When is the Haunted Chocolatier release date? The upcoming 2D role-playing adventure is being developed by Eric Barone, otherwise known as ConcernedApe, who also created Stardew Valley. That means that we should expect some lovely pixel art, a picturesque town, and an awesome soundtrack – but with less farming and more chocolate, of course.
If Haunted Chocolatier reaches the heights of Stardew Valley, it’ll be up there as one of the best indie games of all time, and possibly one of the best PC games ever. From the first gameplay trailer and boss teaser to the latest news, here’s everything we know about the Haunted Chocolatier release date so far.
Haunted Chocolatier release date estimate
We expect that the Haunted Chocolatier release date will fall sometime in 2026. This is based on a rough time scale suggested by developer ConcernedApe and the delays caused by Stardew Valley 1.6.
Our release date estimate is based on the development time of Stardew Valley, which took four and a half years to get out. Given that Barone started work on Haunted Chocolatier between late 2020 and early 2021, this would take us to mid-2025 at best. However, we’ve also taken into account the delays to development caused by Barone’s commitment to Stardew Valley and its update roadmap.
Barone confirmed he was “taking a break from Haunted Chocolatier to work on [Stardew Valley 1.6]” back in 2023. He reiterated this stance in a status update on X (formerly Twitter) posted in August 2024: “I have not touched Haunted Chocolatier in a long time because I am committed to finalizing Stardew 1.6 first.” While the 1.6 update is currently available on PC, Barone confirmed that “console and mobile ports are still in progress” and are his “primary focus” following the update’s launch in March 2024. We expect development on Haunted Chocolatier to resume once these ports have been released.
Barone announced the development of Haunted Chocolatier back in October 2021, stating that it’s “evolving organically as I develop it, so I’m not sure where it will go.” It’s worth remembering that Haunted Chocolatier, like SV, is a solo project, and quite an ambitious one. To celebrate reaching one million followers on X (formerly Twitter), Barone released new Haunted Chocolatier screenshots that show off its diverse scope and Barone’s signature pixel style.
Haunted Chocolatier trailer
Eric Barone released the first (and for now only) Haunted Chocolatier gameplay trailer in October 2021. It introduces us to a gorgeous pixel world that consists of vast forests, mountains, a large town, and… Is that a haunted-castle-turned-chocolate-shop?
It looks like our little 2D chocolatier indeed gets to live in a massive castle, where they’ll be brewing their chocolatey goodness in witch-like cauldrons. To find the proper ingredients, the chocolatier will have to venture out into the wilds, to gather berries and slaying slimes. So far, we’ve spotted nectar, milk, and huckleberries.
A quick glimpse of the build menu suggests that the chocolate shop can be fully customized, using different flooring, furniture, and decorations. You’ll be able to put your chocolatey creations on display, too. This is also where the ‘haunted’ part comes in, as all of the shop’s employees seem to be ghosts. Doesn’t put off the townspeople though, by the looks of it.
Haunted Chocolatier gameplay
In his game announcement blog post, Eric Barone says that he’s not sure why he came up with a chocolate theme specifically, adding that “a lot of people like chocolate”. In contrast with Stardew Valley, which has a more humble, back-to-nature focus, Haunted Chocolatier throws magic and spookiness into the mix. Despite the darker theme, Barone says that the game should still offer an uplifting experience.
In short, Haunted Chocolatier’s gameplay involves gathering ingredients, making chocolate, and running a chocolate shop. There’ll be a lot more to it than that, but most of the details remain a mystery for now. We do know that Haunted Chocolatier features plenty of shops and even more NPCs, such as blacksmith Burk and astrologer/science-guy Dr. Tungsten.
Haunted Chocolatier news
While there’s still no real news on the development progress or release date of Haunted Chocolatier, Barone treated us to four new Haunted Chocolatier screenshots in October 2023 in celebration of reaching a million followers on Twitter/X. In these stills of the management game, we see an adorable library, a stunning water fountain at night as streetlamps light the town, and what is presumably the inside of your house and shop.
Perhaps the most generous image of the four though is a picture showing the player character out in the wild again, this time surrounded by creatures and wielding a bow and arrow. This is the first time we’ve seen the Haunted Chocolatier protagonist with a weapon, and they use it to shoot an adorable green critter – perhaps one can they be used in your chocolate creation.
A Haunted Chocolatier screenshot from August 2022 shows a monstrously large bee inside a giant honeycomb. We can draw two careful conclusions from this: Haunted Chocolatier will throw us some pretty intimidating enemies, and we’ll be mixing our cocoa with honey. Even better; this beehive-dungeon boss comes with its own soundtrack, and it’s an absolute banger.
In early 2022, Barone confirmed that Haunted Chocolatier players can build relationships with in-game characters, similar to Stardew Valley. However, he also revealed that he’ll “approach some things differently this time around”. What that means exactly, who knows.
Dropping a short combat clip in late October 2021, Barone disclosed that Haunted Chocolatier has a greater focus on combat compared to Stardew Valley. The combat system is created “from scratch’, and should offer room for different play styles. That includes a defensive approach, thereby using a shield to block and stun opponents. In addition to the shield, there will be a variety of off-hand items.
Will there be Haunted Chocolatier multiplayer?
This is an important question for many Stardew-fans who enjoyed farming together with a pal. However, according to the “frequently asked questions” section on the game’s website, Haunted Chocolatier will feature solo play only. Even though Barone doesn’t have plans to change this in the future, do keep in mind that Stardew was initially a solo-only game as well. You never know.
Now you know all the details about the Haunted Chocolatier release date, take a look at all the latest information surrounding the Hollow Knight Silksong release date, another hotly anticipated indie game, or try one of the other life sims from our pick of the best.