Stardew Valley Meets Ghibli, 2026 Cosy Nintendo Switch 2 Port Confirmed

Well, this is an announcement that’s made my day; Starsand Island is officially set to arrive on the Nintendo Switch 2 in early 2026.

If this is the first you’re hearing of Starsand Island, developed by Seed Lab, I can safely say it’s my most anticipated cosy gaming release of next year.

The game follows the usual premise; you’ll return to your childhood island, setting up a cosy new life, filled with romance, decorating, gardening, farming, and more.

But Starsand Island is far more ambitious than most of the titles I’ve seen attempt to follow in the footsteps of Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing.

With a rich open-world, a build mode comparable to that which you’ll find in The Sims, a complex NPC affection system, and more vocations than you can possibly think of, there’s very little in Starsand Island that you can’t do.

I recently had the opportunity to go hands-on with a full alpha build of the game, and it wholeheartedly sold me on Starsand Island’s vision.

Starsand Island, Credit / Seed Lab

“I previously described Starsand Island as having the ‘potential to be the next major titan of the cosy genre’ and after having had full access to an alpha build of the upcoming life sim, I’m wholly convinced that my bold assertion was absolutely right,” I wrote in my preview.

“Starsand Island really is the perfect combination of Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and The Sims, even boasting a few flavourings of Studio Ghibli here and there, but that’s not at all to say that it’s an amalgamation of ‘best bits’. Seed Lab has clearly studied the genre, formulating what is easily the next evolution of the cosy gaming space.

“I’m not exaggerating when I say that I could happily sink over 100 hours into Starsand Island, which is most definitely what I’ll be doing when the final build officially launches in 2026.”

And Now It’s Coming To Nintendo Switch 2

Originally due to land on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on 1 February 2026, Seed Lab has now confirmed the game’s Switch 2 release as well.

Starsand Island’s Switch 2 port doesn’t yet have a release date beyond early 2026, but we do know it’ll boast both a Quality Mode targeting 45fps in 1080p and a Performance Mode targeting 60fps in 1080p.

“Bringing Starsand Island to Nintendo Switch 2 has been a longstanding goal for us; the life-sim genre has a natural home on Nintendo consoles,” said Richardo Wang, Seed Lab’s creative director.

“Even before it was announced nearly a year ago, we knew - and wanted - our game to be on Nintendo’s next-generation platform. Starsand Island transports players to a simple, pastoral life, and we think that should be available whether they’re at home, commuting to and from work, or taking a break.”