Coral Island is finally headed to a Nintendo console. Stairway Games announced during The MIX Fall Showcase that its tropical farming sim is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 this winter, launching alongside a free update that has been one of the community’s biggest asks: kids who actually grow up.
Kids Grow Up
Update 1.4, called Kids Grow Up, arrives at the same time on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. According to Stairway’s announcement, children now move through four stages: baby, toddler, school-age and teen. Each stage brings new interactions, and kids pick up hobbies as they get older.
The update also adds a cutscene inspired by Tedak Siten, a Javanese tradition that celebrates a child’s first steps onto the ground, which Stairway says many of its developers grew up with. The other kids in Starlet Town, including familiar faces like Archie, will grow into teenagers too, so the town changes over time instead of staying frozen.
Alongside the family features, 1.4 adds controller vibration with HD Rumble on Switch 2 and DualSense support on PS5, new Cooking menu filters for buffs and NPC gift preferences, and collectible fishing bobbers.
What it means for Switch backers
The news comes with a change of plans. Citing strict platform and performance limitations, Stairway has dropped the original Nintendo Switch version and is focusing on Switch 2 instead. Backers who were promised a Switch copy can choose a Switch 2 key, or switch to Steam, PS5 or Xbox. A BackerKit survey went out on October 16, and backers need to confirm their choice by November 5; anyone who does not respond will get a Steam key.
It is a long-awaited answer for backers who have been waiting years to play on Nintendo hardware, and Switch 2 gives Stairway more headroom for a game with this much going on at once.
The Switch 2 version joins a growing list of games moving to Nintendo’s newer hardware, as in Ancestors Comes to PS5, Xbox and Switch 2 Dec. 8. Stairway has not given an exact date yet beyond this winter, but farmers on every platform will be getting the Kids Grow Up update at the same time.
