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2 weeks ago
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Published Feb 21, 2026, 7:54 PM EST
Stephanie Watel is a writer for DualShockers. She has over three years of experience writing about all things video games, from news to lists to in-depth guides in a variety of genres. Her strongest niches start with RPGs and also include platformers, horrors of every variety, cozy builders and sims. She also enjoys a good looter shooter and the occasional gacha adventure.
Games have been her biggest passion since getting a Nintendo 64 for Christmas in the 90's and she carries that passion into all of her published content. With DualShockers, she specializes in crafting polished, informative, and enjoyable gaming guides that help pave a clear path for players and don't skimp on the details that matter most.
Settling into your new farmstead home on Starsand Island isn't just about the grind to mountains of best-selling items or pastures of livestock, or even unearthing the strangest mysteries the island has to offer. At its core, it's about the more wholesome aspects of island living, which includes getting to know the locals.
If you want to take things a bit further, the game does dip its toe into the option of romance for certain NPCs. Here's how romance works in Starsand Island, which characters are eligible for you to romance, and the best ways to facilitate it.
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How Romance Works in Starsand Island
As you build your new life in Starsand Island and become acquainted with the locals, you can also start building strong friendships with many of them. Furthermore, if it's something you want to pursue with your current character, one of those friendships can lead to a romance (at least as far as the game will allow).
Similar to other slice-of-life sim games, soft romance is an option in Starsand Island (as of early access) with certain NPCs, which are deemed bachelors (male) and bachelorettes (female). There's no gender constraint in terms of whom you want to start a romance with. However, you can only choose one at a time.
To progress toward a romance with a bachelor/bachelorette, you need to increase their Affection level up to Level 5, which takes a substantial amount of time to do. Once you've reached that level, you'll unlock the option to have them move into your home (make sure you have the space to do so).
More romance-related options, such as marriage and having children, may become available in future updates to the game, but as of now, living together is the endgame for all eligible characters.
How to Increase Affection Levels in Starsand Island
The crux of blossoming a romance in Starsand Island is increasing your chosen bachelor/bachelorette's Affection level, which represents the affection they have for you. This is identified by the heart gauge at the top of their dialogue box whenever you speak to them. You can also view your progress from a broader scope via the 'Residents' tab in the Social app.
As you interact with NPCs in different ways, you'll often earn Affection Points, which contribute to their respective Affection level gauge. You can earn a set amount of points each day, and committing to it consistently will help you strengthen those bonds in no time.
There are a few different ways to increase an NPC's Affection level, which are listed below.
|
Talking |
5 x Points (daily) |
Approach and speak to the NPC using the dialogue options available. |
|
Bulletin Board Requests |
15 - 30 x Points (depending on difficulty) |
Check the Bulletin Board at the Community Center daily and pick up requests posted by the NPC you want to romance. Completing its objectives will reward you with Coins and Affection Points. Depending on the difficulty of the request, you may be able to earn more points. |
|
Return Lost Items |
20 x Points (per item) |
Lost Items are small, stranded gift boxes that you can find in random locations around the map. Pick them up and the dialogue box will indicate whom they belong to. Return them to their respective owner to earn Affection points. If it happens to be the NPC you seek to romance, all the better. |
|
Gifts |
10 x Points (liked items) 15 x Points (loved items) |
Each day, you can offer an NPC an item from your inventory as a heartfelt gift. If it's an item they like, you'll receive 10 Affection points in return. If it's an item they love, you'll get 15 Affection points, which is the maximum. However, if you accidentally give them an item they dislike or hate, you won't get any points. Each NPC has their own likes and dislikes when it comes to items, so be mindful. You can only give one gift per day per NPC. |
|
Quests |
Dependent on quest |
Sometimes, the NPC you want to romance will be tied to one of the game's main quests. This particularly applies to the bachelors/bachelorettes who are mentors, as you'll need to complete various quests for them to upgrade your certifications. Those can reward up to 50 x Affection points each, making mentors the easiest and quickest NPCs to romance (if that's your preferred method). |
All Bachelors in Starsand Island
There's a total of seven bachelor characters to choose from in Starsand Island, and they can all be found in various spots around the island. Below is a list of them all, with details on where to find them and the best gifts to give them.
Aurelis
- Location: Aureleaf Kitchen (owner) on the southeast side of Starsand Town
Aurelis Gifts Guide
|
Aurorite Ore |
|
Grilled Chicken Wings Garlic Dragon Fruit Egg Peanut Brown Tiger Prawn Tuna Red Carp Truffle |
|
Bamboo Leaf Softwood |
|
Glazed Cicada |
Delphin
- Location: AquaBlue Outpost (owner) on the right side of Half-Moon Bay
Delphin Gifts Guide
|
Twilight Succulent Moonflower Pink Orchid |
|
Chilled Twilight Salad Cabbage Dragon Fruit Frost Fizz Smashed Cucumber Mirthshroom Soup Moondew Shroom |
|
Gold Ore Softwood |
|
Fiddler Crab Scallop |
Graminova
- Location: Works in and around the Happiness Seed Shop in Starsand Town.
Graminova Gifts Guide
|
Garlic Cabbage Mirthshroom Red Sleep Lily Moondew Shroom Sunveil Shroom Twilight Succulent |
|
Mirthshroom Soup Light Blue Hydrangea |
|
Bamboo Leaf Softwood |
|
Veggie Bait Feather |
Loren
- Location: Chrono Arcade (owner) on the right side of Starsand Town, near the Community Center
Loren Gifts Guide
|
Tin Ingot Radiant Core Copper Ingot Iron Sheet Starflare Core |
|
Vita Lemon Tea Dragon Fruit Lamb Skewers Mirthshroom Soup |
|
Simple Pellet |
|
Light Blue Hydrangea |
Sylvain
- Location: Silvan Notes (owner) shop between Starsand Town and Half-Moon Bay
Sylvain Gifts Guide
|
Twilight Succulent Red Sleep Lily Moonflower Blue Hydrangea Pink Orchid |
|
Purple Hydrangea Moondew Shroom Water Spinach |
|
Copper |
|
Ripening Fertilizer I Glazed Cicada Frost Fizz |
Youfang
- Location: Bastrom Heights north of Starsand Town
Youfang Gifts Guide
|
Bamboo Bamboo Leaf |
|
Beef Jerky Forest Treasure Bowl Light Blue Hydrangea Blue Hydrangea Dragon Fruit Tofu Seaweed Soup Glazed Cicada Moonflower Moondew Shroom |
|
Grilled Chicken Wings Wool |
|
Tin Runebird Fragment |
Zephyria
- Location: Exploration Club (owner) north of your homestead in Green Meadow
Zephyria Gifts Guide
|
Twilight Succulent Mirthshroom Sunveil Shroom Moondew Shroom |
|
Luminfrog Fragment Quartz Ore Tin Pink Hydrangea Red-Hot Medley Celeste Berry Celeb Moth Pasture Grass |
|
Tiger Puffer Softwood Plank |
|
Meat Bait |
All Bachelorettes in Starsand Island
There's a total of eight bachelorette characters to choose from in Starsand Island, and they can all be found in various spots around the island. Below is a list of them all, including details on where to find them and the best gifts to give them.
Alex
- Location: Lex Woodworks (owner) on south side of Starsand Town
|
Diamond |
|
Tin Ingot Hardwood Softwood Coconut Tomato Beef Stew |
|
Copper Ingot Softwood Plank Glass Pane |
|
Arrow |
Lunelle
- Location: Ethereal Styles (owner) on west side of Starsand Town
|
Flannel Linen |
|
Blue Hydrangea Pink Hydrangea Light Blue Hydrangea Velvet Moonflower Mirthshroom |
|
Iron Quartz Luminwing Butterfly Glazed Cicada Frost Fizz |
|
Chinese Perch |
Neona
- Location: G-Power Bike shop near Half-Moon Bay
|
Tin Ingot Copper Ingot |
|
Pumpkin Cabbage Moonflower Coconut Sunflower Seeds |
|
Clownfish |
|
Luminwing Butterfly |
Pastelle
- Location: Green Pasture Ranch (owner) in Green Meadow
|
Rabbit Feed Cow Feed Duck Feed Pig Feed |
|
Wheat Pasture Grass Water Spinach Forest Treasure Bowl Twilight Succulent |
|
Vita Lemon Tea |
|
Glazed Cicada |
Serena
- Location: Bloom Atelier (owner) on northeast side of Starsand Town
|
Starflare Core Velvet Diamond |
|
Twilight Succulent Dragon Fruit Red-Hot Medley Leek Garlic Pumpkin Moondew Shroom Potato |
|
Chinese Perch Glazed Cicada |
|
Bug Bait |
Solara
- Location: Community Center in Starsand Town or often near your homestead
|
TBD |
|
Wheat Moonflower Moondew Shroom Twilight Succulent Dragon Fruit Pumpkin Celeste Berries |
|
Chinese Perch Cicada Solarwing Butterfly |
|
Bug Bait |
Stella
- Location: Woof & Wow Pets shop (owner) on the north side of Starsand Town
|
Black Tea Macaron |
|
Pasture Grass Frost Fizz Honey Blue Hydrangea Watermelon Moonflower Mirthshroom |
|
Flannel Charcoal Bamboo Leaf Tin Ingot Softwood |
|
TBD |
Zerine
- Location: Zerine's General Store on southwest side of Starsand Town
|
Moonflower Pollen Quartz Flannel Runebird Fragment Copper Ore Moonflower Pollen |
|
Moonflower Blue Hydrangea Sugarcane Twilight Succulent Mirthshroom Cabbage Frost Fizz |
|
Rabbit Poop Bug Bait Copper Sheet |
|
Glazed Cicada Celeb Moth |
Released February 11, 2026
Developer(s) Seed Lab
Publisher(s) Seed Lab
Multiplayer Online Co-Op
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