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Press release:
[Craon, France] — December 17, 2025.
The indie games publisher indie.io and indie games developer MD Studio are today very happy and proud to announce that their cozy narrative gardening game, ‘The Abbess Garden’, is coming to PC via Steam on March 2nd, 2026.

The release date announcement coincides with the game’s inclusion in the Women-Led Games – The Game Awards Edition, celebrating women-led development teams and their upcoming titles.

Set in 1643 France, The Abbess Garden is a third-person gardening game that blends grounded horticulture, historical intrigue, and gentle storytelling. Players take on the role of Agnès, a young peasant entrusted with restoring a long-abandoned private garden at the abbey of Port-Royal-des-Champs – a real historical site that today stands as a national museum.

At the heart of the experience is gardening inspired by real botany. Players plant, water, move, and care for flora based on authentic needs such as soil type, moisture, and proximity to other plants. With no grid-based placement, the garden grows organically, changing across seasons and through multiple life stages for each plant. Flowers, roots, leaves, and seeds can be gathered at the right moment for botany, medicine, and story-driven quests.

As the garden slowly comes back to life, players uncover hidden objects, expand collections, and unlock new areas. These discoveries feed into a quiet narrative centered on a mysterious book left behind by a deceased spy – a text the local community must decipher before its meaning reaches the attention of European royalty. Alongside this intrigue, The Abbess Garden tells a warm, linear story about care, curiosity, and connection, including a tender romance that unfolds naturally over time.

Designed to be calm and approachable, The Abbess Garden encourages players to progress at their own pace. Story chapters advance only when the player chooses, allowing space for exploration, observation, and simple enjoyment of the garden itself.

The Abbess Garden will be available on March 2, 2026. The game is currently featured in the Women-Led Games – The Game Awards Edition, highlighting projects led by women across the industry.