Haunted Chocolatier release date: still none, and ConcernedApe says the game will come out when it's done

Five years after its reveal, Haunted Chocolatier still has no release date. Here’s what ConcernedApe has said about when the next game from the creator of Stardew Valley comes out.

When does Haunted Chocolatier come out?

There’s no release date. ConcernedApe announced Haunted Chocolatier in October 2021 and hasn’t dated it since. On Jan. 28, 2026, ConcernedApe repeated that a date won’t come early: “The game will come out when it’s done.”

The newest update, posted on Aug. 30, 2026, says work has been very productive lately and that the game won’t be rushed or released too early. ConcernedApe added that it’s already fun to play in its unfinished state. In the update before that, on June 25, 2026, ConcernedApe described reworking the recipe book you use to make chocolates, one of many systems being polished again and again.

Why it’s taking so long

Haunted Chocolatier is a one-person project, like Stardew Valley was. ConcernedApe writes the code, mostly from scratch in a new engine, and works alone in every other area too. Work stalled for a while because of Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update, which grew from a technical update into a big content update. By the official FAQ, those 1.6 duties died down in spring 2025, freeing up more time for Haunted Chocolatier.

Stardew Valley still gets attention. ConcernedApe announced a 1.7 update in 2025, but said on Sept. 2, 2025, that a team handles most of that work, with ConcernedApe as creative director, so Haunted Chocolatier should be delayed only a little. Stardew Valley turned 10 on Feb. 26, 2026, with 50 million copies sold.

The 2030 claim

A date that keeps coming up online is 2030. ConcernedApe says that’s a myth: asked in 2025 whether the game would come out within the next five years, ConcernedApe answered that it was a hope, not a promise. The same post rules out two other claims: Haunted Chocolatier isn’t being abandoned, and it won’t be merged into Stardew Valley.

What kind of game it is

You play a chocolatier who moves into a haunted castle. You gather rare ingredients, make chocolates and sell them in your own chocolate shop, while getting to know the townspeople. ConcernedApe calls it another town game like Stardew Valley, but more of an action RPG, with shields that stun enemies when you block. There will be more than one way to make chocolate, one more whimsical and one more mechanical.

It’s single-player, and ConcernedApe will self-publish it. PC is the only confirmed platform, with other major platforms planned, and English is the only confirmed language. There won’t be pre-orders, early access or crowdfunding.

For more long-awaited games, see our upcoming games of 2027 and Silksong Sea of Sorrow release date pages.

This page is updated as soon as ConcernedApe announces a release date or new details for Haunted Chocolatier.