Whimsical sandbox My Time At Portia is due out on early access in January

My Time At Portia is a breezy, whimsical crafting sandbox that calls to mind the likes of Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing. It’s idyllic and bright and I want to start building my workshop there right now, escaping the chilly Scottish winter I’m trapped in. Unfortunately, like the rest of you, I’ll need to wait until January 23, when the game launches on early access. In the meantime, we’ll have to content ourselves with a new, but brief, trailer. 

In My Time At Portia, you’ll venture to a small town at the edge of the world, taking over a workshop left to you by your dad. The goal’s to create the best workshop in the world, but beyond that there’s a world to explore and new pals to make. NPCs have their own lives, school, jobs, but they’ll also have time to become your new bud, go on dates and eventually get married. 

And when you’re tired of seducing NPCs and working in your workshop, you can tend to your farm, chill out in the house you built, or run off to some ruins and get in a scrap with some monsters and deadly bosses. 

For a more in-depth look at the game, mosey on over to our My Time At Portia preview. Lauren spent six months holidaying in Portia, and it didn’t go very well. 

“My own time in Portia, though enjoyable and initially well-intentioned, was mostly a condemnation of my ability to be a productive member of society, even after society has collapsed and been rebuilt.” 

Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.