guard and the Crystalith (a towering stone golem), require exploiting weaknesses, upgrading weapons and ammo, and timing counters.

Co-Op Activities

Activities confirmed for multiplayer:

• Farming and harvesting crops (one player can fish while another tends the fields).

• Animal husbandry, taming, and ranching together.

• Home construction and interior decoration.

• Combat in the Moonlit Forest ruins.

• Open-world exploration across all islands.

• Skateboarding, rollerblading, and paragliding together.

Vehicle and Mount Sharing

Several vehicles support multiple riders. Scooters with sidecars, cars, and amphibious vehicles all allow groups to travel together rather than relying on separate fast travel. Select mounts also support two riders, keeping groups together during overworld travel.

Progression Rules

There is one significant limitation: only the host progresses the main story. Co-op partners act as helpers on the host's island and cannot advance their own quest log through someone else's session. The developers compared this to Animal Crossing's visitor model and State of Decay 2's asymmetric progression. The design decision stems from the game being more story-driven than a typical farming sim.

Building and property progress IS shared, though. Any construction done on a shared-deed property persists for all deed holders regardless of who placed it.

Unconfirmed Details

Several features remain unconfirmed ahead of the June release: