Hello Kitty Island Adventureoriginally launched in the Summer of 2023 for Apple Arcade. The game remained as an Apple Arcade exclusive until January 2025, when it finally became available for PC and Nintendo Switch players. Rather than playing via a subscription, you can now make a one-time purchase to buy the game.
For the most part, Hello Kitty Island Adventure is the same on mobile and PC/console. Still, there are some slight differences which can be important if you are trying to decide which one to play. Here, we’ll take a look at all the differences between these versions of Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
7Subscription Vs. One-Time Purchase
If you want to play Hello Kitty Island Adventure on Steam or Nintendo Switch, you’re looking at a price of $39.99 USD, with an optional deluxe bundle costing $59.99 USD. This is a lot, but it’s just a one-time purchase; you don’t need to pay a monthly subscription.
At first glance, the price seems better on Apple Arcade, but if you play the game continuously for a year and keep your subscription the entire time, you’re looking at around $84. Overall, if you feel like you’ll play the game for a while, the PC/console price may be better.
6Limited To Apple Devices
While Hello Kitty Island Adventure is technically a mobile game, it’s still only available for those with iOS devices. While iPhones are popular, not everyone has one, which means not everyone has the ability to play the mobile version of the game.
If you don’t have an iOS device, then the only option you have right now is to play the Steam or Nintendo Switch version of the game for the one-time purchase.
You can also play on Mac, but it’s still technically the Apple Arcade version of the game.
5Deluxe Items
On PC/console, you can spend a little more money to access the deluxe version of the game.This version includes three bundlesthat are filled with materials and items from past events. On Steam, this bundle is $20 USD more than the regular version, and many don’t believe it’s worth the extra cost.
Still, you’re getting a lot of stuff that you’d either have to grind for or obtain during events. If you want to get a jumpstart on your crafting and decorating, this can be really helpful. There is no deluxe version for mobile though, so iOS players won’t receive this.
4City Town & Usahana
Those playing Hello Kitty Island Adventure on mobile will have an extra map and character to befriend. In the Apple Arcade version,you’ll be able to unlock City Townandmeet Usahana, who lives here. All the content that comes with City Town (including anew cooking station) is currently unavailable to PC/console players.
This isn’t permanent though; City Town and Usahana will eventually make their way to all versions of the game. For now though, only mobile players can visit this unique location.
3Update Schedule
Similar to Stardew Valley, Hello Kitty Island Adventure has a different update schedule for PC and mobile. This may change in the future, but Apple Arcade players currently receive updates a bit quicker than the other platforms.
This will not affect in-game events, so you can rest assured knowing that you’re not missing any time-limited content. For example, as of publication, theSpringtime Celebration eventhas started! This can be played on all versions of Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
2Time Travel Limitations
Time travel in games can be a great way to speed up certain things, like item spawn time and events. This is common in games like Animal Crossing, especially if you want to progress quickly. In the console version of Hello Kitty Island Adventure, time manipulation like this can break your game.
The game’s developer sent out mail noting that time manipulation will cause you to lose access to multiplayer and essentially corrupt your save file (it can’t be restored once you time travel). Time travel does the same on mobile as well, but it was previously allowed.
If you do happen to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons and like to time travel, you may be worried about how this will affect Hello Kitty Island Adventure. Thankfully, it seems that you may continue time traveling in Animal Crossing as long as you reset the time back to its original state when playing Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
1Manual Saves
Lastly, let’s talk about saving the game. In the Apple Arcade version of the game, there are three save slots that you can use. While playing the game, you don’t need to manually save; the game is pretty much always autosaving, which is common for mobile games.
If you play the Apple Arcade version, you’ll also be able to play on the same save between iOS devices (like an iPhone and an iPad).
For those playing on Steam and Nintendo Switch, you’ll need to manually save the game. While there is an autosave, it’s not the same as the mobile version. If your game crashes and you don’t save, you’ll lose some of the progress you’ve made.
