One of my favorite life sims is back with a huge free update, and a game-changing new feature

I’m not exactly a cozy game person. Stardew Valley holds no appeal for me, nor does Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon. I spend my time trying (and failing) to score kills on League of Legends’ Summoner’s Rift, or battling my way through whatever new dark fantasy RPG has taken my fancy – I’m too competitive for relaxing vibes. Then, in 2022, I discovered Disney Dreamlight Valley via our resident expert, Danielle Rose. Every night I went to bed a little earlier to play it, illuminating my room with my emerald green cactus-themed fairy lights, but fell off when life started to get in the way. Its brand new content roadmap, however, has me eager to dive back in again – hopefully those lights still work.

A lot was revealed during today’s Disney Dreamlight Valley showcase, but the highlight, for me, was a simple feature in the life game‘s upcoming free update.

Themed around Sally from the ever-iconic Nightmare Before Christmas, players will be able to add a vast array of patchwork-themed cosmetics to their wardrobes, including a gorgeous double-bed that I wish I could have in real life.

The real game-changer, however, is the ability to rotate objects and buildings on a 16-point axis, instead of the simple square grid we’re used to. This allows you to nestle houses in secluded corners, or build sprawling plazas and position buildings around them. For me, this is absolutely huge. It offers a whole new level of decorative freedom, and allows you to really create the Valley of your dreams.

It’ll also help you save a bit of space, but with the new Floating Islands, you might not even have to. An all-new system that adds four completely blank independent landmasses to your Valley, you can decorate and innovate to your heart’s content. While Gameloft hasn’t confirmed exactly how big these are, executive producer Guillaume Sauveur notes that they should feel “comparable in size to their Valley counterparts,” and as a result shouldn’t feel “overwhelming.”

Each Island is themed after one of the Valley’s existing biomes, and contains various unique items that are worth collecting. I’m currently imagining an autumnal Nightmare Before Christmas-inspired Island, or a Frozen-themed icy paradise, and I’m getting goosebumps (don’t worry, the cold never bothered me anyway).

Disney Dreamlight Valley’s free update launches on Wednesday, December 4.

But there is, in fact, even more. Gameloft has also revealed Disney Dreamlight Valley’s second expansion pass, The Storybook Vale. This gorgeous, high fantasy-inspired realm is where all of your fairy tale reveries roam free, and features new characters like Brave’s Merida, Tangled’s Flynn Rider, and Hercules’ iconic villain Hades.

The Storybook Vale’s narrative is split across two parts with, to borrow creative director Josh Labelle’s words, “more content in each. We saw player feedback around the time to reach the conclusion of [A Rift in Time’s] story, and with this new format you’ll get just as much content without as much of a wait.”

For me, the highlights of the expansion are the adorable origami-inspired Snippets, which function like bugs in Animal Crossing. These ancient creatures have broken free of the Lorekeeper’s Stories, a dusty old tome filled with magic, and are currently running rampant in the Storybook Vale. Armed with your new, shiny golden net, you’ll have to collect them all and work out their patterns, and I suspect that’s easier said than done.

There’s also the all-new Trials, dungeon-style puzzle instances that will require you to make use of all the tools in your arsenal. Then, there are teases for upcoming Disney Dreamlight Valley characters, and it looks like we’re finally getting Aladdin and Jasmine, then potentially some Alice in Wonderland-themed chaos, followed by a trip over to Skull Rock.

Gameloft has confirmed that the Disney Dreamlight Valley The Storybook Vale release date is set for Wednesday November 20. Note that this is only part one of the saga. The base version costs $29.99, while the Magical Edition (which includes extra cosmetics) is $49.99. These come with 5,000 and 10,000 Moonstones respectively.

If you’re looking to pick up DDV, it’s currently part of a huge Steam sale. The Gold Edition of the game, which includes the game’s first expansion pass, Rift in Time, and various cosmetics, will be permanently removed from sale on Tuesday November 5. As a result, it’s currently 40% off at $41.99 / £35.09, so grab it before it’s gone forever.

I genuinely cannot wait to dive back into the Valley and explore it all over again, so if you, like me, are planning to check out all of the new content, we have a list of Disney Dreamlight Valley codes to help fill out your wardrobe. Alternatively, check out our guide to every Disney Dreamlight Valley recipe, and how to cook them.

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