Romance

Starsand Island Romance — All 15 Candidates & Gifts

Every Starsand Island romance candidate, gift preferences, heart-event progression, and tips for moving in together.

Starsand Island has 15 romance candidates at launch — 8 romanceable women and 7 romanceable men, plus the option to date any character regardless of your character's gender expression. Affection runs across five hearts and unlocks progressively deeper interactions.

How the affection system works

Affection is earned through daily conversation, gifting loved items, completing their personal main quests, and finishing bulletin-board requests that involve them. The five hearts unlock: (1) basic dating, (2) photo mode, (3) access to private rooms and weekly reward chests, (4) custom bulletin-board posts and ride-together anywhere, and (5) moving in together. The five-heart confession event is voiced in Chinese with English/Japanese subtitles.

Romance candidates at launch

The full roster includes Sylvane, Sane, Zero, and the other twelve candidates introduced through the Early Access seasons. Sylvane was a fan favourite for the voiced confession scene, while Sane was added closer to the 1.0 launch with a more streamlined romance arc. Each candidate has at least two heart events tied to their personal backstory.

Best universal gifts

The Moonflower from the Moonlit Forest is the easiest universal loved gift — almost every candidate gives 10–15 affection per Moonflower, and they respawn daily. Forageable Sunflowers and Lavender work almost as well and can be grown on your farm. Keep a stack of each and rotate them through your favourite candidates daily.

The new 1.0 dating activities

Version 1.0 adds three new dating activities once you reach 3 hearts: hot springs afternoon tea at the resort, kite flying on the south beach, and arcade token games at Lauren's shop. These add affection and trigger unique dialogue lines per candidate. Each takes roughly an in-game afternoon to complete.

Tips for moving in together

Once you reach 5 hearts, simply select Interact on the candidate and choose 'Move In'. They will appear on your homestead, walk around your farmland, and sleep in their own bed (place one first). Some animations still clip into furniture on launch day; expect fixes in the 1.0.1 patch.