2025 really is the year of the cozy game as the latest farm sim from the series that inspired Stardew Valley teams up with life JRPG mashup Rune Factory for a "special" collab DLC

The latest entry in the cozy farming sim series that inspired Stardew Valley is coming to Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma as part of a free DLC, and I can't wait.

I've already poured over 100 hours into both Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, spinning up my own review of the game to explain what keeps me coming back for more, and Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma – but now, it seems I'm going to have to lock in for even longer thanks to a new DLC announcement from developer and publisher Marvelous. "Guardians of Azuma will have a special Story of Seasons collaboration," reads the studio's reveal post.

🌸Notice🌸#GuardiansofAzuma will have a special @storyofseasons collaboration!The free DLC, "STORY OF SEASONS: Grand Bazaar," is coming soon🐮✨Stay tuned for more details🐣#RuneFactory #StoryOfSeasons #GrandBazaar pic.twitter.com/Tyoxn8HanbSeptember 19, 2025

"The free DLC, 'Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar,' is coming soon," it concludes. "Stay tuned for more details." The dev doesn't provide much in the way of information about said DLC here, but it's enough to get me – and others – absolutely excited for the future. It sounds like the DLC will be for the recent Rune Factory game and not vice versa, but will revolve around Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar somehow.

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"I AM READY," exclaims one thrilled fan in the comments – who I relate to on a spiritual level, honestly. Others speculate about what it could be, while some simply shout, "I NEED TO KNOW WHAT IT ISSS!" There's no telling just yet what the free expansion will include, but I'm personally guessing it'll somehow lean more heavily into the farming and life sim side of things than the RPG vibes that Guardians of Azuma itself boasts.

Regardless, it's sure to impress us cozy game stans. After all, it's no secret that we can't get enough of Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar – both it and Guardians of Azuma sit nicely on Steam with "Very Positive" ratings, so…

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma director says the cozy RPG series' "final form" is a game you can "keep living in forever," but "whether we can actually pull it off is a completely different story"

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.