Today, Chinese developer Seed Sparkle Lab confirmed that its debut game, the anime-inspired life/farming simulation Starsand Island, will launch on Wednesday, February 11, on Steam Early Access and Xbox Game Preview.
Starsand Island will be available in two editions. The Standard one includes the base game and all Early Access content. Players who purchase the game during the launch period will also receive an exclusive Chinese New Year bonus featuring festive outfits and furniture inspired by traditional Chinese patterns. Those players seeking greater customization options may purchase the pricier Deluxe Edition, which includes all the content of the Standard Edition, as well as additional Romanticism-inspired content. This edition features refined classical outfits and fantasy-inspired furniture, allowing players to enjoy a more decorative, expressive island life experience from the get-go.
If you just can’t wait to try the game, there’s a free demo still available for download on the Steam page.
The Early Access version of Starsand Island introduces a dynamic seasonal system. Each season transforms the island’s scenery, atmosphere, and available activities, creating a truly living world.
Core professions have evolved significantly, expanding from beginner levels into comprehensive expert tiers. Farming supports nearly 100 crop varieties, complete with a hybridization system for breeding unique flowers and late-game greenhouses that enable year-round cultivation of rare plants regardless of season. Crafting benefits from new special machines and advanced tools, unlocking automated mining, logging, and farming to let players focus on exploration and creativity. Ranching expands with over 10 new species like cows and alpacas, more than 40 subspecies and color variants, and over 10 professional tools and facilities for realistic livestock management. Fishing introduces a Fish Trap system alongside 100+ aquatic creatures, including rare “King Fish” such as Arapaima, Long-barbeled Dragonfish, and King Glowfish. Exploration and combat gain depth through newly added bows and various arrow types with elemental effects.
The roster of interactable NPCs has grown to 15 characters, including four new companions for deep relationship-building. Each NPC boasts a unique personality tied to their profession. They are also voice-acted, and maxing out affection with the NPCs unlocks fully voiced exclusive storylines.
Housing features nine homestead subplots across three environments: Blue Beach, Cloudrest Lake (a serene bamboo forest), and Windflute Island (a private paradise). The Early Access version already includes more than 300 furniture pieces and hundreds of decorative items, allowing for highly personalized island getaways. Traveling will be versatile thanks to more than 40 rideable mounts and vehicles, including more than 10 craftable options for land, water, and air.
Seed Sparkle Lab promises great freedom when it comes to character customization, thanks to fully modular outfits. Players can mix and match hats, hairstyles, and accessories, and there’s an infinite color wheel for personalizing hair, eyes, and skin tones. Cooking rounds out the lifestyle features with over 50 recipes, many of which provide practical gameplay buffs. Lastly, the game world itself has been expanded with the Moonlit Forest expansion, featuring 12 new camps and 3 epic bosses, each with distinctive challenges.
Starsand Island is expected to launch version 1.0 in Summer 2026, when the game will also debut on macOS, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2. The full version should introduce more content, multiplayer, and dating.
