Starsand Island: Everything We Know

Life on a serene island with natural beauty and all the resources you would need to survive sounds idyllic. That is the concept behind Starsand Island, an upcoming farming simulation game. Interestingly, the game shares a few eerie similarities with other popular farming sims but also stands out and delivers a refreshing gameplay experience.

The farming simulation genre is becoming increasingly popular since the release of Stardew Valley in 2016. Since then, every farming simulation game has tried to stand out and outdo the competition, and Starsand Island is no different. Here is a comprehensive preview of what this new game offers and when you can expect to play it.

What is Starsand Island?

Starsand Island is a farming simulation game currently under development by Creativision Studio. Like other farming simulation games, it involves activities like building a home, growing crops, rearing domestic animals, and more. Interestingly, it seems to take inspiration from the popular farming sim Stardew Valley and exhibits vibes similar to Studio Ghibli movies.

Interestingly, Starsand Island also includes some unique activities that make it feel like a low-level life simulation game. For example, the character has a few hobbies, including fishing, snorkeling, collecting rare plants, and exploring for minerals. Moreover, she can interact with the NPCs and form deep relationships, including finding life partners. It is overall a comprehensive approach to a farmer’s life, on and off the farm.

Story

The story behind Starsand Island is light and somewhat generic, but it serves its purpose. It is about a woman fed up with the high-pressure job she must do to live in a hectic and often harsh city. As such, she decides to move to a serene island, called Starsand Island, to get away from the hassle and start a new life. She must carve out a place for herself on the island, learn how to farm, and become a part of the community.

Gameplay

As a farming simulation game, Starsand Island incorporates many activities you would expect on a farm and more. The main activity entails tilling the land, growing crops, and tending to them until they are ripe for harvesting. The farming process is detailed and includes a step-by-step process and the application of farming equipment. You can grow diverse plant species, including fruits and vegetables.

The farming system in this game is comprehensive and also involves rearing domestic animals. However, the only domestic animals showcased in the trailer are chickens, albeit it is expected more will feature in the game. Interestingly, the game also features wild animals like squirrels and birds.

Before you begin farming, however, you must build your dream home somewhere between the sea and mountains. Interestingly, the construction system is complex and offers versatile options to bring out your creativity. You can design your own murals and even program interactive props.

Building a home and running a farm makes you a part of the small community comprising about 40 NPCs. Interestingly, each NPC has a unique personality and background story for you to uncover. As such, you can interact with the NPCs and take time to learn about them. Each interaction is meaningful, and you can even find a life partner. Starsand Island goes beyond farming simulation by including a bit of life simulation, considering the character’s personal and social activities.

The game also features various unique activities, similar to hobbies, which give advanced believability to the life simulator angle. For example, your character can go fishing, which is one of the most popular hobbies. She can also dive beneath the sea’s surface to explore the beautiful corals, collect pearls, and interact with dolphins and other marine animals. Other unique activities include exploring the lush nature for rare tropical plants and minerals.

Notably, the game incorporates the latest in graphics technology to generate stunningly beautiful environments. The most notable environmental features include a scenic ocean, majestic mountains, lush greenery, trees, and houses.

Development

Starsand Island is developed by Creativision Studio, a little-known developer with little history to go by. Many in the professional gaming community speculate that the developer is from South Korea or China, considering the Chinese language showcased in the trailer. Notably, Creativision is also the game’s publisher.

Trailer

The Starsand Island official trailer is entertaining and insightful, giving you a glimpse of the game’s best aspects. It showcases the character going about her everyday life and chores.

The character wakes up, prepares breakfast, eats, and then sets off to the farm to work. You can see her on her farm tilling the land and plant seeds to grow various plants, including cabbages and melons. She then retires to the comfort of her house to relax and watch TV in the company of her cute dog after a long day of farming. The scenes also feature a quick glimpse of the character’s house and surrounding environment.

However, the trailer doesn’t do the game enough justice, considering all the gameplay aspects it leaves out. Most notably, it doesn’t feature aspects like fishing, exploring the island for minerals and tropical plants, or diving underwater to explore the beautiful corals.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Starsand Island is still under development and seems to have a long way to go, considering that it is scheduled to release in late 2025. However, the exact release date is still unknown and is expected to be released when the studio nears the game’s completion.

Creativision Studio hasn’t shared enough information about which platforms, besides PC, will host Starsand Island. The minimum requirements to play this game on a PC include 8 GB of RAM and 10 GB of storage space. However, the recommended specifications for the best performance include 16 GB of RAM and 20 GB of storage space. Hopefully, the game will be compatible with consoles and other platforms.

So, what’s your take on our preview of Starsand Island? Are you eager to try the game? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.