Summary
AStardew Valley-like game calledCoral Islandwill reach the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 14. Its console release date was announced just over a year afterCoral Islandlaunched on Xbox Game Passand Steam in early access.
The first-ever title from indie developer Stairway Games has been in active production since late 2019. A year and a half later,Coral Islandraised over $1.6 million on Kickstarterfrom 36,374 backers. Stairway then partnered with Humble Games—the publishing arm of Humble Bundle—in March 2022, before going on to release the preview version of its farming sim that October.
Coral Islandis now on the verge of leaving early access, with its 1.0 version scheduled to be released on November 14. That date will also see the game launch on the current-generation PlayStation and Xbox consoles. The 1.0 version ofCoral Islandwill retail at $29.99, a $5 increase compared to its early access period. Stairway cited the massive influx of new content as the reason for the price hike, positing that the new figure better reflects the overall quantity and quality of everything thatCoral Islandwill have to offer from mid-November.
The 1.0 update will deepenCoral Island’s extensive romance optionswith the introduction of marriage and family mechanics, and debut a new story quest geared toward revitalizing the town located on the game’s titular island. New NPC interactions are also part of the incoming package, together with a pet adoption system, additional underwater locations, and more furnishing options, among many other novelties.
The overall gameplay loop ofCoral Islandshould appeal to bothStardew ValleyandAnimal Crossingfans, as well as anyone who values diversity and inclusivity in their entertainment. The farming sim is also planned to be released for the Switch, although its port to Nintendo’s hybrid console will lag behind the other platforms. Specifically, the Switch version of the game is still lacking a release date, with Stairway merely stating that it’s currently aiming for a 2024 eShop launch.
Elaborating on that state of affairs, the studio explained that it simply needs more time to polishCoral Island’s Switch port. Any Kickstarter backers who originally opted to buy the Switch version of the farming sim but are now running out of patience can alter their choice and request a Steam key by emailing the developer at support@stairwaygames.com and placing “Request to exchange to a Steam key” in the subject line. This option is only available until the end of October, as any such platform changes must be confirmed come November 1.
Coral Islandis available now on PC and launches November 14 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. A Switch version is also in development.
