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Overview
Starsand Island is a cozy life simulation game developed and published by Seed Sparkle Lab, a studio based in Zhu Hai City, China. The game launched into Early Access on February 11, 2026 on Steam and Xbox Preview, and was available day one on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. A full 1.0 release is planned for Summer 2026, with PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 versions coming at that time.
Often described as "a 3D Stardew Valley with Studio Ghibli aesthetics," the game draws from films like My Neighbor Totoro and Ponyo with its watercolor backgrounds and anime character designs. Before launch, Starsand Island accumulated over 600,000 Steam wishlists (73rd most-wishlisted on the platform) and raised $311,000 on Kickstarter from over 5,000 backers at 295% of its original goal. See Kickstarter for full campaign details.
On Steam, the game holds a "Very Positive" rating with approximately 92% positive reviews. The pre-launch demo was rated "Overwhelmingly Positive" at 96% from over 1,000 reviews. See Reception and community for more on the critical response.
Gameplay
Players take on the role of a customizable character who returns to Starsand Island (a place they visited as a child) to start a new life. The gameplay revolves around five professions, 15 romanceable characters, and open-ended island life:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Crafting | The foundational profession. Gather resources, build items, and expand your workshop. Mentor: Zerine. |
Farming | Plant and harvest over 100 different crops. Cross-breed plants for new varieties and grow Everlasting Seeds that produce indefinitely. Mentor: Graminova. |
Fishing | Catch 105 species of fish from rivers, lakes, and oceans using three bait types. Set fish traps for passive income. Mentor: Delphin. |
Ranching | Raise livestock including cows, pigs, sheep, alpacas, bees, rabbits, and chickens. Breed animals using the Breeding House. Mentor: Pastelle. |
Exploration | Combat-focused profession centered on the Moonlit Forest dungeon. Fight bosses with slingshots and bows. Mentor: Zephyria. |
Building and terraforming
The building system has three construction modes (Free-view, Character Perspective, and Local View) and nearly 1,000 decorative items. Eight paint textures, full terrain editing, and a Blueprint Library for sharing designs round out one of the genre's most flexible building toolsets. Interiors and exteriors connect seamlessly with no loading screens.
Cooking and buffs
The cooking system lets players prepare dishes on campfires, gas stoves, and ovens. Cooked meals sell for 3-4x the value of raw ingredients. Certain recipes grant cooking buffs like Creamy Seeds (chance to drop Everlasting Seeds when harvesting) and Never Skunked (guaranteed fish catch).
Vehicles and transport
Over 40 vehicles are available, including motorbikes, cars, boats, jet skis, a paraglider, a hoverboard, and animal mounts. The Luna Deer permanent mount is earned by defeating the final boss in the Moonlit Forest. A fast travel bus stop network connects 10 locations across the island.
Characters and romance
The island has 40+ NPCs, including 15 romanceable characters. All romance options are available regardless of the player's chosen gender. Reach 5 hearts (750 Affection Points) and your partner moves in and helps around the farm. Four crossover characters from the My Time series (Gust, Ginger, Fang, Nia) also appear as befriendable NPCs.
Pricing and editions
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Standard Edition | $19.99 (30% launch discount available) |
Deluxe Edition | $59.90 (includes exclusive cosmetics and digital soundtrack) |
Xbox Game Pass | Available day one at no additional cost for Ultimate subscribers |
Technical details
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Platforms | PC (Steam), Xbox Series X|S (Early Access). PS5, Switch 2, and Mac planned for 1.0. |
Languages | English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Korean |
Voice acting | Full English, Japanese, and Chinese voice tracks for all romanceable characters. See voice cast. |
Content | Over 100 hours of gameplay content in Early Access, per the developer |
Achievements | 75 Steam achievements |
Save system | Auto-save plus manual save with a rollback feature that can restore to the morning of the same in-game day |
Related articles
Characters all NPCs and romanceable characters
Professions the five profession system
Kickstarter campaign details, reward tiers, stretch goals
Seed Sparkle Lab the development studio
Development history how the game was made
Reception and community reviews, ratings, and community response
Post-launch roadmap planned features and update schedule
DLC content all downloadable content and bundles