This Stardew Valley rival that has creature catching, 100 islands, and deckbuilding just got a free update

Stardew Valley might’ve opened up the floodgates of relaxing farming games, but 2023’s Moonstone Island has always been different. An eclectic mix of alchemy, farming, creature collecting, and deckbuilding, the typical life sim cornerstones that dominate Steam today are just the surface of what Studio Supersoft has to offer. There are so many genres blended here that, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure what to even call Moonstone Island. Luckily though, you can make that distinction for yourself with a big new update dropping for free.

Moonstone Island is a farming game life sim at heart. Set across 100 procedurally generated islands, you first need to pick a place to settle. From here you grow crops and brew potions, using the natural resources to tame one of the many eccentric creatures across the world. Some of the spirits are wacky like in Earthbound (think a mug of tea or fishbowl with legs) while others channel their real-world counterparts like in Pokemon. These creatures can help you in card-based deckbuilding encounters, with plenty of dungeons to explore.

That’s only one-half of what makes Moonstone Island tick, though. Between the creature catching you can befriend members of the community, take them out on dates, and even marry them. Alongside the presentation, this is the most Stardew Valley part of Moonstone Island, as you engage with the characters around you in almost exactly the same way.

Now that you’re familiar with Moonstone Island, the new Festive update comes with an awful lot. The brand-new spirits are just the tip of the creature-catching iceberg, as four new critters of the psychic, dark, ice, and electric varieties are available. They come with three new season events, a new community chest in Rowan’s Shop (it’s filled with free goodies), and a new token of affection item to help those NPCs swoon over you.

You can be much more creative too, as the furniture placement system has been updated to ensure that items “sit more snuggly against walls.” This revamped system also comes with a slew of extra decor where leaves, fungi, and autumnal browns are the name of the game. There’s also a premium set of accessories out alongside the update, and you can see all of the items available in the image below.

Studio Supersoft has now updated Moonstone Island with the free Festival update and Autumnal Accessories paid DLC, alongside more updates planned throughout 2025. You can find the game on Steam right here.

If Moonstone Island isn’t enough for you, there are plenty more games like Stardew Valley to get stuck into. Alternatively, you can easily lose hours to an array of relaxing games instead.

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