For the last few decades, Animal Crossing has dominated the “cozy life sim” genre. However, since the release of New Horizons in 2020, some developers have tried to take a shot at recreating the magic of the franchise. While we already got a major hit earlier this year in the form of Pokémon Pokopia, Hoyoverse is set to throw its hat into the ring with Petit Planet, releasing in winter 2026. During Gamescom 2026, I had the chance to play a little bit of the game for myself, and so far, I am absolutely enamored with Hoyoverse’s take on the genre.
The premise immediately caught my eye. Rather than simply arriving at a new island, Petit Planet sends your player character to an uninhabited planet in the middle of the cosmos. Alongside a cast of charming characters, you are instructed to slowly liven up the planet by feeding its core, Luca Tree. Every time you feed it, new forms of life are added to the world, such as plants, fish, and insects. As more people arrive on your planet, you can build further homes on the world you started with, or try to explore further locations in the cosmos.
There is something so inherently charming about the idea of exploring the cosmos and building upon different worlds that you come across. It certainly helps that, at the very beginning of the demo, I was able to choose if I wanted to build on a sandy dune or a more grass-filled planet. I opted to choose the former, but I suspect there will be far more planet options in the full game. The visuals also look very pretty as well, with the cel-shaded look bringing a good amount of personality to the world and the characters that inhabit it.
Speaking of characters, that is another core part of Petit Planet‘s identity. When you explore a planet, you will meet other characters that you can interact with and develop further bonds with as time goes on. For instance, early on in the game, a character named Yunguo will stop by on your planet. She’s quite aloof and shy, but has a clear passion for plants and vegetables. If you provide her with gifts that take her interests into account, your bond will progress further, giving you even more dialogue and benefits to your relationship. It is a great system, made even better by each character having full voice acting.
Gameplay-wise, it is exactly what you’d expect: it is all about collecting resources. These can be found by fishing at lakes or by catching scattered bugs, as well as through harvesting crops and other plants. While it may not innovate on the genre, the Luca Tree mechanic helps to freshen up the gameplay loop. The fact that your resource collecting is constantly being used to add even more resources to the environment means you always have a reason to keep playing. Further, the customization options for both your character and your home, alongside the side quests that characters can offer, will ensure that players won’t be getting bored anytime soon.
I certainly wasn’t bored during my time playing Petit Planet. I went in expecting a game that felt more like it was trying to copy Animal Crossing, and instead I got a delightful experience that made me eager to try more. My hope is that the full release will fill the cozy life sim hole in my heart when it launches in winter 2026 for PC (Epic Games Store), Android, and iOS.
