Highly Anticipated Stardew Valley Competitor Confirmed for the Switch 2 in New Gameplay Trailer

This holiday season, it’s likely many gamers will be hoping to get ahold of a shiny new Nintendo Switch 2. As the new console on the market, the long-awaited Switch successor has already had impressive sales. This is despite the fact that, backwards compatibility aside, there aren’t actually too many games for the Switch 2 just yet. As we head into 2026, that’s likely to change as more new releases confirm Switch 2 editions right out of the gate. Now, a highly anticipated life sim RPG mashup has confirmed it, too, will be headed to the Switch family of systems.

Starsand Island has attracted a lot of attention ever since it was announced back in May. The game doesn’t have a firm release date just yet, but is targeting “early 2026.” Initially confirmed only for PC, the Stardew Valley competitor has been slowly announcing additional platforms. At long last, developer Seed Lab has revealed that Starsand Island is getting an official Switch 2 edition at launch. And that news comes alongside an exciting new gameplay trailer for the 3D life sim.

Stardew Valley Competitor Starsand Island Confirms Switch 2 Edition & New Gameplay Details

Starsand Island is an upcoming RPG and life sim set on a beautiful Asian-inspired island. Players will care for crops and animals on their own farm, catch fish, and explore the island. Along with adorable horse mounts, Starsand Island has already shown off skateboarding as another optional way to get around quickly. Like any good life sim, there is a relationship-building component, as well. There are also ancient ruins to explore, complete with combat against strange and mysterious creatures. Players will be able to master a variety of combat skills in the game’s RPG elements, making it more robust than combat in something like Stardew.

Some gamers got an early look at Starsand Island last month when the game dropped early via the PlayStation store. The mistake was quickly corrected, but it did allow for a few players to get an early taste of the highly anticipated life sim and RPG hybrid. But despite that leak, many fans remain curious about what Starstand Island has to offer. Now, a new gameplay trailer gives a more in-depth look at one core farming sim component – seasonal gameplay.

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The trailer gives players an extended look at the game’s gorgeous 3D graphics, with a clear anime-inspired look to them. Players get a sense of how much the world will transform as the seasons change, with lush greenery in summer and changing fall colors giving way to winter snow. There’s also confirmation of a build mode that looks a lot like what you’d get in The Sims 4, with the option to custom-build structures.

Starsand Island has been compared to Stardew Valley, as most farming sims are. However, not everyone loves the pixel art style, and the gorgeous 3D look of Starsand Island could just make it even more popular with cozy gamers. The game was already confirmed for the Switch, but we all know how graphics like that can sometimes struggle on the aging console. This new confirmation of a dedicated Switch 2 release for Starsand Island almost certainly means the graphics will look as good as they do in this trailer.

As of now, Seed Lab hasn’t revealed what else will be different with its Switch 2 release. Instead, the new trailer encourages fans to “stay tuned for more updates” as they get ready to release the game across all platforms in early 2026.

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