Hawthorn is an in-development co-op sandbox RPG and village-life simulation from NEARstudios. Set in Windermere Valley, it asks players to build a community of woodland animals, but its public Steam demo is an early proof of concept—not a preview of the finished game. Steam lists the full game’s release date as “To be announced.”
What is Hawthorn?
In Hawthorn, players arrive in the forgotten Windermere Valley, where woodland creatures once established a trading post. The game’s premise is to rebuild that community: recruit villagers, tend to the settlement and respond to seasonal changes and threats from the forest.
Steam’s description lists farming, fishing, harvesting, crafting and exploration, alongside building and decorating the village. The studio presents the project as a combination of cozy activities, RPG and action elements, and life simulation. That is NEARstudios’ design intent, rather than a claim about how the unfinished game already plays.
NEARstudios says its inspirations include Victorian-era European fairytales and older adventure stories featuring anthropomorphic animals. The announcement also describes a goal of letting co-op partners pursue different play styles within the same world. CEO and Creative Director Heather Cerlan said the idea began with “creating a world where gaming couples could play together, and each meet their unique needs within their individual play style.” Game Director Jason Richardson described the village as central to play: “In Hawthorn, everything you do, whether crafting, building, or adventuring, is centered around a living village of NPCs and your co-op friends.”
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Is the Steam demo the current version of the game?
No. Steam identifies the public proof-of-concept demo as an early prototype intended to share the original vision, and explicitly says its visuals do not represent the final game. It is useful for seeing an early concept, but should not be treated as a reliable guide to the finished game’s art, features or quality.
NEARstudios has separately described a more developed build used for supporter playtests. In August 2026 announcements, the studio discussed additions and changes including new maps and town layout, crafting recipes, an owl flight system, NPCs, updated weather, and clothing and dye systems. Those notes describe development and playtest builds; they do not establish that every feature is in the public demo or will ship in the full game. Follow the Steam announcements for updates, and check the Steam page for the current demo and release listing.
When will Hawthorn release, and what platforms are planned?
There is no announced release date for the full game: Steam currently says “To be announced.” NEARstudios’ Kickstarter FAQ, last updated in May 2025, described PC Early Access on Steam as the studio’s then-current intention. It also said the team hoped to bring the game to major consoles and non-Steam retailers after launch. Those are dated plans, not a confirmed platform or release roadmap.
The same FAQ said controller and mouse-and-keyboard support were planned for PC at first launch. Since the game has not received a dated full release, treat that as the studio’s May 2025 plan, not a confirmed shipping specification. The FAQ’s platform and input answers are available on the NEARstudios Kickstarter FAQ.
Can you play solo or in co-op?
NEARstudios has said the game can be played solo, while emphasizing cooperation as a design goal. Its May 2025 FAQ described co-op through private local servers: one player hosts and others join. It said each co-op player would need a separate device and Steam account at launch, and that split-screen was not planned at that time. These details reflect the FAQ’s dated plans, not a final multiplayer specification.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which animals can you play as?
The May 2025 FAQ named Mouse, Owl and Otter as playable species in the game state it described, with character creation available from those options. It did not establish a final launch roster or promise further animals.
The studio has explained that each additional species can require its own models, rigs, animations, clothing and equipment, as well as potentially distinct gameplay work. Its later development updates also discuss the technical and resource demands of supporting many species and subspecies. The available information therefore supports the three named species as a dated snapshot, not a guarantee that the roster will remain unchanged or grow in a particular way.
Quick Recap
What is confirmed—and what remains open?
- Confirmed on Steam: NEARstudios is the developer; a public proof-of-concept demo is listed; and the full game’s release date is “To be announced.”
- Described by the studio: a Windermere Valley village-life game built around woodland-animal villagers, seasonal activities and co-op-oriented design.
- Dated plans, not guarantees: PC Early Access on Steam, controller and mouse-and-keyboard support, and the co-op setup described in the FAQ last updated in May 2025.
- Still uncertain: the full game’s release timing, final platform lineup, final species roster and which development updates will make it into a release build.
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