My Time at Sandrock is a 2023 farm life simulation role-playing video game created by Pathea Games, a Chinese studio, and published by PM Studios and Focus Entertainment. It follows My Time at Portia, a 2019 game, and is set in a desert 300 years after an event that ended modern technology. The game was praised for its comforting atmosphere but faced criticism for technical problems when it first launched. A sequel, My Time at Evershine, is currently being developed.
The game was announced in October 2020 and supported by a Kickstarter campaign. It was originally planned for an early access release in March 2021 but was delayed because of the need for a local rating certification. The game was finally released in early access on May 26, 2022, for Windows. It had a full release on November 2, 2023, for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A version for PlayStation 4 was released on September 13, 2024.
Gameplay
Players construct the town, farm, and mine, collect resources, create items, take on side missions called commissions, and explore dungeons and ancient city ruins. Combat uses fast action fighting. Since the game takes place in a desert, players must save water. Machines need water from a storage tank to stay cool. Cutting down trees is not allowed and may lead to consequences. Players can interact with and form relationships with 21 non-player characters. The game mixes farming simulation and role-playing game elements.
Plot
The story takes place in a world similar to My Time at Portia, 300 years after a major disaster called the Day of Calamity. This event destroyed older civilizations and most modern technology. After this, people rebuilt society and formed two groups: the Alliance of Free Cities and the Civil Corps, a military organization. The Alliance is fighting against a powerful and oppressive empire called Duvos, which wants to take control of ancient technology and expand its territory.
The player arrives in Sandrock to replace a retiring builder named Mason. There, they meet townspeople such as Mi-an, another builder; Yan, the guild commissioner; Trudy, the mayor; Matilda, the town minister; and Pen, a local superhero.
The player helps with tasks like repairing a lift in a mine, rebuilding an outdoor stage damaged by a sandstorm, and rescuing a scientist named Qi from ruins. Later, a bandit named Logan robs a train and escapes from a sheriff named Justice, who works for the Civil Corps. After defeating lizard-like monsters called Geeglers that attack a moisture farm, the player rebuilds it. The player helps Justice infiltrate the Geeglers’ hideout and confront their leader, who plans to attack Sandrock. The leader falls off an old bridge, and the remaining Geeglers flee into the desert. The player later rebuilds the bridge with help from Mint, a character who also appeared in Portia. The player is also tasked with rebuilding a water tower that Logan destroyed.
The player works with townspeople to find materials from an old submarine to build algae machines that improve the farm. During a demonstration of the farm’s new plants, Matilda is kidnapped by Logan. The player and two other NPCs rescue her, but Logan escapes. Later, the player helps catch Andy, a boy who works for Logan. Musa, a character from Portia, arrives to investigate Sandrock but decides the town cannot survive after an accident. The player is then asked to ensure Sandrock’s future. Once successful, Musa agrees to support the town. The player also helps convince two townspeople to stay.
The player helps Justice and Pen rescue mole people from Bandirats and a hostile robot called the Magic Mirror. They learn that Lumi, the Bandirat princess who left her people, is a friend of Logan. After defeating the Rat Queen, who escapes, the Magic Mirror is captured. Trudy forms a partnership with the mole people with help from a mole named Ged. During their search for Logan, the player falls off a cliff and is believed to have died. However, the player survives and confronts Logan. Grace, a chef at the town’s inn, reveals she is an Alliance agent and explains that Logan is innocent, while Pen is responsible for recent attacks. Grace also says that Logan is trying to avenge his father, who was killed by Duvos. With help from Logan’s goat, the player returns to town and tells the people they are alive. The player works with Grace to infiltrate a hidden facility and learns that Pen, Yan, and Miguel, the church pastor, are working for Duvos to deprive Sandrock of water.
Later, after Logan’s sidekick, Haru, is captured, Miguel and Pen try to frame the player. Logan arrives and exposes their plan. The player, Logan, and Justice defeat Pen with help from Andy and a girl named Elise. They then capture Yan with help from a foreman named Rocky. After interrogating the criminals, Grace pretends to be a Duvos spy named "Tiger" to learn more about their plans, but this causes Duvos to attack Sandrock. Matilda is revealed to be Tiger, who helps Duvos take over Sandrock. The player is forced to work for Duvos under the supervision of a soldier named Stev. Logan and Ged rescue the player and free the townspeople. They defeat the Duvos soldiers and their commander. When they notice a Duvos airship nearby, the player goes to its location with help from Elise’s giant bird friend, Daisy, along with Grace, Logan, and Justice. They discover that Duvos is searching for powerful engines from ancient ships called Starships hidden in an old facility. The water-depriving plan was a cover for this operation. The player defeats Pen and Matilda, who is sent into space and appears to die from lack of oxygen. Alliance jets attack the Duvos airship, forcing Duvos to retreat. Logan turns himself in to atone for his actions. After the villains are captured, Yan’s twin brother, Wei, becomes the new commissioner, a resident named Burgess becomes the new minister, the reformed Magic Mirror is released to work in Sandrock, and Grace leaves town.
Later, the player rescues a friendly Geegler named Larry, who is now the leader of his people. Logan is now responsible for dealing with monsters. The player completes additional tasks, such as helping Logan catch people pretending to be him, building a school, constructing a plumbing system, building a tunnel to Portia, and creating an amusement park. At one point, the player meets their parents. When plans to grow trees that block sandstorms are made, the player goes with Logan, Larry, and a biologist named Nia to a facility where Larry’s people are staying to collect algae. They confront Larry’s evil cousin, Gary, who tries to take over the Geeglers and invade Sandrock but is defeated. Grace returns to Sandrock after retiring. After helping build a final project—a tourist attraction airship made from Starship engines—Trudy thanks the player for helping restore Sandrock.
Development
The sequel to My Time at Portia was announced in October 2020. It was funded through a Kickstarter campaign that attracted nearly 10,000 backers from over 160 countries and raised $524,770. The game was first planned to be released in early access in March 2021 and fully released in summer 2022. However, the early access launch was delayed in March 2021 because the game needed a local rating certification. After a long delay, early access was finally released on May 26, 2022, by PM Studios for Windows. During early access, the Knives Out update was released in April 2023. This update added new features like minigames, different weather, a story, and weddings. The game was fully released on November 2, 2023, for PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch. The original release date was September 26, 2023, but it was delayed to improve the game's quality. Later, the game was released for PlayStation 4 on September 12, 2024.
The Windows version includes cooperative multiplayer. In 2024, the developers released two downloadable content expansions. Cross-platform play became available in June 2024.
Reception
On Metacritic, My Time at Sandrock received good reviews for Windows and PlayStation 5, while the Switch version had mixed reviews. Some critics said the game is fun and relaxing, while others liked the many activities available. An early access review from Rock Paper Shotgun called it "a compelling and very detailed life simulator" and praised the gameplay.
Some reviewers reported technical problems with the game shortly after it was released. Despite these issues, IGN said the game is enjoyable and better than My Time at Portia in most ways. They thought the dungeons and combat were simple but said other parts of the game made up for this, including the challenge of managing water. Nintendo Life said the game is "reasonably enjoyable" but criticized the graphics, performance problems on the Switch, software bugs, and what they called "a lack of a clear identity." Digitally Downloaded also reported technical issues, saying the game is so slow that players "can make a coffee in the time it takes to load the game." However, Nintendo Life noted that some technical problems were fixed after the game launched. Nintendo World Report had performance issues on the Switch but still recommended the game because of its gameplay and enjoyable world.
VG247 said the game combines the best parts of Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley and felt like visiting "one of Animal Crossing: New Horizons' dream islands for a day." They said the idea is not new but praised the characters, story, and gameplay. TouchArcade's review for the Nintendo Switch said the game feels "like one of the best sequels in the genre because of how much it improves."
Sequel
In September 2024, Pathea Games announced a new game in the My Time series called My Time at Evershine. The company said the new game will have improved multiplayer features because the previous game, Sandrock, did not meet expectations for its multiplayer mode.