Witchbrook locks in a January 2027 release date and adds a PS5 version

Chucklefish and co-developer Robotality will launch their magical school life simulator Witchbrook on January 28, 2027 for $24.99, adding a PlayStation 5 version alongside the previously announced releases for PC, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game will also be available on Game Pass on day one.

Locking in an actual day on the calendar is a milestone for a project that has spent a full decade in the oven. Chucklefish first teased the project in 2016 under the codename Spellbound, then re-revealed it with a shifting isometric pixel art style in 2020. The studio originally aimed for a winter 2025 release before pushing it into 2026, and while this latest date represents one more slip across the calendar line, trading a vague window for a late January launch is a trade anyone waiting on this game will happily take.

Ten years on the road to Mossport

Players enroll as the newest resident witch at Witchbrook College in the seaside city of Mossport. The release date trailer, which aired during the October 2026 Nintendo Indie World showcase, breaks down what the daily academic routine looks like.

Classes aren't just passive cutscenes. Studying astrology involves peering through a telescope interface to align constellations like Pegasus and Pisces, and potion-making runs on a grid-based crafting screen where ingredients like Marigold and Sea Water have to be arranged into proper recipes to brew salves. Outside the lecture halls, you can fly across town on a broomstick, forage for herbs in the surrounding woods, sell handmade goods at the Sunday Market, and renovate a woodland cottage.

There's also a heavy emphasis on social simulation, including tarot readings and a cast of datable townsfolk. Up to four players can jump into online co-op to attend classes and explore the sandbox together. I'm curious how the structured academic calendar handles four players who all want to do completely different things at opposite ends of town, though the dense isometric pixel art is gorgeous enough that just wandering around Mossport looks rewarding on its own.

$24.99 digital first, physical editions later

In a statement accompanying the date announcement, Chucklefish and Robotality thanked players for their patience over the past year:

"We have poured detail and care into every pixel, to create a truly handcrafted experience. We can't wait to open Witchbrook College's grand doors to new students in January, and introduce you to the town and people of Mossport."

London-based Chucklefish developed Starbound and the turn-based strategy series Wargroove, and previously published Eric Barone's Stardew Valley and Pixpil's Eastward. Germany's Robotality, which collaborated with Chucklefish on Pathway and Wargroove 2, joined the project to provide co-development support.

At launch, Witchbrook will support ten languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. Standard and collector's physical editions are also in the works, though Chucklefish is holding those back until after the January digital launch so manufacturing doesn't hold up the release schedule. At $24.99, the digital price is reasonable for a life sim that's been ten years in the making, provided it doesn't slip one more semester.