Starsand Island is one of many life simulation games that’s targeting an early 2026 release, with a demo of the first 10 in-game days playable on Steam right now. Inspired by a mixture of The Sims and Stardew Valley but with an anime twist, Starsand Island sees the player moving back to their childhood hometown on the titular island in pursuit of a simpler lifestyle.
It’s almost a given at this point that a cosy life sim – especially one where you could use an extra pair of hands around the farm – will feature a romance system in some capacity, and Starsand Island seems determined to outdo Stardew Valley when it comes to the archetypal variety on offer in its roster of potential love interests. While the game isn’t out yet, we’ve already caught a glimpse of a number of the island’s eligible bachelors and bachelorettes. Read on for everything we know so far about the romance options in Starsand Island.
Starsand Island romance options
Seed Lab has stated that Starsand Island will maintain an even gender balance when it comes to male and female love interests. So far, 16 romanceable characters in total have been revealed in some capacity. However, since the game is still in development the line-up may still be subject to change, and Seed Lab have hinted that not every planned dateable character has yet been revealed.
Players have noted that recent dateable character promotional materials have focussed heavily on female love interests, with previously revealed male romanceable NPCs Loren, Lucian, and Marston all notably absent from the latest set of info cards shown below. However, Seed Lab has implied that these materials weren’t comprehensive, and so far there’s been no suggestion that these characters have been outright cut — it’s more likely that their artwork is still being finalised, although we’ll have to wait and see.
With all that said, here’s who we’ve met so far.
Aurelis ♂
The owner and chef at Starsand Island’s fanciest (and only) restaurant, Aurelis is there to ensure that you have a posh gentleman archetype to romance if that’s what suits your fancy. Appropriate to the established tropes, he seems a bit snobby at first but is quickly revealed to be a big old nerd when it comes to his passion for food science.
Delphin ♂
Delphin is one of the protagonist’s childhood friends, who encounters them again as their Fishing Mentor and owner of the island’s all-purpose fishing and diving supply store. Unsurprisingly the ocean is his passion and he rarely strays far from the beach. He’s described as expressive and unconventional, and has a bit of a brooding look about him.
Graminova ♂
Oddly enough Graminova is a late addition to the love interest line-up, his existence only announced towards the end of development despite playing a rather key role in the game as your Farming Mentor. He’s very serious about pursuing his botanical studies, but is always willing to lend the protagonist a helping hand setting up their farm.
Loren ♂
Along with Delphin and Solara, Loren is another of the protagonist’s childhood friends, and he now runs a café on Starsand Island. He fits the archetype of the laid-back, slightly quirky guy, with one of his defining characteristics being an interest in coming up with weird and wonderful new drinks concoctions to test out on his customers.
Lucian ♂
Something of a mystery man, Lucian is so comically over-the-top goth-coded I’m tempted to call him an all-out steampunk gentleman. Described with so many disparate skills as to make him a jack of all trades, it’s not entirely clear what his role in the game will be yet, but it seems as though – despite his formal attire – he can be found hanging out on the beach.
Lunelle ♀
Lunelle owns the island’s clothing store and is a modest but very fashionable woman who comes from a wealthy background. Despite her interest in outward appearances she’s also one of the most compassionate residents of the island, known for kindly listening to everyone and offering help and comfort when her neighbours are troubled.
Marston ♂
The dock manager and lifeguard down at the beach, not much is known about Marston other than the fact that he’s very dedicated to ensuring the islanders’ safety. Based on his appearance as glimpsed in trailers, he seems to be riffing on the idea of a rather by-the-book authority figure who is nevertheless appealing in his genuine commitment to serving his community.
Neona ♀
One of the more “mature” ladies of Starsand Island (at least by anime standards), Neona owns the island’s vehicle shop. A confident woman who’s not afraid to be direct, Neona is the former leader of a motorcycle club, giving you the option to pursue a love interest who strikes a balance between security and a thrilling hint of danger.
Pastelle ♀
Rancher Pastelle is the island’s Livestock Mentor, raising various species of animals on her farm near the centre of town and assisting you with all your animal husbandry queries. She’s got the farm girl archetype down, being extremely competent when she’s around her animals but rather shy and uncertain when it comes to human interaction.
Serena ♀
Serena is simultaneously described as a free spirit and something of a proper lady, with the implication that there’s a wild side carefully hidden under her somewhat demure exterior. She owns Starsand Island’s furniture store and has big dreams as a designer in her own right, although her finished creations are often considered a little avante garde.
Solara ♀
Introduced in the game’s opening cutscene as your character’s childhood best friend, Solara is a cute and friendly young lady with a rather obvious unresolved crush on our protagonist. Whether this is mutual or not is (mainly) up to you – there are some held gazes flying around regardless – but either way you’ll be spending a lot of time together, since she’s also the Mayor’s granddaughter and something of an unofficial island representative. Think Isabelle from Animal Crossing in human form.
Stella ♀
Not much is known about Stella, who was only recently announced by Seed Lab as a love interest we can expect to meet once the full game launches. Her styling as a pop-punk musical princess is giving me serious Avril Lavigne flashbacks, and given that most other romanceable characters are either hobby mentors or store owners, I’m predicting that she’ll be leading the introduction of a musical pastime in Starsand Island.
Zephyria ♂
Starsand Island’s resident Exploration Mentor, Zephyria is rather gender-ambiguous in design and was rumouredly considered as a non-binary character at some point, but is currently consistently referred to with he/him pronouns. As President of the Exploration Club, this dashing archer is eager to teach you all the forms of combat you might need in order to master the dungeon crawls through the island’s underground cave systems.
Zerine ♀
Those familiar with early concept art of Zerine might have noticed that she’s undergone quite the redesign since she was first revealed, going from a reserved cybergoth to a timid schoolgirl-esque Hatsune Miku-alike. Cue some wild fan theories that maybe this Zerine is the robot avatar of the real Zerine which, hey, may turn out to be true for all I know. She owns Starsand Island’s general store, and acts as your Crafting Mentor.
Gust & Ginger ♂♀
Siblings Gust and Ginger from My Time At Portia will be visiting Starsand Island as part of the collaboration between the two games. They were potential love interests for the protagonist in their game of origin, and based on the reveal so far, it seems likely that they will be romanceable in Starsand Island as well: Seed Lab have confirmed that they’ll each have four heart-levels of affection and individual stories.
Excited for Starsand Island? So are we, so watch this space! In the meantime, if cosy upcoming life sims are your thing, be sure to check out our Heartopia guides too!