Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home – Platforms, Improvements, and More

Harvest Moon has had its ups and downs over the years, with major changes in direction (and lack thereof) over consecutive releases. Following the launch of Winds of Anthos last year, the future of the franchise never looked brighter, and it seems the next entry in line will follow suit. ž

Developer Natsume announced Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home in June 2024 and has since revealed stellar gameplay screenshots, showcasing beautifully detailed visuals and noticeable quality-of-life improvements. For the fans who’ve stuck around through thick and thin, the upcoming addition may prove the best in ages — and it’s arriving soon.

Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home Launches on Mobile in 2024

Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home is set to launch in August 2024. While we haven’t received an exact release date just yet, the developer has confirmed the game will receive a mobile release on iOS and Android devices this year and will not include any in-app purchases. Franchise fans anticipate an extended console release in the future, but we’ll need to wait and see what Natsume has in store.

Leading up to the summer launch of Home Sweet Home, the developer has dropped juicy details and images via X (formerly Twitter), offering some exciting insight into the game’s setting and new features we can expect to see this August. Home Sweet Home solely takes place in the village of Alba, where you’ll return from a life in the city. Your childhood town is home to four bachelors and bachelorettes in total, including some familiar faces longtime fans may recognize.

You’ll also meet plenty of the adorable animals we’ve come to know and love, of course, and take in a landscape similar to that introduced in Winds of Anthos, though in much greater detail.

Home Sweet Home May Give Winds of Anthos a Run for Its Money

Prior to the release of Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos in the fall of 2023, fans felt the franchise had been going through a bit of a rough patch. However, Anthos introduced several much-needed changes, like a vast open world, new animals, and a more intricate plot.

Despite largely mixed responses to previous entries, The Winds of Anthos has proven to be one of my personal favorite releases in the past year — and one I can’t help but recommend to friends and fans of farming sims. Even so, I’m confident Home Sweet Home could top its predecessor.

If Natsume’s shared screenshots are an indicator of the mobile game’s improved graphics, I’d say my confidence in its potential is well-placed. So far, it looks like The Winds of Anthos laid the groundwork for Home Sweet Home in terms of its overworld. While players will be strictly limited to the village of Alba rather than a handful of others open to visit, Home Sweet Home is noticeably more detailed.

Alba’s foliage is in bloom everywhere you look, from grassy fields to ivy-lined bridges and ponds filled with fish waiting to be caught. There’s also greater detail to storefronts and dockside homes, which display items for sale and décor you might expect to see, like wooden barrels and stray life preservers.

As we await more news on the upcoming mobile entry, I have my fingers crossed that Home Sweet Home will mark a return to form for the franchise. Follow along for updates throughout development here at GameSkinny.