Developer Seed Lab shared new gameplay and details for Starsand Island, showing off the combat and multiplayer features in the anime-inspired farming life sim.
Here’s a rundown on the new details, plus the gameplay trailer:
Revealed today, in addition to the calm, tranquil farming and friendship building showcased to date, Starsand Island will feature third-person combat mechanics when players explore the island’s mystical, ruined area. As players encounter the many strange animals that live among the ruins, they’ll use a range of weapons, including slingshots and bows, to remove a magical corruption from the creatures, enabling them to be domesticated.
Powerful animal bosses also live among the ruins, presenting a further layer of challenge. Overcoming them will take skill to exploit the creatures’ weaknesses, upgrade weapons and ammo, and perfectly time counters, but with the promise of greater rewards – including unlocking advanced professions to master – it’s a risk worth taking!
Exploring the ruins and battling its strange inhabitants doesn’t have to be a solo experience; like the rest of Starsand Island life, it can also be enjoyed online with a friend, as part of the game’s multiplayer. Players will also be able to invite friends to help build their idyllic, pastoral life, as they plant and harvest crops, fish and master animal husbandry, and construct a perfect home. They can also share vehicles or ride the larger animals, and adventure across the length and breadth of the island.
Today’s reveal also highlighted a number of advanced features available to players on their journey to exploring the simple life: The addition of smart robots will help automate farming, ensuring the harvest is reaped while players are away from their homestead – perhaps on a futuristic hoverboard – while custom glasshouses built in DIY mode will harness the sun’s energy to further help with plant propagation.
Starsand Island is set to launch across Windows PC (via Steam and the Microsoft Store), Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PS5 on February 1st, 2026.
