Starsand Island, Cozy Life Sim, Shockingly Pulled from Steam Store April 9!

By:Michelle Kitz

The popular cozy life sim, Starsand Island, was suddenly removed from the Steam store on April 9, 2026, but the developer, Seed Sparkle, released an announcement on both Steam and X last night as well. The bad news, you can’t buy the game right now. The good news, you can still play if you already own it.

What Happened to Starsand Island?

Screenshot from Starsand Island, Solara, Life Sim, Seed Sparkle Lab
Screenshot from Starsand Island, Courtesy of Seed Sparkle Lab

In the game, there’s a cute little arcade where you can play mini games. This is where the problem popped up. It seems the developers used “certain core visual elements from a classic title” without permission. In their statement, the developers said:

“Due to an oversight during the planning phase, certain core visual elements from a classic title were used without proper authorization within our mini-game section. We sincerely apologize for this mistake.”

Ouch. How did someone miss that one? Well, the game is technically still in early access. And stuff happens. Is this a deal breaker for buying or playing the game? No. It’s just too cute and fun to give up for something like this.

When Will It Be Back?

According to the announcement, they’ve already submitted a new build to Steam. Once it has been reviewed and approved, our beloved Starsand Island will be back on the virtual shelf for purchase. So, no specific date, but that’s really good news. And, since I already own the game, I can tell you it has already been patched.

The folks at Seed Sparkle are clearly taking this seriously, and they want to make everyone feel better about the whole mess, too. So they’re giving the DLC “Shining Star” outfit to everyone. I can never turn down a free outfit.

If you already have the game, you won’t lose any progress or anything. It’s just the mini games that are changing. I haven’t had a chance to hop in to check it out yet, myself. They also stated that they’re making changes to their internal processes to prevent something like this in the future. Well done. We all make mistakes. Good job learning from them, Seed Sparkle.

What is Starsand Island Anyway?

Starsand Island Gameplay, Courtesy of Aunt Mikie’s Place

Starsand Island is only the cutest and coziest of life sims to hit PCs recently. If you haven’t seen it yet, and you’re a fan of cozy games or life sims, this is one to check out. You can even read a review right here! You take on the role of a young person returning to the island where you spent a lot of your childhood. You’re reunited with old friends and given the old cottage you once lived in.

Build up the house, craft tools, clothing, and more, raise animals, fish, cook, and all of the things you’d expect. But you also get to craft vehicles starting with a skateboard. You can rent scooters or animal mounts (like an adorable alpaca). And there is exploration and mild combat. Really, it’s mild. Trust my uncoordinated self on this.

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Michelle Kitz is a writer and editor for Total Apex Media. She's an incorrigible kidult residing in a rural Midwest town with her black cat. She's an author of fantasy and sci-fi. She plays video games, reads, streams videos too much, and plays TTRPGs. You can also catch her on YouTube streaming for Total Apex Media. https://michellekitz.com/