A new open-world project called Petal Runner is shaping up as a blend of Stardew Valley and Pokemon, letting you take a job as a pet delivery courier while settling into a cozy pixel-art town. The game has been in development since 2021, built by a small team at Nano Park Studios that includes YouTuber Brandon James Greer, and it’s being published by iam8bit Presents.
You Play Cali, a Bike Courier for Digital Pets
In Petal Runner, you control Cali, a bike-riding courier who delivers HanaPets – Pokemon-like digital creatures that come in multiple generations and varieties – straight to people’s doors. Cali has a companion of their own too: Kira, a rare talking Gen-one HanaPet who rides along on every delivery. Cali is also trained as a technician, so part of the job involves installing and repairing Leap Cells, the special devices that house HanaPets, often through retro-inspired minigames with simple mechanics.
Sapphire Valley Feels Like a Pixel-Art Stardew Valley
The story unfolds in Sapphire Valley, a four-district open-world town that carries a strong Stardew Valley vibe. You can chat with the townspeople to learn more about their lives, echoing the kind of social exploration ConcernedApe’s farming sim is known for. Visually, Petal Runner leans hard into Game Boy Color-era pixel art, giving each district its own limited color palette and distinct mood.
Collecting HanaPets Comes With Its Own Pokedex
Between deliveries, Cali and Kira are free to roam Sapphire Valley and search for new HanaPets to log. Every new discovery gets added to the HanaBase, which works essentially like a Pokedex for the game’s creatures. Petal Runner won’t rival the thousand-plus roster of a mainline Pokemon game, but it still promises a wide range of unique designs, and many HanaPets come in different variants you’ll need to track down separately to fill out the HanaBase completely.
Bike Riding Is a Core Mechanic
Riding the bike as Cali, with Kira perched in the back, is one of the game’s central gameplay pillars. Nano Park Studios built in 16-directional animations and several supporting systems specifically to make cycling around Sapphire Valley feel smooth and authentic rather than just a way to get from point A to point B.
Release Date and the Free Demo
Petal Runner is currently slated for a 2026 release, though Nano Park Studios hasn’t locked in an exact date yet. In the meantime, you can already try a free demo on Steam, which gives you a taste of Sapphire Valley and the core mechanics, including bike riding. The demo has earned positive reviews so far, though it’s still too early to say how the full release will be received once it launches.
If you’re keeping an eye on other upcoming releases with a 2026 target, our coverage of Astromine and its co-op ambitions might also catch your interest, and if free demos before launch are your thing, we’ve also written about the Wo Long 2 alpha demo. For more upcoming and recently announced titles, browse our full list of gaming articles.
FAQ
Petal Runner is an open-world cozy game developed by Nano Park Studios that combines Stardew Valley-style town life with Pokemon-inspired pet collecting, letting you play as a bike courier who delivers digital pets called HanaPets.
Nano Park Studios is targeting a 2026 release, but an exact date hasn’t been announced yet.
Yes, a free demo is available on Steam, showing off Sapphire Valley and core mechanics like bike riding.
HanaPets are Pokemon-like digital creatures that come in multiple generations and variants, which you can discover and log in the game’s HanaBase, similar to a Pokedex.
Kira is a rare, talking Gen-one HanaPet who serves as the main character Cali’s companion throughout the game.