Highlights

• My Time at Sandrock offers 21 romance options, making it difficult to choose who to marry in the game.
• Some romance options, like Jane and Miguel, require a lot of effort to befriend.
• Characters like Pen and Elsie add vibrant and unique personalities to the game, making them enjoyable romance options.

There are plenty of things to love about My Time at Sandrock, but one of the things we love the most is love! With 21 total romance options in the full launch of Sandrock, you’ll probably have a tough time choosing who to marry.

We’ve weighed up each of the My Time at Sandrock romance options based on how hard they are to befriend, gifts they like, their relevance to the main story, and comments they make along the way to choose our top picks for the best romance options in Sandrock. Rebuild the town as you build your love.

Updated on December 3, 2023 by Gabrielle Castania: We updated our ranking of the romance options in My Time at Sandrock when the full version of the game launched last month, and we've spent plenty of time since then writing individual romance guides for the almost two dozen romance candidates in Sandrock. We're back to add those guides into our list to help you romance all your favorite bachelors in My Time at Sandrock.

21 Jane

The Very Sweet Late Arrival

Jane was one of the Steam WIshlist campaign characters added for reaching some truly impressive donor goals for the game when it was in development. And while her addition to the game really is intriguing – as the schoolteacher who returns to town – she doesn’t show up for quite a while.

You’ll need to do some incredibly heavy lifting in Sandrock to get Jane to return, and her arrival is locked behind a main story mission toward the later portion of the game. Had she shown up before we were already smitten with the others, she’d likely rank much higher.

20 Miguel

Cranky Pastor Of Light

Although Miguel is available for friendship and romance from the beginning of the game, he’s this low on our list because of how much work you’ll need to do to win his heart and keep him in town. He’s closely tied with the Church, making him relatively easy to find, but he’s quite tough to get close to.

That’s because Miguel’s list of liked gifts is vastly shorter than his dislikes, and he's pretty snooty to boot. He’ll react quite poorly if you hand him a weapon or scrap, but he only seems to enjoy things you don’t have much of until later in the game.

19 Venti

Miner Character, Minor Romance

When we first began playing My Time at Sandrock, we hadn’t even registered that Venti was one of the romance options – sorry, Venti. A miner at Eufaula Salvage, you’ll see Venti often as you run back and forth to the salvage in search of materials, but you may be more goal-oriented than romance-minded at the scrapyard.

As a character, Venti is delightful, though. She’s working in Sandrock with the goal of buying a home back in her hometown, and she maintains a sunny disposition despite being the youngest member of a gruff team. She just feels a bit sidelined, is all.

18 Pablo

Delightfully Dramatic, In Personality And Style

Though you’ll see the shop he runs in Sandrock quite often, it takes some time before Pablo himself actually arrives. He’s out “observing fashion” when you first arrive in Sandrock, and he only returns after you’ve begun the main storyline with the Geeglers several hours into the game.

But when he does arrive, Pablo makes quite the splash. A lover of fashion and trends, he’s easily one of the most colorful characters in all of Sandrock, and he’s more than happy to make you into the same, offering hair and makeup styling at his salon once he’s back in town.

17 Nia

The Friendly Voice From Home

In the original Early Access version of My Time at Sandrock, Nia was only your childhood best friend, relegated to being present only in sporadic letters to your builder. In the full release, though, she’ll arrive in Sandrock herself after a few major story missions, bringing sunshine and raspberry seeds along with her.

You’ll already have some sort of affinity for Nia when she arrives, with relationship points gained when you read them. Be sure to reply to her letters to ensure you hear back, and her arrival in Sandrock will feel like a rather happy reunion.

16 Burgess

"Conserve Water!"

Described as being “conscientious and loyal, if not a little uptight,” Burgess is the Church of Light member delegated to being in charge of Sandrock’s water supply. He’s honest to a fault and hesitates even to say cruel things about the monsters that threaten Sandrock.

You may have an odd taste in your mouth about Burgess, though, if you tried cutting down some trees when you first arrived. Burgess plays a critical role in the town’s well-being with the water conservation and distribution, but he also takes it upon himself to see that no trees or cacti get cut down, either.

15 Amirah

The True Desert Rose

You may not have found her right away with her shop somewhat off the main street in Sandrock, but Amirah is an artist whose quickly making a name for herself. You’ll find her pottery and artworks for sale at Ceramic Gate, and these are just one of the numerous ways to keep your homestead feeling fresh.

Gorgeous and soft-spoken, talented and kind, Amirah only ranks this low because romancing her is somewhat of a challenge. You’ll need to have ousted Yan and become the best Workshop in Sandrock before she’ll take an interest, a task that may take a while to complete.

14 Elsie

Childlike Farmgirl

Farmer’s daughter seems a prevalent stereotype in small-town slice-of-life games like My Time at Sandrock, but Elsie’s story arc is interesting. She is a romance candidate after a while and is relatively easy to grow close to – she likes a wide selection of fish and fishing supplies – but you’ll need to put in some extra work to romance her.

That’s because Elsie is a little immature when you first move to Sandrock, and the quest you’ll go on to help her grow up a little is what triggers her maturity, and she’ll be a valid romance candidate from there on.

13 Ernest

Extra, Extra! Read All About Why We Love Him!

The other of the two Steam Wishlist donation goal characters, Ernest is on his way through town when his train gets held up by none other than Logan and Haru. Thankfully, Ernest is a journalist in search of his next scoop, and gosh, does he ever find it in Sandrock.

Ernest sticks around for a bit to write his story on Logan so he can interview the locals, but he ends up charmed by the town and moves in. You’ll also learn that he’s a pretty prolific novelist, too, even if Jasmine insults his work and insinuates it’s meant for kids.

12 Catori

Entertainment Mogul, Someday

It’s not often you get characters who are canonically divorced in video games, especially not casual games like My Time at Sandrock, but Catori’s husband didn’t support her, so she left him, secured a safe home for their son, and became a romance candidate in Sandrock.

She moved to town with the hopes of starting a mega-sized entertainment complex, but it seems she’s starting somewhat small with an empty museum when you first get to town. While her preferred gifts can be a little tricky, we like to think our museum donations are also helping to make progress.

11 Arvio

The Not-So-Sauve Businessman

Arvio is one of the easier of the bachelors to grow close to because of how often he enlists your help in making deliveries for him at his general store, By the Stairs. There are plenty of times throughout the game where he sends you after someone else in town to make his deliveries.

But doing so not only earns you some Gols for the work, but you’ll grow closer to him as you work, too. Your relationship with Arvio unlocks some sweet discounts at the store, too, but you can also join him for some chill time by the Oasis after work, too, if you’d like.

10 Grace

Historically Terrible Chef

You might hear tell of Grace’s apparently terrible cooking before you even meet the lady herself, but Grace is a line cook working with Owen at the Blue Moon Saloon. The townsfolk don’t seem to enjoy her cooking much, but they faithfully pour into the Saloon nonetheless.

But cooking isn’t Grace’s primary interest – she’s in Sandrock to study Old World tech, and tells you about her project for school on media from the Old World. Giving her a mix of cooked dishes, cooking gear, and Old World relics is a surefire way to her heart.

9 Justice

Law And Order Never Looked So Good

Justice is the leader of the Civil Corps in Sandrock, and because there’s been some trouble brewing in town since your builder arrived, he’s been working harder than ever. With both bandits and monsters constantly threatening the town, you’ll often find Justice darting around on horseback, patrolling for danger.

And he’s definitely willing to back up his promises with action. At a point in the main story, the two of you infiltrate the abandoned Gecko Station and work together to try to sabotage the Geeglers and their plan to overrun Sandrock. Justice makes a great partner – for crime-fighting or for life as a whole.

8 Pen

The Most Bombastic Resident

Were you expecting an actual superhero to be fighting crime when you moved to Sandrock? Alright, because Pen definitely isn’t that. The self-proclaimed “Enforcer” for the Church of Light, Pen’s eye-catching costume and looming stature are tough to ignore when you see him around Sandrock.

Not only does he teach you the basics of fighting, somewhat affectionately referring to you as “Skinny Arms,” but Pen’s imposing personhood isn’t only physical – he’s massive in personality, too. Always on, always bombastic, always good for a laugh, Pen is easily one of the more amusing of the romance options in My Time at Sandrock.

7 Unsuur

We're Unsure If You Noticed This Hidden Gem?

Described as “fading into the background” in his in-game bio, Unsuur is one of the members of the Civil Corps tasked with keeping the peace in Sandrock. Unsuur prefers to describe himself as “unbothered” rather than boring, though, dutifully watching over Sandrock to ensure the town stays safe.

As you get to know him a little more, though, he blossoms a bit, able to act more like a person with you than just a fellow Civil Corps member. You’ll notice if you watch him that he’s quite friendly with the animals in town, and the gifts he likes the best are literally just assorted rocks. He's not boring, he's simplistic.

6 Mi-an

Build Me Up, Buttercup

Literally the first face you see when you arrive in Sandrock and ever-present from there, Mi-an is another builder who works quite closely with you. Though you don’t share a workshop and are actually in competition on the rankings board, when there’s critical building to be done, Mi-an is right there building alongside you.

With a cheery disposition and a heart of gold, Mi-an is too adorable not to love, even if she is technically your competitor. She moved to Sandrock when she heard how dilapidated it’d become, eager to put her skills to work and help her new hometown become the best it could be.

5 Logan

Everyone Loves A Bad Boy

Admittedly, it feels a little odd to be putting Public Enemy number one in Sandrock this high up on our list, before some of the people working to undo his dastardly handiwork, but the idea that your builder can take “most wanted man in Sandrock” in a way different direction is much too intriguing.

Logan is a man of mystery when you first move to town – all you know is that he’s some sort of outlaw. You watch him hold up a train and glide gracefully off into the canyon below before attacking Sandrock multiple times again after, and you may easily have your heart stolen by the infamous bandit.

4 Fang

The Strong, Silent Type

Remarkably quiet for reasons he never explains, Fang is unique in that you’ll be making a second friend as you get to know him. Fang himself doesn’t talk much, but rather, he relies on his raven, X, to do the conversing for him. He will try to talk to you if he’s without his bird, but you make more tangible progress if you speak to them both.

Not only is he interesting, but Fang is the only doctor in town, offering free medicine (that sometimes hurts more than it helps) a few times a week. He’ll also keep you in top fighting shape for the battles ahead of your builder.

3 Qi

Absolutely A-Dork-Able

Not only is Qi instrumental in growing your Workshop by blueprinting new machines for you at his Research Center, but the other folks in town also seem to recognize his genius, too. If you’re not seeking him out on your own, though, that’s fine, too – a lot of your side quests for others in Sandrock send you to Qi first for blueprints.

A research scientist from Vega 5, Qi is socially awkward beyond belief, but that’s because he pours so much of himself into his work to help everyone improve the town. His interests in science vary widely, covering everything from the Old World to space.

2 Heidi

The Fiercest Architect In The Land

When you first take over Mason’s old, dilapidated Workshop at the beginning of My Time at Sandrock, it visually leaves a lot to be desired. Thankfully, there’s a wonderful architect living in this small desert town – Heidi, loving daughter of the town’s blacksmith and hardworking in her efforts to rebuild the town.

Not only is Heidi pretty critical to the plot of My Time at Sandrock, but she’s also incredibly easy to grow close with, too. She’ll also put a good number of commissions up on the board, making it that much easier to earn relationship points with her.