Become a young peasant in the abbess's garden.
MD Studio has announced that The Abbess Garden, a cozy, narrative gardening game, will release on March 2, 2026. The release date will be announced at the same time as the studio's partnership with indie.io and Game Selection for the Women-Led Games – The Game Awards Edition.
The Abbess's Garden takes place in France in 1643. This is a third-person gardening experience based on history, careful observation and gentle storytelling. Players take on the role of Agnes, a young peasant woman given the rare opportunity to restore a long-forgotten private garden at the Abbey of Port-Royal-des-Champs. The Abbey is a genuine historical site that now exists as a national museum.
Gardening forms the core of the experience and takes inspiration from real-life botany. Players plant, water, move and care for flora according to real-life needs. This includes soil quality, moisture levels and how plants influence each other. Without grid-based placement, the garden grows naturally, evolving with the seasons and through the multiple stages of each plant's life. Flowers, roots, leaves and seeds can be collected at certain points for medical, research and story purposes.
As the garden flourishes, new areas open up and hidden objects appear, adding to the quiet mystery surrounding the book left behind by the deceased spy. The community must discover its significance before it attracts the attention of European royalty. The game also tells a warm, linear story about patience, caring and human relationships, including a gently developing romance.
Designed to be calm and welcoming, The Abbess Garden allows players to move forward at their own pace. It promises to inspire thought, discovery and the simple pleasure of caring for your living space.
