I backed Sugardew Island in 2024 on Kickstarter. I paid for the $35 tier which included Early Access and my name in the credits. For context, the game releases at half that cost for $16.99. This should give you some transparency to my bias of the game but also why I greatly enjoy games like these.

I’m a huge Harvest Moon nerd back to my Nintendo 64 days. This obviously carried to games like Stardew Valley, which reignited the genre and seems to be the naming inspiration for this game. If it’s not obvious, I’m going to highly recommend Sugardew Island. I spent 20 hours playing in Early Access and created a whole guide with spreadsheet support. This doesn’t even factor in the bias from backing the Kickstarter.

Knowing this, however, I wanted to highlight why I liked this game compared to other cozy farming sim games. I’ve played plenty in the past, the ones above and more: Wylde Flowers, Coral Island, and even Palia.

To start, I’m going to list things Sugardew Island doesn’t have, because it’s long and I think some folks expect more from the developers. I once said all cozy games have fishing, but this one doesn’t! It’s a shame because there’s plenty of fishing spots and the water looks so inviting. It also doesn’t include things from other farming sims such as mining, combat, cooking, family raising, gift giving, bug catching, and museum donations. Your character is on a remote island and it truly feels that way.

Your goal is to raise crops, raise animals, and restore the Harmony tree. The side quests include completing Bulletin Board tasks for NPC residents to go on dates. Anything else is extra. You do have the opportunity to improve buildings and improve your tools. Crafting is limited to cosmetics and energy bars for additional energy (or stamina). Other than that, it’s just you and nature.

The one thing this game includes that isn’t found in many other games is the Shop. You raise crops and can sell them in your shop to local nature spirits for both money and Harmony, which completes quests to restore the Harmony Tree. For context, the only other game I’ve played with a shop was Garden Paws, another fun farming sim game.

The developers referred to this game as casual, and it truly captures the peaceful, outdoor vibes most people yearn for. Your days are not timed, you cannot pass out or lose money, your crops and animals aren’t punished if you can’t afford to water and feed them, and you’re not required to upgrade anything.

This game is easy to pick up, play for a bit, then put down and forget your progress. There’s no expectation of 20 wiki tabs to refer to when gathering items and roaming the island. All NPCs are accessible at all times and found on the map. You can feed your animals and water your crops at any time. Same with gathering the harvest or animal products. Forget to fertilize your seeds? You can even do that at any point in the growth cycle.

Many games feel like a grind to complete or punish you for not min-maxing the entire time. This game does not do that by any means. You go about your day, do what you want, then progress to the next day when it’s convenient for you. Completing quests leave you to a relaxing scene by the ocean rather than burdening you with more tasks.

If you want a true cozy farming sim game, Sugardew Island is for you. You can 100% complete the Steam achievements with one playthrough. My current playthrough is over 20 hours and I still have more to complete. For the current price point of $16.99, you get your money’s worth with the full play time. The developers also shared the game caters to a younger crowd who may not be as experienced in these games. Nice change of pace compared to me playing Harvest Moon in elementary school!

If you’re not fully sold, check out the demo before you buy. I love playing this game and I’m guessing you will too! And yes, you can pet ALL of the animals!