It is actually kind of wild when you think about it. Disney Dreamlight Valley has been out for years now, and we have everything from a literal giant lion to a tiny wooden puppet walking around the Plaza. But the guy who basically defined the 90s Disney Renaissance? He is nowhere to be found. If you search for Disney Dreamlight Valley Aladdin, you’ll find a mountain of player theories, a few leaked assets, and a whole lot of sand, but no actual Prince Ali. Honestly, it feels like a massive oversight given how much DNA the game shares with the world of Agrabah.
Gameloft has a weird habit of teasing us. They give us the Cave of Wonders. They give us Jafar as a primary antagonist in the A Rift in Time expansion. They even let us decorate our houses with flying carpets and golden lamps. Yet, Aladdin himself—the titular hero—remains "coming soon" in the most frustrating way possible. Why the holdup? It’s likely a mix of narrative pacing and the way Gameloft handles their "Roadmaps."
The Agrabah-Sized Hole in the Expansion Pass
When A Rift in Time launched, everyone assumed Aladdin was a lock. I mean, Jafar is literally the guy pulling the strings on Eternity Isle. You spend hours navigating the Glittering Dunes, which is basically Agrabah’s backyard. You’re finding ancient plates and dealing with hourglasses. It’s the perfect setup. But instead of the Street Rat, we got Gaston, Rapunzel, and EVE.
Don't get me wrong. I love EVE. Her interactions with WALL-E are the soul of the game. But when you’re standing in a desert biome that looks exactly like the outskirts of a Sultan’s palace, it feels empty without a parkour-loving thief jumping over the sandstone walls.
Players have been scouring every update for a hint. Usually, Gameloft hides things in the game files. We’ve seen references to "Aladdin_Character" in data mines since the early beta days of 2022. The assets are there. The coding hooks exist. It’s a matter of when, not if. But waiting is the hard part, especially when the game is leaning so heavily into the Arabian Nights aesthetic right now.
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What We Actually Have Right Now
If you’re looking to scratch that itch, you aren't totally out of luck. You just can’t talk to the guy yet.
- The Cave of Wonders: This is a major set piece in the expansion. It’s iconic. Entering it feels like stepping into the 1992 film.
- Jafar: He’s the big bad. He’s voiced perfectly. He’s smug. He lives in a giant palace.
- Furniture and Decor: Between the Scrooge McDuck shop and the various Star Paths, you can basically turn your Valley into a mini-Agrabah. There are stalls, tapestries, and those beautiful blue-and-gold tiles.
- The Monkey Companions: They aren't Abu. They’re just monkeys. But if you squint, you can pretend.
Actually, the monkey situation is a great example of how the game handles "almost-content." You can feed them, they follow you around, and they fit the vibe. But they don't have the personality of the characters we actually want. It's a placeholder for the real thing.
The Mystery of the Missing Genie
If Aladdin is a question mark, the Genie is a full-blown enigma. How do you even put the Genie in a game like this? Robin Williams is the gold standard, and while Dan Castellaneta and others have done a great job in other media, there’s always a bit of hesitation when bringing that character into a modern sim.
Maybe that’s why we haven’t seen the core cast yet. Gameloft might be trying to figure out how to balance the Genie’s reality-warping powers with the game’s mechanics. In Disney Dreamlight Valley, characters usually have "jobs" like gardening or mining. Watching the Genie mine for iron ore feels... weird. He should be snapping his fingers and making a mountain of coal appear.
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Then there’s Jasmine. She’s the most likely candidate to arrive alongside Aladdin. Usually, Gameloft drops characters in pairs or small groups. Think Stitch and the aliens, or the Toy Story crew. It makes sense that a "Sands of Time" part two update would bring the trio—Aladdin, Jasmine, and maybe even Iago as a quest NPC.
Predicting the Arrival
If we look at the 2024 and 2025 roadmaps, Gameloft likes to alternate between "Free Content" and "Paid Content." Since Jafar was tied to the paid expansion, there is a very high probability that Aladdin and Jasmine will be part of a free update to the base game. This is how they keep people coming back. You give them a reason to open the game again by offering a beloved character for "free," then you tempt them with a $10 costume in the Premium Shop.
It’s a cycle.
I’d bet my last Moonstone that we see a "Return to the Sands" update within the next twelve months. The community pressure is too high. If you look at the official Discord or the Reddit threads, Disney Dreamlight Valley Aladdin is one of the top requested additions alongside Tiana (who finally made it!) and the Hercules cast.
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Stop Waiting and Start Preparing
If you want to be ready for when the Street Rat finally drops, you need to do a few things. First, hoard your Dreamlight. New characters usually require a "Realm" unlock or a specific quest trigger that costs a few thousand points. If they decide to put Aladdin behind a Dream Castle door, you’ll want that 15,000 Dreamlight ready to go on day one.
Second, stock up on desert-related materials. If the quest involves Eternity Isle—which it almost certainly will—you’re going to need Pearls, Quartz, and Copper. Lots of Copper. Gameloft loves making us craft "ancient" looking artifacts to progress character stories.
Third, save those Moonstones. You know for a fact that Aladdin will come with a "Prince Ali" skin or a "Street Rat" outfit that looks way better than the default.
Actionable Steps for Players
- Level up Jafar immediately: If you have the expansion, finish Jafar’s storyline. Most character unlocks are gated behind existing relationships. You can’t bring the hero in until the villain’s story is resolved.
- Clear a spot in the Sunlit Plateau: While Agrabah fits Eternity Isle perfectly, many players prefer keeping their main cast in the original Valley. The Sunlit Plateau has the perfect lighting for an Arabian-themed house.
- Farm the Glittering Dunes: Get your friendship levels up with characters like Gaston and Rapunzel. Sometimes the "unlock" quest for a new character is hidden behind a Level 10 friendship reward from someone seemingly unrelated.
- Watch the Shop: Keep an eye out for the "Starlight House Bundle" or similar packs. Sometimes these contain items that hint at upcoming realms.
The wait for Aladdin in Disney Dreamlight Valley has been long. Too long. But the foundation is already laid. The sand is there, the palace is there, and the villain is already causing trouble. It’s only a matter of time before we’re jumping off rooftops and avoiding the guards in the Plaza.
Keep your hourglasses charged and your inventory space open. The diamond in the rough is coming.