With 2026 looming over the horizon and the promise of more games than we could ever hope to play releasing next year, we’ve been peering ever-slightly into the future to see what the early months of 2026 have in store for us.
The answer is, a hell of a lot, and it can almost be overwhelming to the point of anxiety. But the salve for that is an undoubtedly cozy game to focus on, plucked from the upcoming pile of games.
Starsand Island is the next game in a line of thousands looking to upset the apple cart and stand out from the crowd to the point that people think of Starsand and Stardew as one and the same.
As with all those that have come before, these are rather grand aspirations, but credit where it’s due. Starsand Island just might be the first game in a long time to be worthy of being uttered in the same breath as Eric Barone’s cozy modern classic. Here’s a quick look at the most recent preview build of Starsand Island.
A World That Waits For You
Starsand Island didn’t immediately hit me with a flashy intro or a dramatic cinematic. It welcomed me in with a warm hug.
There’s something unbelievably soothing about finally playing that cozy game that understands “cozy” isn’t soft colors and cute characters-it’s rhythm, it’s warmth, it’s the feeling the world will wait for you.
Speaking first on the visuals, the animation style felt immediately familiar. The movement is smooth and airy in a way that instantly reminded me of Studio Ghibli, not to the point of complete imitation, but certainly close enough to make me feel like I was wondering through an offshoot of a world akin to Howl’s or Kiki’s.
That softness. That hand-crafted touch. The way characters tilt their heads when they talk, the bouncy steps when you run across a wooden bridge, even the way tall grass leans as you pass through it. It all works together to build a Ghibli-like atmosphere that makes the island feel alive in a gentle, magical way. It’s rare for a life-sim to actually feel animated, not just rendered, but Starsand Island nails that.
And the world itself? It’s not just “an island.” It’s huge, much larger than I expected. There’s a sense of scale when you look across a valley, glide down a slope, or ride along the beach on a board and realize this isn’t one of those tiny, cozy maps where everything feels ass to ankles. Starsand Island is big. Big enough to explore. Big enough to get lost in.
You are Here to Enjoy the Journey
Instead of repeating tasks for the sake of progression bars, here you follow different lines of work and actually get better at them: farming, cooking, woodworking, animal care, photography, buildiing. You name it.
Each one feels like its own small journey. You don’t just unlock “higher-tier” tools; you genuinely improve yourself as you practice. The game tracks your growth, pushes you forward, and rewards your curiosity, and the beautiful part is: you’re never rushed.
Farming is a balancing act between relaxation and mastery. The greenhouse system allows you to play with layouts; each crop has subtle differences that reveal themselves the more attention you give it.
Fishing has that peaceful “sit by the water and breathe for a second” vibe, but with actual depth, different tools, habitats, and methods. Then, cooking asks you to pay attention to ingredients, timing, and combinations, or you’ll be serving up something unintentionally Cajun.
It felt like a place I’d actually want to return to, a home I built with my own hands, at my own pace, surrounded by characters I genuinely enjoyed spending time with.
But, perhaps the most engaging activity, at least in my humble opinion, was building, mainly because buildings have layers. You’re not just snapping prefab boxes together.
The building system really wants you to express yourself: small houses, huge multi-floor homes, glass-walled greenhouses, cottages with verandas, even little pathways and decorative corners that show your personality.
The attention to detail in everything you do is honestly insane. Open a drawer? Items inside shift. Hang wind chimes? They respond to the weather. Build a porch? The wood grain changes slightly depending on the materials. It feels hand-crafted in a way that pulls you deeper into the world.
But the biggest surprise was how the island supports different play styles. If you want to be a farmer, the systems reward that. If you want to explore ruins and clear corruption, you can. If you want to focus on creativity and completely ignore combat, the island lets you do that, too. And because the game’s world is so large, exploration actually matters. There’s hiking, gliding, riding vehicles, and discovering small hidden areas that feel like rewards for simply being curious.
And through it all, the in-game phone menu keeps you on track and makes snapping between activities smooth. Recipes, quests, maps, photos – all organized and easily accessible, but never once breaking immersion. It’s one of those strokes of design brilliance you don’t realize you needed until you’re using it, then suddenly everything else feels obsolete.
Whether you’re farming, fishing, running errands, or building, it always feels like you’re contributing something to your life and those around you. You make this cozy island cozier, one step at a time.
Cozy Life with Cozy People
Soulless people in cozy life-sims are, for me, the reason I can’t connect with their respective worlds. But in Starsand Island, it was different; it is something I always look for in a cozy game: characters that don’t feel like NPCs. They react to what you do, comment on your progress, have their own moods, small arcs, and little moments you can either be part of or completely ignore, depending on how you carry yourself.
This is where the Ghibli-like touch comes in again. Characters have those tiny micro-expressions, the way they smile softly, or tilt their shoulders when they’re embarrassed, or perk up when you bring up something they love. It’s the kind of detail that makes conversations feel warm and playful instead of transactional.
Friendships develop slowly, organically. Romance is a journey, not a list to be checked. The longer you spend with these characters, the more the island itself begins to feel like a real neighborhood, like a place you’re made to belong to.
The size of the world plays into emotional pacing, too. Villagers aren’t gathered in a tiny cluster. They’re spread across the island: beachside homes, hilltop shacks, shops tucked into corners, farms in the valley. You actually have to set out on small walks to see people, which makes relationships feel intentional rather than automated.
Which is why Starsand Island doesn’t really feel like “another cozy game.” It felt like a place I’d actually want to return to, a home I built with my own hands, at my own pace, surrounded by characters I genuinely enjoyed spending time with.
This Ghibli-like animation lends the world this soft, enchanted touch. The phone-style UI makes everything modern and effortless. Working on different skills and improving them day by day gives meaning to every day.
The obsessive detail in everything-from objects to animations, to interactions-makes it immersive in ways it usually isn’t for this genre. The world’s size gives you room to breathe, become a wanderer, discover, and exist.
I’m honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed playing the preview build. Rare is the cozy game that feels this thoughtful, this alive, this cozy – yet not shallow. I’ll most definitely pour even more hours into it once the final game comes.
