Adorable Animal Crossing Successor Announces Surprise Free Access

If you’re a cosy gamer, there’s a very high chance that Pokémon Pokopia is consuming every free waking hour of your life.

That’s most definitely the case for me, but I’d urge you not to overlook one upcoming free cosy experience.

Looking for something that scratches the Animal Crossing itch? Animula Nook could be that game, and it’s launching a free closed playtest soon.

Developed by LilliLandia Games, Animula Nook describes itself as a “cosy miniature life sim”.

Players will shrink down, creating a humble abode from what now appear to be oversized odds and ends. Think fencing made out of lollipop sticks.

You’ll grow oversized vegetables, adorn cute outfits, and explore the “enchanting Wupa Woods”.

“Craft a house from chocolate bars, turn a glasses case into a sofa, or make rooftops from bottle caps. Everything in Starside Homestead is yours to create—what will you make next?” the synopsis reads.

You’ll build your home on the top of a desk, with the nearby windowsill acting as your garden and balcony.

There are “houseplant forests” as well as milk carton houses, whilst “teacups turn into bustling cafés, and spice jars transform into tiny, glowing shops”.

It all sounds truly delightful, and I’ve barely scratched the surface of what Animula Nook seemingly offers.

LilliLandia Games

You can also join up with NPCs to create a band, with eight instruments available.

The game is set to launch on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store as well as PlayStation 5.

There’s no launch date just yet for those platforms. Beyond that, it’ll arrive on Nintendo Switch 2 at an even later date.

For now though, you can support the game by partaking in its upcoming closed alpha test.

You Only Have a Couple of Days To Sign Up To Join The Playtest

The alpha test will begin on 19 March and marks the first time players will be able to go hands-on with the game.

It’ll take place exclusively on Steam with sign-ups open until 15 March, so you only have a few more days to secure your spot.

You can sign up via the Animula Nook website and if successful, details on how to join the alpha test will be sent to you.

Hopefully this means that we could see Animula Nook arrive in full in mid to late 2026. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out.