Farming life sim RPG Starsand Island will be getting released in Early Access on Steam soon, and new information has been revealed detailing what we can expect. Starsand Island has plenty to offer, including growing crops, decorating, fishing, careers, and plenty more. We’ll take a closer look at everything we can expect to get in the Early Access release of Starsand Island, which is expected to get its full release in Summer 2026.
Seasons
As well as a day and night cycle, Starsand Island will feature a four-season cycle of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Each season will bring its own atmosphere, distinct scenery, and a shift in seasonal activities to make them distinctive from one another and bring another level of realism and immersion to the game.
Expanded Core Gameplay (Careers, Farming, Crafting, and More)
Starting with farming, almost 100 types of crops can be cultivated in Starsand Island. You can also breed plants to create new hybrid ones. Later in the game, you’ll unlock greenhouses, allowing for all-year-round cultivation of rare crops without the limitations of seasonal growing.
Crafting plays a key role in Starsand Island, by unlocking new, more efficient ways to complete day-to-day tasks and activities. These include special machines and advanced tools. As your home grows, you can gain access to automated mining, logging, and farming, giving you more free time for exploration and other activities.
You can raise livestock in Starsand Island, including poultry, cows, alpacas, and more, with over 40 subspecies available to discover. Look out for over 10 professional tools and facilities specifically tailored for ranching to make life easier.
Fishing is an activity you can conduct in Starsand Island, with over 100 species of fish to find and catch, thanks to traditional fishing equipment such as the trusty fishing rod, as well as fish traps.
As you explore the world of Starsand Island, you’ll need your trusty bow at your side as you may need to enter combat with some creatures you stumble across in your adventures.
All professions in Starsand Island now include expert levels, expanding the depth of these careers.
Farming, crafting, and lots more activities make up Starsand Island.
Characters
In its Early Access form, Starsand Island will have up to 15 NPCs you can fully interact with, all with their own distinctive personalities as well as professions.
The characters will be fully voiced. At max affection, exclusive storylines with voice acting will become available. Meanwhile, day-to-day interactions will include expressive voice lines filled with personality.
Homestead
Home is where the heart is in Starsand Island. A total of nine subplots can be unlocked for your homestead. Additionally, three new home environments are available in Early Access:
- Blue Beach
- Cloudrest Lake
- Windflute Island
For your home, a ton of new items have been added to deck out the place, including new furniture and decorations to give your homestead that personal, homely touch.
Mounts and Vehicles
If you want a way to zip around the island, you can do so with the addition of over 40 rideable items, including craftable vehicles, water and air mounts, and rideable animal companions. Plus, you can upgrade your rides with modifications such as jets and wheels.
You can ride different mounts and vehicles to speed up your time getting from A to B.
Character Customization
There’s nothing like a strong character customization system, and Starsand Island provides that. Outfits are fully modular, and you can mix and match accessories such as hats, hairstyles, and accessories. Get fully creative with an unlimited color wheel that allows you to customize your eyes, hair, and skin tone.
Cooking
You can’t have a good role-playing life sim without a cooking system. The Early Access version adds over 50 new cooking recipes to play around with, offering different buffs with meals to enhance gameplay.
World Expansion
Finally, the world of Starsand Island has received a big upgrade for the Early Access release. The map is now bigger thanks to a new area: The Moonlit Forest, which features 12 new camps plus 3 epic bosses.
Also, look out for fun musical performances, where you can play along. There are also two new seasonal events to watch out for: Chinese New Year and the Summer Beach Festival.
There’s plenty to see and do in the vast world of Starsand Island.
Starsand Island Release Date and Platforms
The Early Access edition of Starsand Island should be available in early February 2026, reportedly on February 1 or 2. It will be available on PC and Mac via Steam. A price has not been given yet, but more information should be available on February 2. It is recommended to play Starsand Island with a controller, but keyboard and mouse controls are also available.
It is set to be released on other platforms including Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S sometime in the future. The full release of Starsand Island is currently slated to be sometime in Summer 2026. Expected added gameplay should include dating and multiplayer, among other new features and additions.
A free demo is still available for Starsand Island on Steam, which includes plenty of gameplay to provide a good taster of what the Early Access and eventual full release of the game will be like.
