My Time at Portia is a 2019 farm life simulation role-playing game created by Pathea Games, a Chinese studio, and published by Team17. It was released for Windows on January 15, 2019. Later, it became available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, and macOS. The game shares some features with other farm simulation games, such as Stardew Valley. A follow-up game, My Time at Sandrock, began early access on May 26, 2022, and was officially released on November 2, 2023. Another follow-up game, My Time at Evershine, is currently being developed.
Plot
The game happens long after people's old world was destroyed. Humans came out from underground and started rebuilding society. They formed the Alliance of Free Cities and a military group called the Civil Corps. The Alliance is fighting a powerful empire named Duvos, which wants ancient technology and plans to take over other areas.
The player (a boy is named Marco by default, and a girl is named Linda) takes on the role of the child of a famous builder. After the player's father leaves to travel, they inherit his workshop in the independent city of Portia. When the player arrives, Presley, a guild commissioner, meets them and leads them to the workshop. The goal of the game is to grow Portia into a strong city, become a top builder, and compete with another builder named Higgins.
The player begins by building a bridge to a place called Amber Island. Along the way, they face humanoid rats called Bandirats who steal items, two bandits named Tuss and Huss who pretend to be debt collectors, and panda/bat hybrid monsters called Panbats who harm the environment. Gale, Portia's mayor, also plans to build transportation called Dee Dees and asks the player to help construct them.
After fixing a broken pipe, the player falls into an underground cavern with another builder named Sam. There, they fight the Rat King, the leader of the Bandirats, who caused recent water pollution. The player also discovers a robot chef named Ack, who arrived in Portia from an ancient spacecraft and later becomes a town resident. Gale also plans to build a museum and a tunnel to a nearby city called Sandrock with help from a visiting builder named Mint.
While investigating an old mine to learn why earthquakes have happened, Mint and builders Sam and Arlo get trapped in a cave-in. The player teams up with Remington, a Civil Corps member, to rescue them from a rogue robot named Rock-on. It turns out the robot caused the earthquakes. After building wind turbines, a hot air balloon attraction, and improving the harbor, an investor named Musa from the Alliance arrives to help improve the town. An Alliance agent named Mali also arrives to study ancient technology.
Later, the player works with Sam to capture Tuss and Huss, who are suspected of stealing an ancient relic. The real thief later enters the town to find a powerful A.I. called the All Source. Builders and Mali capture the thief, who is revealed to be a masked knight named the Rogue Knight, but he escapes because he is too strong.
The player then works with other builders and Alliance agents Ursula Everglade, Ryder, and Ten to find and activate three keys in ancient ruins to unlock the All Source. They learn that Mali's plane was shot down while trying to warn the Alliance. When they reach the base where the All Source is, Ursula, Ryder, and Ten betray them and capture them with the help of the Rogue Knight. They are later rescued by reformed Tuss and Huss.
The builders realize the Sky Sharks, a group of pirates pretending to be Alliance agents, have a spy working with the telegrams. They infiltrate the base, defeat Ursula, who escapes, and the Rogue Knight activates the All Source to attack the town. A boy named Toby steals a key part of the All Source, stopping it from teleporting, which causes the school to be destroyed.
After defeating the All Source, the player fights the Rogue Knight but is overpowered. They are saved by Django, Toby's uncle, who reveals himself to be the legendary Storm Knight. This forces the Rogue Knight to flee, and Ryder, Ten, and the Sky Sharks' spy are arrested. The All Source, whose real name is Wendy, is reprogrammed to help the town.
It is later discovered that the Sky Sharks and Rogue Knight are working for Duvos, and Mali survived the crash, which the Sky Sharks caused. The player helps rebuild the town and marries a bachelor or bachelorette. Their father, called Pa, visits and gives them the Robopig Rider, a pig-like hovercraft. The story ends with Pa leaving town to continue his journey.
Gameplay
The player collects resources and uses recipes to make items. As players progress, they earn better tools, such as a chainsaw, to gather resources more quickly. Completed items can be turned in for rewards, town favor, and money. Major tasks can directly change the town. The game includes dungeons where players fight enemies. Players can form relationships (spend time with and marry) specific NPCs. The game is played from a third-person view and mixes elements of role-playing games and simulation games.
Development
My Time at Portia was first released as an early access game on Steam on January 23, 2018. It was fully released one year later. Three months after its full release, the game was made available on the following consoles: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. A mobile version for Android and iOS phones came out on August 5, 2021. Then, a version for macOS was released on May 12, 2022.
In October 2025, it was announced that Seed Lab, the company behind Starsand Island, worked with Pathea Games to create My Time at Portia. Starsand Island is set to release on February 1, 2026, and will include two characters from My Time at Portia.
Reception
According to Metacritic, a website that collects reviews, My Time at Portia received "mixed or average" feedback. Miranda Sanchez of IGN said the game's main gameplay was fun, but noted that each part of the game had some problems, including issues with the game's sounds. Alex Fuller of RPGamer described the game as "charming" and "a lovely place to spend time in," but mentioned that the game was too long and that players had to wait for non-player characters (NPCs) to decide what to do. He called the game "very enjoyable" but said it had "significant weaknesses." Rich Meister of Destructoid said the game's world was "bright and full of charm," but noted that waiting for events to happen could become boring quickly. He also called the mining activities "painfully dull." Philippa Warr of PC Gamer criticized the game's slow pace, saying it could be both unappealing and relaxing, depending on the player's preferences. Ginny Woo of GameSpot praised the game's peaceful environment, attractive visuals, and crafting system, but pointed out that some game mechanics lacked purpose, the story had no clear resolution, and the timing of day and night cycles was inconsistent. Zoe Delahunty-Light of GamesRadar+ appreciated the realistic NPCs, seasonal events, and sense of progress, but mentioned problems with long loading times and the absence of voice acting in cutscenes. Chris Scullion of Nintendo Life recommended the game after a patch was released to fix its long loading times. Rebecca Stow of Push Square called the game "vibrant, relaxing, and brimming with charm." The PC version of the game was one of the best-selling new releases on Steam that month.
Sequel
In October 2020, Pathea Games announced a sequel called My Time at Sandrock. The game is set in a desert and was planned to release in early access for PC via Steam in March 2021. The full version was originally scheduled for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in mid-2022. However, in March 2021, the company said they had not received a local rating certification to publish the game online. This caused the early access release to be delayed until after May 2021. Later, the early access release was pushed to early 2022. The game finally released via early access on May 26, 2022. After being delayed from its September 2022 launch window, the full version of the game was released on November 2, 2023. While My Time at Portia does not include multiplayer, its sequel, My Time at Sandrock, does.
In September 2024, Pathea Games announced a second sequel titled My Time at Evershine. This game is set in a completely new world and includes improved multiplayer features.