Petit Planet Gamescom Preview: Galactic Life Sim Has All The Ingredients To Rival Animal Crossing

Published Sep 1, 2026, 9:01 AM EDT James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC. In all of the chaos of Gamescom and the chances offered to play intense RPGs or fast-paced action games, sometimes its nice to have an hour to relax a little and slow the pace of the show down. That was the role played by HoYoverse's Petit Planet this year, and the cosy galactic life sim really could serve the same purpose for those who are just looking to relax at the end of a long day. The titan of the genre is, and will be for some time to come, Animal Crossing, and there have been plenty of releases in the intervening period that aim to capture some of that same magic. Well, not only has Petit Planet managed to do that in spades, but it also brings plenty of ingenuity into play that could help it stand alone as one of the best cosy games of the last decade. Take To The Stars HoYoverse The game opens up by allowing players to create their own character, and though the options here started off in a relatively limited manner, you will unlock plenty more customizations as you play the game. From there, you meet Mobai (Mo to this friends), a big dog who serves as your friend and mentor of the same type as Tom Nook as you set out to find your own home among the stars. After a basic guide to how it's all going to work, Mo accompanies the player into the Starsea to their chosen planet, where you'll work together (alongside other friends) to really make it your own. It's a gentle and familiar start to proceedings, and while it doesn't break any notable boundaries here, it's very competent and logical in its approach to the earliest throes. It's here that you'll be introduced to arguably Petit Planet's most unique mechanic, the Luca Arbor. Essentially, this is a special plant that you'll sew at the center of your new home. As you complete tasks and work through each main mission, your Luca Jar will fill with a special, nurturing liquid, then when it fills up, you can water the plant. The real kicker is that each time it grows, your planet will change, with new life added or new crops to harvest. This source of life gives the player a clear sense of progression that's sometimes lacking in what can be a very freeform genre, and seeing these new elements appear on the map makes each milestone feel like you've really achieved something. Make Yourself At Home HoYoverse From there, you will quickly slip into a bit of a routine, and it is one that will feel familiar to anyone who has spent time playing similar games. You'll harvest fruit and vegetables, do a spot of fishing, and construct your home, which is fully customizable with a huge variety of furniture items and decorations. Again, while many of these features don't feel particularly groundbreaking, they are remarkably well-executed on the whole, and rewarding, rather than boring, on a moment-to-moment basis. At the same time, you'll find more folks of various different ilks will want to come and live on your planet too, particularly as you make it more comfortable. These characters come with their own useful traits, with the example I saw during my hands-on being a character who came with particularly green fingers. After giving it a couple of days, we soon had tomatoes growing freely, which in turn allowed us to cook new meals for our burgeoning community. Petit Planet, Big Ambition HoYoverse The proof in the Petit Planet pudding will come when the full game launches in earnest, but the hour-long window we were given to do with as we pleased was more than enough to prove that the foundation is absolutely there. The real test will likely be longevity, meaningful content updates, and providing enough stuff for the player to do without it feeling like a loop or a grind. The galactic elements also serve as a great potential differentiator, and it wouldn't be a bad thing to see the developer lean on those more as players progress through the game, beyond using it as a device to setup the premise. Systems Released 2026 Developer(s) HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo) Publisher(s) HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo) Multiplayer Online Multiplayer Number of Players Single-player Genre(s) Life Simulation, Farming, Exploration