Animal Crossing Spiritual Successor Confirms January 2026 Launch

Following in the footsteps of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley’s success, Heartopia now has a release date after quite a long wait.

For fans of the life simulation genre, especially those on mobile platforms who like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Heartopia looks like it might be one to keep your eye on.

Luckily, you won’t have to wait much longer, as the game has now confirmed when it’ll be released on PC and mobile platforms.

Developer XD has confirmed that Heartopia will be released just after New Years on 7 January, making it one of the first games to be released in 2026.

A post on X (formerly Twitter) from the developer of Heartopia reads: “Baboo, D.G. Members! Meow Meow's got something super important to announce today - the slow-paced life simulation game Heartopia will officially launch on Jan 7 at 10 p.m. (UTC-5)! D.G.

"Members will be able to move into the town across iOS, Android and PC.”

XD recently ran a couple of beta tests for Heartopia, allowing some lucky users to check out a small slice of the game before it opens its doors to everyone.

Those who played the beta can get some exclusive rewards in the final release though, such as the Blueberry Crossbody Bag for creating a character, and the Star Mascot Head for reaching level 18.

Heartopia Is Brimming With Lots Of Content For You To Play

From the sounds of it, it does sound like the game at least has a massive amount of content. The game boasts “Over 1,000 Daily Outfits” for your character to wear, as well as many tools for you to build your dream house.

There’s no doubt that Heartopia has its work cut out for it with the genre it’s in.

Life simulation games are a dime a dozen nowadays, so it’ll really need to do something fresh if it wants to capture a large audience. However, what we’ve seen so far gives us confidence it’ll find that audience, thanks to the vast amount of content and online features.

The blurb on Heartopia reads: “Welcome to Heartopia, a life simulation game crafted for creativity, freedom, and peace. Build your dream home, explore a wide range of hobbies, and forge warm connections with friends in a town full of endless possibilities.”

Heartopia will be launching on 7 January, 2026 for PC, as well as mobile platforms iOS and Android.