Haunted Chocolatier: Release date rumours for Stardew Valley creator's new game

Since its release 10 years ago, Stardew Valley has become one of the biggest and most successful indie games of all time. Now, its creator Eric Barone, AKA ConcernedApe, is hard at work on a new game: Haunted Chocolatier.

It was first announced back in 2021, but between continuing to work on Stardew Valley and making Haunted Chocolatier perfect, news on its progress has been few and far between.

Originally known as 'Sprout Valley', the game was born out of Barone's desire to fix issues he had with classed farming sim series Harvest Moon.

So, if you're wondering what news there is on the Haunted Chocolatier release date, here's everything you need to know about Eric Barone's next title.

What is Haunted Chocolatier?

Haunted Chocolatier is an RPG/simulation game that sees you play as a chocolatier, gathering ingredients whilst residing in a haunted castle, to produce chocolate for sale to the townspeople.

Fans can expect more information in the run-up to release with Barone stating: “Of course, there’s a lot more to the game than that, but I don’t want to get too deep into at this early stage, partly because I don’t want to be tied down to any particular concept of what the game is.”

“I haven’t really gotten to the sauce yet. That’s coming,” Barone admitted, when referring to the aspect of the game that would complement the “meat and potatoes” of the chocolatey facet already outlined.

Barone’s ad-hoc nature has been instrumental to his success (as has his music recordings) and he is fortunate enough to be his own taskmaster.

“If Stardew Valley mostly channelled the energy of the sun, Haunted Chocolatier channels the energy of the moon. Both are vital,” he added.

Haunted Chocolatier release date speculation

While we initially hoped to be playing the game as early as 2022, with the game having first been announced in 2021, that has obviously not come to pass.

Since announcing the game, Barone has repeatedly returned to Stardew Valley to finish up big content updates such as the 1.6 to 1.6.15 updates released throughout 2024.

Furthermore, Barone is more concerned with taking his time and releasing a good game, than rushing something out early, telling Aftermath that same year that "it's better to have a delayed game that's actually good than a bad game that's on time. When it's ready, that's when I'll release it".

More recently, a January 2026 blogpost from Barone confirmed that he has "been very productive lately on Haunted Chocolatier".

While he also confirmed that he is still working on Stardew Valley updates alongside Haunted Chocolatier, he doubled down on a statement he gave in 2025 that he hoped the game would release in the next five years.

So, there you have it. The Haunted Chocolatier release window is anytime from 2026 until 2030 – although we certainly hope that we won't have to wait that long.

Either way, one thing that is for certain is that when it finally does arrive, it's going to be to a standard that Barone is happy with, and that can only be a good thing – Silksong was worth the wait, wasn't it?

Which consoles and platforms can play Haunted Chocolatier?

There is a 100 per cent guarantee that Haunted Chocolatier will be coming to PC, and we wouldn't be surprised to see a console release on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch further down the line. However, only a PC version has been confirmed at this stage.

Barone's previous project, Stardew Valley, could be a good indication of where things can go: it is available on Steam, Mac OS, iOS, Linux, Xbox One, PS4, PS Vita, Android phones/tablets and even the Arcade feature on Tesla cars.

Can I pre-order Haunted Chocolatier?

You cannot pre-order Haunted Chocolatier yet, but we'll be sure to update this page when you can. This means that there is no pre-order link currently, but we'll update this page as soon as we know more.

Haunted Chocolatier music

Barone has long been known for his beautiful musical scores, which add a whole other layer of greatness to his games. The music on Stardew Valley was consistently wonderful, and here's hoping that the Haunted Chocolatier music will have a similar impact on our ears.

Early signs are certainly promising – there were two songs, both just over a minute in length, featured in the first Haunted Chocolatier trailer. Barone has already reposted the songs on their own on his YouTube channel, too.

The songs don't have names yet, but you can listen to them both here – there is one above and one below, so take your pick and prepare yourself for a sweet audio treat.

Haunted Chocolatier gameplay

"I just want to make a fun game," Barone wrote on the game's official website, but he didn't go into a huge amount of detail beyond that in terms of the Haunted Chocolatier gameplay experience.

He did say this, though: "Now, you might be scratching your head, wondering exactly what type of game this is. I’m not sure how best to describe it. It’s evolving organically as I develop it, so I’m not sure where it will go.

"But at its core, the gameplay loop involves gathering ingredients, making chocolate, and running a chocolate shop. Of course, there’s a lot more to the game than that, but I don’t want to get too deep into at this early stage, partly because I don’t want to be tied down to any particular concept of what the game is."

All programming was coded using the C#/Monogame framework. And if you want to take a closer look at how the game is shaping up, along with a couple of great original songs, check out the video at the bottom of this page.

Does Haunted Chocolatier have multiplayer?

Barone has stated that he’s only developing a single-player mode and has no plans for multiplayer so far, so it might be safe to assume that Haunted Chocolatier will not have a multiplayer mode at launch.

We think that if Haunted Chocolatier emulates the success of its creator’s premier effort, then perhaps a co-op mode could be added later, with players sharing the responsibility of the inner workings of the chocolate castle.

Haunted Chocolatier trailer

The first Haunted Chocolatier trailer is here, touting itself as an 'early gameplay' showcase. Those who’d like to bathe in the nostalgia of the kind of sprite-bountiful pixel art graphics reminiscent of the 90s and early noughties GameBoy SP are very likely to enjoy this. Scored with glimmering soft synthesis, the trailer below should go some way to tiding you over, while we wait for the Haunted Chocolatier release date to appear.

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