Game Platforms
Hello Kitty Island Adventure (HKIA) is available on Apple Arcade, Nintendo Switch, PC (via Steam), and PlayStation 5. HKIA is not a free-to-play game on any platform but is sometimes referred to as "free on 
Apple Arcade" because it is included with the Apple Arcade subscription. It does have paid DLCs (downloadable content) for all platforms except Apple Arcade. The DLCs include one-time purchases of a "Deluxe Edition" or expansions, as the developers have promised no microtransactions.
Updates come out on Apple Arcade first, but all content will come to all platforms eventually. Outside of the differences in update speeds and current content availability, 
Sunblink is "contractually required to keep the experience the same across platforms," according to a statement from the dev team.
- For more information on content availability, refer to the "Content Availability" and "Updates" pages.
Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade, a game subscription service from Apple, is the original home of Hello Kitty Island Adventure. With cloud saves enabled, someone with an Apple Arcade subscription can play the same HKIA save on their iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV.
Available Apple Arcade subscription plans include a monthly ($6.99 
) or a yearly ($49.99 ) option, or it is bundled with the Apple One subscription. Both the regular and Apple One subscriptions have Family Sharing options, where the Apple Arcade subscription can be shared between up to five family members. The Apple Arcade subscription includes access to many other games, and the games cannot have in-app purchases.
Apple Arcade Updates
Currently, HKIA gets major content updates about every 6 weeks. Refer to the "Updates" page for information on recent versions. The version updates work about as follows:
- X.X.0 - the major content update
- X.X.1/2/3/4 - any hotfixes for the major update
- X.X.5 - a minor content update, usually only with content for an upcoming event
- This update usually occurs about 4 weeks after X.X.0, but scheduling is more irregular. A .5 update is not guaranteed.
- X.X.6+ - any hotfixes for the minor update
Temporarily Exclusive Content
While HKIA is no longer exclusive to Apple Arcade, the Apple Arcade version will get the earliest and most frequent updates. New content often comes with new bugs, and it is easiest for the developers to patch bugs on the Arcade platform because of the relative ease of pushing updates.
Incomplete regions/islands that are still in the process of being released on Apple Arcade may not be available on other platforms until later in their development.
Large expansions, like additional islands, do have the possibility of releasing as paid 
DLC on other platforms. Other content is more likely to be released as free updates. All content will eventually release in some way on all platforms.
Events are not exclusive and should be available simultaneously on all platforms.
Content Available on Other Platforms
Other platforms will not get updates with the same frequency as Apple Arcade and will lag behind in available content because of that. However, the plan is to eventually release all features and content on all platforms. There is the possibility that highly compartmentalized major expansions (such as new islands) will be paid DLC, but there are also regular free updates to add other features and content.
Any updates to add new events will be free. The same events will run simultaneously on all platforms.
Standard Edition
The standard edition was released on 
Nintendo Switch and 
Steam (PC) on January 30, 2025, and on 
PlayStation 5 on August 05, 2025. The initial launch on all platforms was digital-only, but Nintendo and PlayStation did get physical standard editions in August 2025. The cost of the standard edition is $39.99 .
The base game at launch - on Steam and Switch -included all content up to Apple Arcade version 1.9 and all 8 regions of Friendship Island: 
Seaside Resort, 
Spooky Swamp, 
Rainbow Reef, 
Gemstone Mountain, 
Mount Hothead, 
Merry Meadow, 
Icy Peak, and 
Cloud Island. As more continues to be added in free updates, the PlayStation release was approximately the equivalent to Apple Arcade version 2.6.
The base game does not include 
City Town/Imagination Island or 
Usahana. Paid DLC for expansions (like Imagination Island) are a possibility.
| Nintendo Store:
Nintendo's Description for the Standard Edition |
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| Steam (PC):
Steam's Description for the Standard Edition |
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Deluxe Edition
- For a detailed breakdown of the Deluxe Bundle contents, refer to the "Deluxe Edition (DLC)" page.
The Deluxe Edition is the same game but with the Deluxe Edition DLC included. It makes 3 bundles of items available to the player. The cost of the Deluxe Edition is $59.99 . The digital version also released on the Nintendo Switch and Steam on January 30, 2025. The digital Deluxe Edition released on PlayStation on August 5, 2025.
A physical Deluxe Edition (for Nintendo Switch only) released on March 25, 2025.
The Deluxe Edition DLC can be purchased separately after purchasing the standard edition. Purchasing the content later does still give existing saves access to the Deluxe content.
Along with items that can help the player progress faster through the early game, the player gets access to an event pack with 1 year's worth of event items. The event pack covers all events from the game's Launch Celebration in July 2023 to events in early September 2024.
All event items are obtainable without the Deluxe Edition as normal. The game is designed so that content always returns yearly.
| Nintendo Store:
Nintendo's Description for the Deluxe Edition |
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| Steam (PC):
Steam's Description for the Deluxe Edition |
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Promotional Images
Other Platforms
Nintendo Switch
See the HKIA Nintendo Store page or the page for the Deluxe Edition.
HKIA released on Nintendo Switch on January 30, 2025. The regular edition costs $39.99 , and the Deluxe Edition costs $59.99 . The Deluxe Edition content can be purchased as a DLC after buying the game. Existing saves will still get access to the Deluxe content if it is purchased later.
Multiplayer requires an internet connection and a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Multiplayer is not required for progression, and the game is designed as mainly single-player with a few activities that players can do together.
A physical Standard Edition (no Deluxe Edition DLC; $39.99 ) released at launch on January 30, 2025. A physical Deluxe Edition, only for the Nintendo Switch, released March 25, 2025 (originally $59.99 , now $49.99 ). It comes with a cartridge that includes the Deluxe Edition DLC on it, not as a separate code. It also includes a small poster that shows key art on one side and a map of Friendship Island on the other.
The Gift Box Edition ($59.99 ), only for the Nintendo Switch, is a box that contains the physical Deluxe Edition, an image set of TOPHAT's Memories, a Critter & Fish Guide, 18 collectible cards + 1 foil card, and a double-sided poster. It is releasing November 7, 2025.
Physical Deluxe Edition Gallery
Visual of the case's front.
Promotional image for the Physical Deluxe Edition
View of the inside of the case with the cartridge, and key art view of the poster.
Map view of the poster.
Gift Box Edition Gallery
Visual of the Gift Box Edition box's front.
Angled visual of the box.
Promotional image for the Gift Box Edition.
Steam (PC)
See the HKIA Steam page.
The Steam release date was January 30, 2025.
The available information for the Nintendo Switch version also applies to the Steam version in regards to available content. The Steam version cannot be purchased as a physical edition. The Deluxe Edition can still be purchased separately as DLC of the standard edition, and the DLC content will be accessible by existing saves if the DLC is purchased later. The editions have the same prices as the Switch versions: $39.99 for the regular edition and $59.99 for the Deluxe Edition. Please refer to the above sections for more details on content.
The Steam version does include DRM software in the form of Denuvo, but a developer has stated that the Steam version of HKIA only requires online access (to renew its Denuvo token) once every 30 days. According to the developers, Denuvo is used for anti-tamper and very carefully checked for performance issues, and HKIA does not use kernel anti-cheats.
The Steam release is PC only. Apple Arcade will remain the only supported platform for Macs.
PlayStation
See the HKIA PlayStation page.
The PlayStation 5 release date was August 5, 2025, for digital only. Like with other platforms, the Standard Edition costs $39.99 and the Deluxe Edition costs $59.99 , with the Deluxe being purchasable as DLC for the Standard Edition for $19.99 .
A physical Standard Edition (again, only for the PlayStation 5) released for $39.99 on August 29, 2025.
A PS Plus subscription is required for online play.
Other Information
Offline Play
The game can be played entirely offline, except for downloading the game and its updates or for cloud saves. The game also saves to the device whether or not cloud saves are enabled.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer is online-only but is not required for any game progression. Most 
Quests are not designed for cooperative play.
However, there are benefits to multiplayer.
- Some features - like puzzles, mini games, and challenge courses - may be easier with another player's help.
- Some features (such as trading
Friendship Beads with 
Keroppi for past event furniture and 
Multiplayer Quests) are multiplayer-only. - A
weekly quest that awards 1x 
Strawberry Crate is also multiplayer-only. - A pair of players regularly raising their Multiplayer Friendship level together can unlock powerful abilities that are only available when playing together.
Multiplayer requires both players to have their own save and separate devices. It is limited to two players, with one person hosting their island and the other person visiting the host's island. Refer to the Multiplayer page for more details on how multiplayer functions in HKIA.
No Cross-platform Multiplayer or Saves
Sunblink (the developer of HKIA) is unable to support save transfers or multiplayer play between platforms (also referred to as cross-saves and cross-play).
Sunblink cannot comment on the save transfer situation beyond saying that the decision is not up to them.
In regards to the cross-platform multiplayer situation, a member of the Sunblink team has said that it is unavailable because of a few major reasons:
- Games have always had to be the same update version to play with each other ― even on Apple Arcade ― and different platforms are likely to not run the same update version the vast majority of the time.
- Because of the above, trying to play with a friend on another platform would be extremely frustrating, as it would regularly result in failure.
- Additionally, Sunblink does not have the budget to run their own persistent online server or to pay for some of the cross-play fees charged by some platforms.
Different device types on the same platform can have cross-saves and cross-play. For example, someone playing on their iPhone can play with someone on Apple TV, as long as both are playing the same update version of the game, and using the same iCloud account can transfer saves different Apple devices.
No Microtransactions
Sunblink is strongly against including microtransactions on any platform and has no plans to do so. In other words, there will be not be anything like purchasing individual outfits/outfit pieces or premium currencies.
DLC
Paid or free DLC (downloadable content) are a possibility for any platforms outside of Apple Arcade. Apple Arcade is a subscription service that does not allow in-game purchases.
The Deluxe Edition is available as DLC if the game is not purchased bundled with it.
While there are regular free updates, major expansions like Imagination Island might end up as paid DLC. (The plans for Imagination Island/City Town have not been announced at this time. Further news will come sometime in August 2025.)
DLC available so far include the following:
- Deluxe Edition (January 30, 2025; $20
) - items
- This does not add new content to the game but rather gives access to bundles that contain items obtainable over a long period of normal play.
- Wheatflour Wonderland (September 18, 2025; $14.99 ) - expansion
- This gives access to the Wheatflour Wonderland region and
Cogimyun.
- This gives access to the Wheatflour Wonderland region and
Players without DLC expansions cannot receive items or visit the areas in those expansions, as receiving DLC-only content would have the potential to harm their save file.
An older interview, with a partial transcript below, covered some of the thought processes between what would be released as paid DLC or not.
| Interview Excerpt
Interview with YouTube creator Fluff'isle Date: October 2024 |
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