After a year of Gamer Social Club tracking its development, we are excited to share an Early Access preview of life and farm simulation game Starsand Island.

Despite being labeled a farming simulator, Starsand Island goes beyond the grind of in-game productivity, instead it prioritizes relaxation and an emotional connection with players. Developers Seed Sparkle Labs hope that players see beyond the code, and enjoy an escape from the whirlwind of everyday modern life.

Gameplay

There is no wrong way to begin your journey in Starsand Island. Players can choose the pace in which they play. Focus on getting know NPCs, explore the island, or focus on leveling skills. The choice and in which order is up to each player.

The game breaks down mechanics as you discover them, with the ability to return to the “help” section of your phone in case you forget over time, especially where there is so much to do. You are given an NPC mentor for each skill, farming, ranching, fishing, crafting and adventuring, who will help you accomplish quests to level up and unlock new items, recipes and blueprints.

In Game Skills

Crafting

In my opinion, if you’re going to choose a skill to level up first, crafting is one of the most important skills to have. It is the centerpiece for all other skills you will need. Players will need a certain level of crafting in order to make certain machines and tools needed for leveling up other skills.

As you continue to level up crafting and other skills, NPCs will reward you with recipes and blueprints that will help you along the way.

Farming

Farming in Starsand Island is fairly simple. Each seed has a different season to plant, grow time, and amount harvestable. Make sure your plants are watered and free from weeds or bugs. Small farm animals such as rabbits, ducks and chickens can help keep your garden free of such.

Ranching

Beyond chickens, ducks and rabbits, players can also raise other farm animals for companionship or their products. Cows, sheep, pigs, llamas, deer and more. You can then choose to use the products for crafting, cooking, quests or sell for a profit. Some animals are even rideable once a certain heart level has been reached. Pet, feed and take care of your animals to raise your friendship.

Fishing

There are many locations to fish on the Starsand Island map, including more to discover once unlocking the boat. Look for ripples in the water to determine if there are fish around. Cast your line in front of the fish and wait for it to bite. Once you have hooked the fish, reel it in. If the fishing line turns yellow, take warning the pull is becoming too much. If it turns red the line will break if you continue to pull. Giving slack, and reeling in again will help bring in the fish.

Exploration

We talked about how Starsand is on the more low key side of farming games, and exploration/combat is no different. Exploration sends you into the Moonlit Forest to gather ore and other items needed for crafting. The Moonlit Forest is broken up into different areas for you to unlock as you level up in your exploring skill. New areas will offer different ore as well as low risk enemies to defeat.

Catching bugs is not a skill set per say, but you can catch a lot of bugs in the Moonlit Forest to record in your Islandpedia App. There are one or two quests that require bug catching.

Character and Home Customization

When you first open Starsand Island, you can pick the basics of your character including facial features, skin tones, and hairstyles. Your wardrobe is also customizable. Players can choose different outfits for everyday, swim and sleep. There are minimal choices to begin, but unlock more as you progress in game. Like a fit and wanna wear it again, save it and easily find it when needed.

Players can also customize their very own farm and surrounding land. Build and edit your own home from scratch or purchase a layout for a prefabricated home. Even purchase new land to expand your farm. Players have creative control and can design their farm as they see fit.

Vehicles

There are lots of things to explore on Starsand Island, and what better way to travel the map then some wheels. Build your own skateboard or rollerblades at your workbench, or rent/buy a scooter, motorcycle, car, jet ski or even a boat. Players can also ride around adorable animals like ostrich, llama and more. If you’re lucky some NPCs will give out transportation coupons allowing for free rentals when you finish a quest. 

NPCs & Romance

Starsand Island is home to a variety of adorable and complex characters. Inspired by real people, the NPCs gain more depth the closer you get to them. Gift them their favorite items, or complete quests for them to gain their favor. You can even make friends with the adorable house pets around the island, and adopt them! Choose between cats, dogs, even a capybara.

Music & Art

Starsand Island is one of the most storybook-esque games I have ever played. The artists’ attention to light and small details give this game such a dreamy aspect. NPCs and locations feel like they’re peeled right out of fairytales.

Alongside the art, the music is a cherry on top of the cozy sundae adding a cohesive sound to the already calming atmosphere. A game that truly basks in prioritizing the player experience.

Tips & Tricks

Use the apps in the phone:

The number one thing I learned way too late was pay attention to in game phone apps. There are so many things I hadn’t checked and found unclaimed money and prizes from fulfilling quests. Don’t make my mistake.

• The IslandLife app rewards you for being a great island resident, and pouring back into the community. Expand your farm, help finish projects around the island, even adopt a pet or two.
• The Starnote app focuses on certain story quests. Building your home, relationships with NPCs, growing your farm, and everyday life. Earn new wardrobe and hairstyle pieces as well as Starsand, a currency used to boost your skill levels in the Workpedia app.
• In the Workpedia app, use Starsand you gained by fulfilling Starnote quests, as well as resident quests to unlock boosts for each skill level. Each level from apprentice to expert, 5 levels in total for each skill, has different boosts to help you complete quests quicker and your job easier overall.
• The final app to pay attention to is the Islandpedia. A record of all the items you collected. Cuisine, Bio Research, Crafting, Plants, Gatherables and Home Items. After a certain amount of items collected, gain stamps to win coins and other prizes.

Storage Boxes:

Don’t sweat it if you don’t organize you storage boxes well. The beauty of this game is you do not have to have something in your inventory/bag to be able to pull it and use it to craft or finish a quest. You do have to have the object however, if you plan on gifting it to an NPC.

Use the Vehicles:

There aren’t many quests that have a short amount of time to finish them, but it does take a while to get from one side of the map to the other. If you don’t want to spend money on rental vehicles until you can afford to buy your own, take advantage of the roller skates and skateboard to get around town.

Early Access

Even in its initial state, the developers Seed Sparkle Labs have added 100+ hours of content in Starsand Island to keep players busy until its full release date. We don’t have a definite answer when that is yet, But Seed Sparkle Labs say somewhere around summer 2026. Upon the game’s full release it will be available on Playstation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series and Steam for PC, Steam Deck and macOS. For now Starsand Island will only be available for PC on Steam in Early Access or as a Preview on Xbox Series in the Microsoft Store.

Gamer Social Club will be following along on the Starsand Island Early Access journey and will be sure to take you along with us. Stay tuned for more!

You can grab Starsand Island Early Access on Steam for PC or for preview on the Microsoft Store for Xbox Series starting February 11th, 2026.

Thank you to Seed Sparkle Labs for the code to preview the game.