Starsand Island Has Good News for Steam Players

Starsand Island is offering a free bundle of new outfits exclusively for Steam users. The game already has a few DLCs, including a free Chinese-themed pack and a paid bundle of European furniture and clothing. This new free DLC, however, is one of the first Early Access releases for Starsand Island, though many players may be disappointed that it’s limited to a single platform.

As one of the most anticipated cozy games of 2026, Starsand Island has gotten off to a strong start. According to SteamDB, the game has drawn over 10,000 concurrent players on Steam and seems to be gaining popularity among Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users as well. However, the launch hasn’t been entirely smooth, with several controversies, particularly on Valve’s storefront. Now, developer Seed Sparkle Lab appears to be addressing these issues by offering Steam users a free cosmetic DLC.

What to Expect From Starsand Island’s Stardew Valley-Like Gameplay

Starsand Island is making its waves in the cozy sim genre by being a true Stardew-like, but it promises fresh twists to help it stand out.

Starsand Island Gives Free DLC to Steam Users

Announced on Twitter, Starsand Island will offer a bundle of four cosmetics to PC players on Steam as both a thank-you gift and compensation for early launch issues. The DLC includes the Yellow Swimsuit Outfit Set and the Pink Frog Pajama Outfit Set, each available for male and female characters. Currently, the free DLC is awaiting Valve’s approval to go live on the store, but developer Seed Sparkle Lab says it should be processed within one to three days.

Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.

Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)

Part of the reason the developer is offering this bundle is to address some of Starsand Island‘s recent controversies. Many Steam users raised concerns over the game’s restrictive EULA, which hinted at in-game microtransactions and limited mod support. Technical issues also prevented many players from enjoying the game at launch. On top of this, Seed Sparkle Lab faced accusations of using bots or fake reviews to inflate the game’s average Steam score.

Seed Sparkle Lab has confirmed that Starsand Island will have no in-game purchases and will support mods. The studio has also denied any involvement in the alleged review-padding campaigns.

How to Claim the Free DLC in Starsand Island

Log in to the Steam account that owns Starsand Island
Go to the game’s official Steam page
Scroll down to the “Content for this Game” section
Click the free bundle and download it

Claiming the upcoming free outfits works the same way as Starsand Island‘s Chinese New Year Furniture and Fashion DLC. Players first log into their Steam account with the game, then visit its store page and find the “Content for This Game” section. From there, they simply click the free bundle and download it.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers may be disappointed that the free DLC is Steam-exclusive. The developer, however, reassures players that more gift content is on the way and has teased co-creation activities for all fans, though no dates have been announced.

Free DLC Isn’t the Only Good News for Starsand Island Fans

In response to recent backlash, developer Seed Sparkle Lab confirmed that one of the biggest player criticisms has been addressed. Starsand Island‘s voice lines will be expanded, and more story-driven interactions will be added before the 1.0 release. “We have taken note of [the feedback] and will add more voice lines and narrative content in the full release to further enrich your gameplay experience,” said the developer.

Although the game features well-known voice actors like Yuka Iguchi, who voiced Tsukihi Araragi in the Monogatari series, the current voice lines are very limited. Many players were disappointed by how text-heavy most interactions and cutscenes are, prompting the developer to take action ahead of the official launch.