Starsand Island Review — Is It Worth Playing?
Our Starsand Island review covering the cozy loop, romance system, multiplayer, and the bugs that held back launch.
Last verified: 2026-08-19
Aggregated scores
Steam users rate Starsand Island Very Positive with 87% of 2,556 reviews positive. NookGaming's launch-day review scored it 7/10 and recommended the game with caveats. The game's Metacritic-style sentiment across press and player channels is broadly favourable, particularly for the farming, crafting, and romance pillars.
What reviewers liked
Press consistently praised the Studio-Ghibli-flavoured art direction, the 15-candidate romance roster, and the 4-player multiplayer host system. The October 2025 'Profession & Life' expansion gave the game meaningful short- and long-term goals, and the 1.0 launch delivered on the long-promised multiplayer.
Common criticisms
The most cited issues are launch bugs: NPCs occasionally disappearing from their usual spots, rain rendering indoors, and PS5 performance dips in dense Moonlit Forest zones. Several reviewers felt the central story was thin compared to the romance and farming depth. Performance is expected to improve over the first two patches.
Who should buy it
Starsand Island is an easy recommend if you like Stardew Valley, My Time at Portia, or Story of Seasons and you want a 4-player multiplayer take on the genre. If you primarily care about a deep central narrative, you may want to wait for the first major post-launch patch.