Beginner Guide
Village in the Shade Beginner Guide
Start with first-week priorities, early money, tools, farming, cooking, hunting, livestock and nighttime exploration.
Read Guide →Village in the Shade Guide, Wiki and Walkthrough
Explore Kagatsu Village with verified guides, character profiles, farming tips, village rules and release information.
Guides focus on clear next steps, useful conditions and specific unknowns.
Village in the Shade at a Glance
Western Release
October 27, 2026
Japan Release
July 30, 2026
Steam Release
July 29, 2026
Developer
Nippon Ichi Software
Western Publisher
NIS America
Genre
Farming Simulation
Players
Single Player
Platforms
PC (Steam), PS5, Switch, Switch 2
Setting
Kagatsu Village
Japanese Title
Hono Gurashi no NiwaHono Gurashi no Niwa
Last Verified
August 10, 2026
English interface support is scheduled for October 27, 2026. Check the language page before purchasing if you need English text.
Start Here
Start Your Life in Kagatsu Village
Village in the Shade combines peaceful farming and community life with a darker mystery hidden beneath Kagatsu Village. Use these starting guides to understand your first priorities, choose how you want to play and explore the systems that matter most early on.
Village in the Shade Beginner Guide
Start with the most important early priorities, including what to unlock first, early money, tools, farming, cooking, hunting, livestock and nighttime exploration.
Village in the Sunshine Explained
Learn how the safer mode works, what happens to the village rules, and what remains unconfirmed about story progression.
Is Village in the Shade Scary?
Review the official horror warnings, nighttime dangers, mature themes and what Village in the Sunshine may reduce.
Village in the Shade Release Date
Check the July Steam and Japanese dates, plus the October 27, 2026 Western console release.
About the Game
What Is Village in the Shade?
Village in the Shade is a single-player farming simulation developed by Nippon Ichi Software, the studio behind the Yomawari series. Known in Japan as Hono Gurashi no Niwa, the game takes place in Kagatsu, a secluded mountain village shaped by farming, changing seasons and traditions passed down through generations.
During the day, you can grow crops, raise livestock, fish, hunt, collect resources, decorate your home and build relationships with the villagers. Seasonal activities and the quiet routines of rural life give Kagatsu the appearance of a peaceful place to begin again.
But Kagatsu also follows a mysterious code. Warnings about strangers, leaving the village and going outside at night suggest that something darker exists beyond its ordinary daily life. Players can remain within the safer village routine or investigate the secrets hidden after dark.
Village in the Shade combines comforting rural life with an unsettling mystery, allowing players to decide how deeply they want to enter the shade.
Genre
Farming life with a darker mystery
Setting
A secluded Japanese mountain village
Play Style
Follow the rules or investigate after dark
Officially confirmed details are separated from rumors and unverified gameplay information.
Explore the Site
Explore Village in the Shade
This site is organized around the questions players are most likely to have before and after starting the game.
Guides
Find practical guides covering farming, fishing, mining, hunting, livestock, cooking, crafting, tool upgrades, money making and everyday progression.
Characters and Villagers
Browse character profiles, roles, birthdays, gift information and story notes with spoiler levels clearly marked.
Kagatsu Village
Discover important locations, shops, village rules, nighttime systems, seasonal life and useful services throughout Kagatsu.
Game Modes
Compare Village in the Sunshine with the standard experience and decide whether you want a relaxed farming game, the complete mystery, or both.
Village Rules and Nighttime
Learn the eight rules followed in Kagatsu Village, how the 11 PM curfew works and why breaking the rules opens the village's darker nighttime systems.
Story, Secrets and Endings
Investigate the hidden history of Kagatsu through spoiler-free introductions, clearly marked story analysis and full ending explanations. Major story spoilers will always be labeled before they appear.
Daily Life
Farming and Daily Life in Village in the Shade
The peaceful side of Village in the Shade is built around the rhythm of rural life. Players are encouraged to work gradually, improve their surroundings and contribute to the community rather than rush through a fixed checklist.
Grow Crops
Cultivate fields, ridges and rice paddies, manage seasonal crops and improve crop quality as your farm develops.
Read the Farming GuideRaise Animals
Raise livestock, manage daily care and affection, collect animal products and prepare animals for village evaluations.
Read the Livestock GuideFish and Hunt
Fish by season, time and location, or unlock hunting licenses to gather meat and animal materials from the surrounding countryside.
Restore Your Home
Players begin with a neglected home and garden that can gradually be transformed. Furniture can be purchased in town, and objects can be crafted from gathered resources.
Join Village Events
Kagatsu changes through the seasons and includes traditional Japanese festivals and community activities documented once confirmed in the playable version.
Build Bonds With Villagers
Players can deepen their bonds with the people of Kagatsu. Romance, marriage and children should not be assumed until explicitly confirmed.
Explore Gameplay Guides
Peaceful Life and Horror
A Peaceful Farming Game With Rules You Should Follow
Village in the Shade is designed around two experiences that exist in the same setting. During the day, Kagatsu appears to offer the kind of life associated with a cozy farming game working the fields, raising animals, improving your home and spending time with the local community.
At the same time, the village has a code. Official descriptions warn players not to talk to strangers, leave the village or go outside at night. Breaking the rules may expose a part of Kagatsu that remains hidden during ordinary daily life. That does not mean every player must engage with the horror content.
What Is Village in the Sunshine?
Village in the Sunshine can be selected at the beginning of the game. In this mode, players can enjoy life in Kagatsu without being able to break the village code. Earlier materials referred to this safer option as Peaceful Life Mode.
The standard experience allows players to break the village rules, explore Kagatsu after curfew and continue the mystery-focused main story.
In the standard experience, breaking the village code opens nighttime exploration, supernatural encounters and story progression connected to Kagatsu's hidden history.
Guide Coverage
Guides Built for Practical Answers
Village in the Shade has different release schedules and language support depending on region and platform. The guide hub focuses on practical routes, clear conditions and transparent unknowns.
Conditions
Season, weather, time and location details that help you plan a route.
Requirements
Story, area, tool and access requirements are shown where they affect what you can do.
Unknowns
Exact probabilities, timing or triggers are described plainly when they are not known.
Spoiler Controls
Use Minimal Spoilers and reveal controls to decide how much detail to see.
Important guides also display the following metadata so it's easy to tell whether an answer applies to the current version of the game:
Original publication dateMost recent updateLast verification dateApplicable game versionSupported platformsSpoiler levelSources / update notes
Latest Guides
Latest Village in the Shade Guides
Explore recently verified guides covering early progression, farming and Kagatsu's nighttime systems.
Farming
Village in the Shade Farming Guide
Learn how fields, ridges, rice paddies, crop quality, fertilizer, scarecrows and seasonal farming work.
Read Guide →
Nighttime
Village in the Shade Nighttime Guide
Learn how midnight exploration works, what to collect after dark and how village rules connect to supernatural progression.
Read Guide →Characters
Meet the Characters of Village in the Shade
Meet the residents of Kagatsu Village, including its young village head, hunters, shopkeepers, workers and outsiders connected to the village's hidden mystery. Official profiles currently confirm 14 named characters.
Village LeadershipRin
Head of Kagatsu Village
The young head of Kagatsu Village, known for her strong sense of responsibility and strict attitude toward the village code.
Village LeadershipCharacter Guide
View Profile →
HunterKomako
Hunter
A gentle but highly skilled hunter who is the first resident to meet the player near Kagatsu Village.
HunterStory Hints
View Profile →
Story CharacterTobari
Rebellious Villager
A distant young resident who openly dislikes Kagatsu Village and regularly breaks its mysterious code.
Story CharacterPossible Spoilers
View Profile →Character profiles use confirmed official information. Gift preferences, daily schedules, quests and romance details will be added only after gameplay verification.
Release Information
Village in the Shade Release Date and Platforms
The existing Steam release receives English, French and Spanish support on October 27, 2026, alongside the Western console release. The Japanese release was July 30, 2026.
Western Platforms
- PC via Steam
- PlayStation 5
- Nintendo Switch
- Nintendo Switch 2
Current Steam Interface Languages
- Japanese
- Korean
- Traditional Chinese
Western Steam Language Update
- English
- French
- Spanish
- Scheduled for October 27, 2026
English, French and Spanish support is scheduled for October 27, 2026. Simplified Chinese is a separate future update without a stated date.
FAQ
Village in the Shade FAQ
Verified answers to the most common questions about the game.
Village in the Shade is a single-player farming simulation set in Kagatsu, a traditional Japanese mountain village. Players can farm, raise animals, fish, hunt, decorate a home, attend village activities and build bonds with local residents. The village also has a mysterious code, and breaking its rules may reveal a darker side of the story.
It combines peaceful life-simulation gameplay with horror themes. The Steam content description includes cartoon blood and violence, horror themes and themes of suicide. Players who do not want to engage with the rule-breaking side can choose Village in the Sunshine.
Village in the Sunshine is the current Western-facing name for the safer mode in which the village rules cannot be broken. Earlier materials referred to it as Peaceful Life Mode.
The Western console versions launch on October 27, 2026. The existing Steam release receives official English, French and Spanish language support on the same date; the Japanese release was July 30, 2026.
The game is planned for PC through Steam, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
No multiplayer mode has been announced. Official product information currently lists the game as a one-player experience.
The official description confirms that players can deepen their bonds with villagers. Romance and marriage mechanics have not yet been clearly confirmed in the currently available English product information.
Village in the Sunshine is designed for players who want village life without being able to break the code. The exact amount of story or unsettling content that remains in this mode will be documented after gameplay verification.
English, French and Spanish support is scheduled to launch on Steam on October 27, 2026, alongside the Western console release.
Village in the Shade is promoted as a game from the makers of the Yomawari series. It is a separate game with its own setting and characters rather than a direct Yomawari sequel.
The Japanese title is Hono Gurashi no Niwa.
No. VillageInTheShade.com is an independent fan-made guide website. It is not operated by Nippon Ichi Software or NIS America.
Browse All Questions and Answers
Ready to Explore?
Ready to Explore Kagatsu Village?
Start with the Western release information, learn how Village in the Sunshine works, or explore the latest Village in the Shade guides.
Pages are updated as new official announcements and verified gameplay information become available.