It's announcement after announcement with HoYoverse lately, and just on the heels of its Honkai: Nexus Anima reveal, the publisher has introduced Petit Planet. It's a painfully cute, Animal Crossing-inspired life sim that takes yet another HoYo game setting to the stars. I'm beginning to sense a theme here.
From the looks of it, Petit Planet gives us all a little corner of the galaxy to decorate and nourish. Over time, new neighbors show up and shape the world with you. Their friendship impacts how your planet grows, and you'll do all of the day-to-day basics like gardening, crafting, and decorating while seeing your little cosmic community thrive.
Petit Planet release date details and speculation
Does Petit Planet have a release date?
No, there's no release date for Petit Planet yet. HoYoverse hasn't even given us a general window yet, so all we can do is speculate and look at some of the developer's historical timelines.
Its more recent games, like Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero, saw around two years between their first reveal trailers and their release dates, with a total of three betas available before launch. None of this is to say we've got a long wait for Petit Planet, but we've at least got some idea of HoYo's typical cycle.
So what happened to Astaweave Haven? Is it Petit Planet?
Astaweave Haven was never officially announced, though a 2024 VG247 report highlights social media accounts registered in China suggesting that something could have existed with that name. Eagle-eyed fans on Reddit later spotted Astaweave accounts being renamed to Petit Planet, and nothing more came of the name Astaweave, so my assumption is that it was a temporary title they've since replaced.
Petit Planet coziness test beta and pre-registration
When is the Petit Planet beta?
The first Petit Planet closed beta started on November 7, 2025 and all invites were sent out by November 12. So if you haven't received an email about the beta yet, sorry, looks like you're with me in the "no beta tests for you" club. I'll see you in the YouTube comments.
If you want to make double-sure you haven't been granted access, then you can visit the Petit Planet official website and log in with your HoYoverse account, then click the 'Check Eligibility' button.
The second beta test, if following HoYo tradition, probably won't be available for over a year. So let's all hope Petit Planet doesn't follow HoYo tradition this time.
Is pre-registration for Petit Planet open?
Yes, you can pre-register for Petit Planet now through the same site. There's no word yet on what rewards you'll get for signing up early, but they're typically a handful of goodies like in-game currency and other extra resources. While HoYo freebies are typically available after launch, even if you didn't pre-register, this hasn't been confirmed for Petit Planet, so there's a chance it may be too late to cash in if you wait until launch.
Petit Planet trailers
First trailer
The first Petit Planet trailer dropped in the midst of the 2025 Tokyo Game Show. If you've played a certain other cozy life sim from Nintendo, then HoYo's project looks familiar. I probably shouted "oh my god, that's like Animal Crossing!" after every few seconds. But I mean that in a good way—Animal Crossing is why I still own a Switch.
It certainly seems to come with all of the series staples, with clips showing off its neighborly woodland creatures, resource gathering, and socializing with other players. My only hope is that it brings us twists on Animal Crossing's features, or explores some of them more deeply. If that interior scene around the 1:50 mark is any indication of how much I can customize my home, then count me in.
Home Inspiration trailer
Speaking of customizing homes, we were given brief glimpses of the interface and options available when designing homes in Petit Planet during this latest, brief trailer. I'm not looking forward to trying to navigate this menu should the game ever come to consoles, but it looks like a fairly straight-forward affair when playing on PC and mobile.
Petit Planet characters and setting
Every Petit Planet neighbor revealed so far
I reckon calling them villagers makes less sense since you get a whole planet to yourself, so Petit Planet is calling its cute little guys neighbors. As you spruce up your world, neighbors "can connect their home planets" with yours, and you'll deepen your friendship from there.
Befriending your neighbors is done through "daily activities to unlock deeper connections," which involve gift giving, regular conversations, and distinct interactions. The few we've seen so far are cute as a button, but I'm crossing my fingers for more variance. Someone has got to deliver on the return of sassy Animal Crossing characters since Nintendo won't do it.
Petit Planet's official site and social media names a few of its bigger personalities:
- Mobai (Life Coordinator)
- Glenn (Shopkeeper)
- Mors (Curator of the Omni-Gallery)
- Yunguo (Cultivator)
- Isaki (Battle Bee Trainer)
- Medowlyn (Plushie Designer)
- Frostia (Mystic Scholar)
These are a mixture of mainstay NPCs (think of Mobai as your Tom Nook, and Mors as your Blathers) and surprise residents (like those guys I hit with a net until they leave).
Petit Planet gameplay
It's not all about making fuzzy friends, as Petit Planet will sport many of the features seen in other life sims and all the life sim cousins like Hello Kitty Island Adventure or Disney Dreamlight Valley. But Animal Crossing seems to be the main inspiration behind Petit Planet, with lots of familiar features, such as:
- Activities like planting, fishing, mining, cooking, crafting, and beachcombing
- Decorating your own interiors and outdoor spaces ("decorate the sky, coast, and land as you wish" sounds quite ambitious)
- Designing your own character, and collecting clothes for them
- Unlocking reactions from neighbors
- Losing strength when you use tools, but gaining it back by eating
- Days follow real time
- Donating your resources to the Omni-Gallery
Activities that differ from Animal Crossing include:
- Exploration through a "Starsea Voyage" in your customizable car, to discover new places and collectibles
- You can invite your neighbors to help you explore these planets, and use their skills
- Rewards are dished out for completing tasks and milestones with neighbors, as is each neighbors' lore
- You can create events by placing particular outdoor furniture down
- Pests will ruin your crops if you don't water them
- Catching saltwater fish makes the fishing mechanic harder
- You can craft in bulk
- There's a photo mode
How multiplayer works in Petit Planet
It's very likely more multiplayer features will be added in future betas, but for now, multiplayer in Petit Planet is split between two modes: the Galactic Bazaar social hub, and exploring other people's planets.
In the Galactic Bazaar, you can team up with others to play instruments, take part in a dance battle rhythm game, trade items, and talk to each other in the cafe. This cafe can be set to private for you and your friends, or public, if you want to get to know other players. You can also collect a bunch or rewards at the Galactic Bazaar for taking part in its various activities.
Exploring other people's planets is another optional multiplayer feature, but you can set your planet to private if you don't want any visitors. Even if you do let someone in, they can't nab your resources unless you give them permission to, and you even get to check their bag before they leave, just in case they took something you didn't want them to. (Oh how I wish this was a feature in Genshin Impact.)
