My Time at Sandrock is a 2023 farm life sim role-playing video game developed by Pathea Games and published by PM Studios and Focus Entertainment. It is the sequel to the 2019 video game My Time at Portia and was released into early access on May 26, 2022, before releasing on November 2, 2023, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S. The game was praised for its graphics while on the other hand, criticized for its repetitive gameplay.
The setting, like My Time at Portia, takes place in a post-apocalyptic world 300 years after the Day of Calamity, an event that has destroyed previous civilizations and most modern technologies, causing people to rebuild society.[2] The game starts by the player creating a character, then after that, a cutscene of the player on the train plays. The player then arrives in Sandrock, inheriting Mason's Workshop, as Mason was formerly a builder and has since retired. Sandrock combines elements of farm life sims and role-playing video games. The player first arrives to Sandrock on the first day of summer, unlike other farm sims which start on the first day of spring.
Players build up the town, farm, mine, gather resources, craft items, accept side quests (known as commissions), and explore dungeons and the ruins of the old world cities. Combat uses hack and slash mechanics. Players can also make aimed shots with gun sights. Due to the fact that Sandrock is located on a desert and therefore has a dry climate, players and residents are asked to conserve water and not to collect water from the lake. Most machines use up water, which is stored in a water tank. This is needed so that the machines do not get too hot. They are also asked not to cut trees and doing so can cause penalties to the player. Players have the option of romancing 21 NPC characters. This allows players to socialise and eventually marry some of the characters[3]
The sequel for My Time at Portia was announced in October 2020, funded through a Kickstarter campaign.[4] The campaign reached almost 10,000 backers from over 160 countries and pledged a total of $524,770.[4] For comparison, Coral Island, another farm sim that entered early access and fully released in 2022 and 2023 respectively, pledged $1.6 million.[5] The game was initially slated for release in early access in March 2021 followed by a full release in summer 2022.[6] However, after the announcement on March 2021, the early access plan was delayed because it needed to earn a "local rating certification" for online publishing.[7] After a long delay, the game finally released into early access on May 26, 2022, by PM Studios for Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. During early access, the Knives Out Update was released in April 2023, which introduced minigames, new weather, a narrative, and weddings.[8] The game was fully released on November 2, 2023, having been delayed from September 26, 2023, to ensure it meets the game's quality.[9]
Unlike My Time at Portia (which never planned to introduce multiplayer),[10] the Windows version has co-operative multiplayer.[3] The developers plan to release downloadable content (DLC) packs in 2024.[11] Cross-platform play has been available since June 2024.[12][13] The game is set to be ported onto the PlayStation 4 (PS4) on September 12, 2024[14][15]
On Metacritic, My Time at Sandrock received positive reviews for Windows and PlayStation 5, and the Switch version received mixed reviews.[19] Various critics praised the game as entertaining. Some liked its cozy nature, while others praised how the game made them fall asleep. An early access review from Rock Paper Shotgun described it as "a compelling and lusciously detailed life simulator" and praised the gameplay loop.[20]
Despite some technical issues, IGN called it "a joy" and better in almost every way than My Time at Portia.[3] They found the dungeons and combat a bit basic but said the rest of the game makes up for them.[3] Nintendo Life called it "reasonably enjoyable" but criticized the graphics, performance issues on the Switch, software bugs, and what they felt was "a lack of a distinct identity".[21] Digitally Downloaded has also reported on the technical issue and that the game is so laggy that players "can make a coffee in the time that it takes to actually load the thing"[22] However, Nintendo Life said that the patches had fixed some of the technical issues since the launch.[21] Nintendo World Report also experienced performance issues on the Switch but recommended it on the strength of its gameplay loop and enjoyable world.[23] VG247 said it combines the best parts of Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley. Although they felt the concept is not new, they praised the characters, story, and gameplay.[24] TouchArcade's review for the Nintendo Switch stated that the game felt "like one of the best sequels in the genre with how much it improves".[25]
In September 2024, Pathea Games has announced another sequel for the My Time series. This is titled My Time at Evershine.[26] It has reported that the new game will feature better multiplayer after Sandrock "may have failed to deliver on its promises of a fully fleshed-out multiplayer mode".[27][26]