When is the Starsand Island release date? Combining the best elements of some of the greatest farming and life sims of all time, Starsand Island could be set to make a real mark on the genre. With fully customizable characters and buildings, pets, vehicles, dungeons, and the classic farming and fishing mechanics, there's a lot to do in Starsand Island, so prepare to embark on your dream island life.
There's something about the quiet respite one gets from the real world when playing a farming sim game. Despite being considerable time sinks, games in this genre seem to be endlessly popular, and that has to be why. After a decade, Stardew Valley remains one of the most popular PC games ever. The Sims reigns in the Starsand Island, that's what.
Starsand Island release date window
The Starsand Island release date is set for Winter 2025, suggesting the farming sim will be available around December. The game will be released on Steam, as well as PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and Switch.
Starsand Island began life on Kickstarter, and has already reached its original goal. As with the best crowdfunded projects, there are still plenty of stretch goals to reach, including additional customization features, new vehicle options, and community-selected items. If you're interested in pledging, you can do so here, and those who pledge enough can gain early access to Starsand Island to help shape the content of the game.
Meanwhile, the dev team is bringing fans in on the development of Starsand Island, periodically running events during which the community can vote on certain future game content. Seed Lab also holds monthly Q&A events online to address , and you can participate in those on the official Discord server.
Starsand Island trailers
There have been very few official trailers for Starsand Island so far, and those even include this utterly bonkers music video. The initial trailer, shown above, briefly demonstrates most of the core mechanics, from fishing to farming and getting to know NPCs.
Meanwhile, the Mount system gameplay trailer shows how you can mount any of your farmyard animals and ride them around the island, even taking part in races. We might suggest sticking to bikes and skateboards most of the time, but it could be fun to get a literal piggyback ride from time to time.
Starsand Island gameplay
The gameplay of Starsand Island is incredibly varied, and when speaking with us about their "child", developers at Seed Lab said they are trying to cater to multiple playstyles. For example, if you like action, you can engage in direct combat with enemies. If you prefer a peaceful life, however, you can use farming to craft machinery that takes care of monsters for you. Having such a vast range of mechanics shouldn't deter you, it should simply make Starsand Island more appealing and accessible to more gamers.
Farming and fishing
These classic mechanics feel just like they do in most farming sims. Fishing plays like that of Animal Crossing as you aim your bobber at a swimming shadow in the water. Luckily, the reeling mechanic in Starsand Island isn't too tricky, as fishing can be frustrating in similar games.
Farming is also simple and follows the mechanics you'll be used to from other similar games. Use a hoe to stir up the ground, sow seeds, and use a watering can to keep them watered until they grow – the perfect relaxing pastime. If you're lucky, you may even wake up to one giant crop instead of the four regular ones that usually grow.
Vehicles
You might not want to waste time walking around the island. In similar games, it can take a long time to get from point A to B, even with a dash or sprint. In Starsand Island, vehicles like skateboards, motorbikes, and rollerskates help you get around without any trouble.
To obtain vehicles, head down to the garage on the seafront, where you can purchase bikes, cars, and more with your hard-earned money. Fortunately, you'll be gifted a skateboard while you save up for something more powerful.
Pets
Seed Lab has mastered the behavior of wild animals on the island. You can interact with every cute critter you come across, and, once you've built up a good enough relationship with them by petting and feeding them, you can even choose to adopt them. Be it Mellowhen the capybara, Sheriff the tuxedo cat, or Zippy the squirrel, befriending pets is almost more important than befriending your neighbors.
Romancable NPCs
That said, just like in Stardew Valley, Coral Island, and others, get to know your neighbors enough and you might just find yourself falling in love. Cute interactions allow you to flirt with anyone you've built a decent relationship with, and special events encourage you to get to know them even better.
After a while, you have the option to invite your partner to live with you, but we don't have any information on how this works yet, or whether you can marry your partner. We do know, however, that having children is not possible in Starsand Island. This is a game about a peaceful life, after all!
If that's not enough to entice you into a move to Starsand Island when the release date arrives, nothing will be. Instead, you might be better suited to, say, the best game to arrive.