The main link between Witchbrook and Stardew Valley is Chucklefish: the studio originally published Stardew Valley, and Witchbrook is its own game. Stardew Valley, however, was developed by ConcernedApe, who is now also its publisher on Steam. Steam lists both games under the same genres and both have online co-op, Witchbrook for four players and Stardew Valley for eight. Witchbrook launches on 28 January 2027 according to Chucklefish as of 12 November 2026. Below is a comparison based on official information: who makes the games, what they are built around, player count, platforms, languages and price. There is no verdict on which one is better here; Witchbrook is not out yet.
What they share
Steam lists the same genres for both games: Indie, RPG and Simulation. Both have online co-op.
They also share Chucklefish. The studio was Stardew Valley’s original publisher but no longer holds the publishing rights. Witchbrook is developed by Chucklefish itself together with German studio Robotality, and Chucklefish publishes it too.
Outlets such as GamesRadar+, PC Gamer and Rock Paper Shotgun compare Witchbrook with Stardew Valley, and GamesRadar+ went as far as calling it “Stardew Valley-esque”. According to Chucklefish, Witchbrook uses isometric pixel art and runs on the studio’s own Halley engine.
Who develops and publishes them
| Detail | Witchbrook | Stardew Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Chucklefish and Robotality | ConcernedApe (Eric Barone) |
| Publisher | Chucklefish | now ConcernedApe (originally Chucklefish) |
| Release | 28 January 2027 according to Chucklefish as of 12 November 2026 | 26 February 2016 |
| Steam genres | Indie, RPG, Simulation | Indie, RPG, Simulation |
Chucklefish is an independent developer and publisher based in London, founded in 2011. It developed Starbound and Wargroove and, besides Stardew Valley, has published games including Risk of Rain, Eastward and Wildfrost. Robotality is based in Hameln, Germany, and made Halfway, Pathway and Wargroove 2.
Witch college: what Witchbrook is built around
Witchbrook revolves around your studies. You arrive in the seaside town of Mossport as a new witch, where your aunt has left you Shadbrook Cottage. You attend classes at Witchbrook College, with subjects such as alchemy, potions, astrology, rituals, tarot and divination.
College assignments take you into town and earn you merits, which unlock exams. For every exam you pass, Professor Carlyle teaches you a new spell, and you only move up a year once you have passed all the exams for your current one.
Because studying costs money, you run your own witch business. You take orders from residents, deliver them by moped and, once you have your broom license, by broomstick, and sell at the market on Sundays. For a full rundown of Witchbrook’s gameplay, read what Witchbrook is. How Stardew Valley plays is covered in our Stardew Valley review.
Co-op: 8 vs 4 players
The two games differ in player count. On Steam, Stardew Valley offers online co-op for up to eight players (you invite one to seven others), and Steam also lists LAN and split-screen co-op for it.
Witchbrook offers online co-op for up to four: you and three friends. The stores do not list local co-op: Nintendo states one player per console, Chucklefish does not mention local co-op, and Steam has no split-screen category for Witchbrook. Crossplay between Witchbrook’s platforms is not confirmed. Details are in our Witchbrook co-op guide.
Platforms, languages and price as of 12 November 2026
| Detail | Witchbrook | Stardew Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Operating systems on Steam | Windows only | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Other platforms | Switch, Switch 2, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS5 | this comparison covers Steam only |
| Players | solo, online co-op up to 4 | online co-op up to 8, LAN, split-screen |
| Languages | 10 | 12 |
| Price | $24.99, no regional price yet | €13.99 (Steam, Czech store) |
Witchbrook launches in ten languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese. Stardew Valley has twelve languages on Steam, including Hungarian, Turkish and Italian.
Watch the currencies when comparing prices. Stardew Valley costs €13.99 on the Czech Steam store, while Witchbrook only has a $24.99 price so far. Chucklefish will publish regional prices closer to launch. Witchbrook will also be on Xbox Game Pass from day one. We track prices and pre-orders in our release date guide.
Why the devs moved away from “Harry Potter meets Stardew”
The press compares Witchbrook with Stardew Valley. According to a Chucklefish statement quoted by the press, though, the developers wanted to move away from the “Harry Potter meets Stardew Valley” label and make something “more unique”.
The inspirations the developers name themselves are Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching books and Kiki’s Delivery Service, and the college architecture is based on Cambridge. The concept, working title “Magic School Game”, was pitched by Rosie Ball and Abi Cooke in 2016 as part of an internal Chucklefish pitch.
Join our Discord to meet Stardew Valley players and people getting ready for Witchbrook. The GamersTogether Discord is a good place to find co-op partners.
FAQ
No. Stardew Valley was developed by ConcernedApe (Eric Barone). Witchbrook is developed by Chucklefish with Robotality. Chucklefish was Stardew Valley’s original publisher; today ConcernedApe publishes it.
Witchbrook has online co-op for up to four players. Stardew Valley on Steam has online co-op for up to eight and also lists LAN and split-screen.
Witchbrook launches in 10 languages, including English and German. Stardew Valley lists 12 languages on Steam.
Witchbrook costs $24.99 at launch; regional prices have not been announced. Stardew Valley costs €13.99 on the Czech Steam store as of 12 November 2026.
According to Chucklefish as of 12 November 2026, it launches on 28 January 2027 on PC, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
Information verified on 12 November 2026. We will update this comparison once regional prices are announced and after Witchbrook launches. More guides are in our Witchbrook hub.