Stardew Valley-Like Game Starsand Island Confirms New Release Date

Starsand Island, often compared to a 3D version of Stardew Valley, will initially launch only on PC. This change in plans has frustrated players on consoles who were looking forward to the game. Starsand Island has quickly become a highly anticipated life simulation game, gaining a large following with hundreds of thousands of wishlists on both PC and consoles.

The game was initially scheduled to come out on PC in late 2025. However, the release date was pushed back to February 1st. Originally, the developers didn’t plan for an early access period and intended to launch the PC and console versions at the same time. There were no plans for a Switch 2 version then. In December 2025, the developer, Seed Sparkle Lab, announced they would also release the game on Nintendo’s new console and changed the launch strategy, releasing the PC and console versions separately.

Starsand Island’s New Early-Access Release Date

Seed Sparkle Lab announced on the game’s Steam page that Starsand Island will enter early access on February 11th at 9:00 AM PST. Although the delay isn’t significant, many fans are disappointed that the early access version will only be available on Steam. Players hoping to play on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, or Nintendo Switch 2 will have to wait until the full game is released.

Starsand Island Full Release Date

As of today, the official release date isn’t set, but the developers at Seed Sparkle Lab are aiming for Summer 2026. Until then, Starsand Island will remain available as an early access game on Steam, allowing the team to collect player feedback and improve the game.

After a fan asked about the delayed release on consoles, the official Starsand Island team responded, saying they’re still working hard to launch the full game. They also promised console players won’t miss out on any special rewards – the developers are planning exclusive bonuses just for them.

Image via Seed Sparkle Lab

Early Access Content and Bonuses

Standard Edition ($27.93) Deluxe Edition ($41.93)
  • Base Game
  • Chinese New Year Furniture Set
  • Neo-Chinese Outfit
  • Everything in the Standard Edition
  • Classical Furniture Set
  • Elegant Formal Outfit
  • Pumpkin Carriage

Starsand Island Steam Early Access Price Controversy

Seed Sparkle Lab announced that Starsand Island will launch in early access on February 11th, and shared details about how much the game will cost. There will be two versions available: a Standard edition for $27.93 and a Deluxe edition for $41.93, each with unique bonus content.

Image via Seed Sparkle Lab

I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter online about the price of the game in China. Apparently, it’s way cheaper there than it is for us in other regions! A lot of fans, including myself, are pretty frustrated because we’re worried the developers aren’t going to use regional pricing on Steam for those of us outside of China. Someone even pointed out that the Deluxe edition is only about $16 USD over there, while we’re looking at around $42 USD. It just doesn’t seem fair if they’re going to charge us so much more for the same game!

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2026-02-02 23:05