The highly anticipated life-sim title with Genshin Impact-style visuals, Starsand Island, is launching headfirst into early access on PC (Steam) and Xbox. Developer Seed Sparkle Lab has confirmed that the full version of the game will launch later in summer 2026 on the aforementioned platforms, as well as on PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Unlike many Chinese anime-style games, Starsand Island is a premium title, with the standard early access version costing $27.3 on Steam. Unlike Steam, Xbox offers an Xbox Game Pass subscription service, and you may be wondering if Starsand Island is coming to it.
Can you play Starsand Island on Xbox Game Pass?
Fortunately, yes, Starsand Island is coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one. However, it will only be available on Game Pass Ultimate–the most expensive variant of the service, with a monthly cost of $29.99, which is slightly more than the cost of the game on Steam.
However, Game Pass tends to offer several in-game benefits for specific titles. These include skins, currencies, and crafting materials. Starsand Island may get similar treatment, so it’s worth checking it out through this service.
Additionally, Starsand Island is an ‘Xbox Play Anywhere’ title, which means you can play the game and share progress across its Xbox consoles and PC (via Xbox App) versions. This also includes every handheld device with Xbox support, such as Xbox Rog Ally X, Lenovo Legion Go S, and MSI Claw 8 AI.
Can you purchase Starsand Island on Xbox?
Unfortunately, Starsand Island is currently unavailable to purchase on the Xbox Store. The only way to try the game in its early access period is to upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. While this is strangely limiting, it may be due to the game being part of the Xbox Game Preview program (early access). Things might change when version 1.0 arrives.
Starsand Island is now available to pre-load on Xbox consoles and takes over 9 GB of space, almost half of its Steam counterpart. The game doesn’t include in-app purchases, Seed Sparkle Lab has confirmed, though you could expect paid DLCs and cosmetic items in the future.
For more on the game, including its PC system requirements, don’t forget to check out our Starsand Island release date countdown article.
