Petit Planet is HoYoverse's huge Stardew Valley rival, and you can play it early

While most of you probably associate me with competitive multiplayer games like League of Legends or story-driven RPGs like Dragon Age, one of my most-played games is Disney Dreamlight Valley. While I'm highly competitive - sometimes to a fault - there's something so serene about harvesting materials, watering plans, and aimless exploration. While HoYoverse certainly has the exploration part down with Genshin Impact, its newest venture, Petit Planet, is more reminiscent of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing, and I won't lie, it looks amazing.

Despite its name, HoYo's first foray into the life game sphere, Petit Planet, is anything but small. You'll start off on your own planet, then venture into the Starsea in an adorable Herbie-style car to check out other worlds and befriend their inhabitants. The developer says that you can "decorate the sky, coast, and land as you wish," making "your planet your canvas" - sounds good to me.

Petit Planet's debut trailer sees the player character build out their homestead, tend to their farm, and enjoy a bite to eat with the adorable Yunguo, a budding botanist that's reminiscent of a red panda. We then see a blue, almost spectral tree, with glowing orbs with different vistas contained within. It seems like this may be your access point to the Starsea, with areas only being unlocked when your current planet's growth reaches a specific level.

Then, you can strap in and head off into the cosmos in your trusty brown car, where you'll meet all sorts of new characters, known as Neighbors. There's Isaki the adorable battle beetle trainer, Meadowlyn the plushie crafter, and Frostia the mysterious mystic scholar. Isaki's home planet is filled with rocks and vast emerald plains, while Medowlyn's is a pink beach paradise and Frostia's is a more traditional costal area. We see another character in the trailer too, who appears to hail from a desert planet, and two other figures who we don't have names for yet.

It looks like you'll be able to get together with your friends and explore the cosmos together, go shopping, and even throw dance parties. Aesthetically, it feels very Animal Crossing, but the scale is just so much bigger.

But there's more. HoYoverse has already opened up sign-ups to test out the game. The Petit Planet Coziness test sign ups are open now, with HoYoverse calling it a "small-scale beta test with a data wipe." You can sign up right here and vibe away to the music.

The Petit Planet release date hasn't been confirmed yet, but given it's already in beta, it'll probably drop sometime next year.

If you're looking for something to play in the meantime, here's a list of games like Stardew Valley, as well as our guide to all the best farming games.

Are you excited for HoYoverse's Animal Crossing-style adventure? Let us know on Discord, and show us all of your cute homesteads from DDV, Stardew, and beyond.