A Major ‘Stardew Valley’ Update Is Coming in March

There aren't a lot of games I buy on every device I own, but Stardew Valley is among them. I have the farm life sim on PC, multiple Nintendo Switches, and mobile. It's only $15 ($5 on mobile) and has brought me hundreds and hundreds of hours of joy.

Stardew Valley launched in 2016 and has had a chokehold on my life for nearly a decade, as is common among cozy gamers. Part of what keeps us constantly hooked are the massive updates that creator Eric Barone (better known as ConcernedApe) brings to the game. The last update, in late 2020, gave tons of late-game content, an entire new area of the world to explore, new crafting recipes, and much more.

A new update comes as a bit of a surprise, because Barone has also been working on his new game, Haunted Chocolatier, since October 2021. Fans expected that game before new Stardew content, but he announced Stardew's new update in July 2023, and now there are just a few weeks left to before we get to see it in action.

When and Where the Update Be Available?

Barone announced on X that Stardew Valley's 1.6 update will be released on March 19.

That initial release date is just for PC players, so console and mobile players will have to wait. Mobile players will likely have a lot longer to wait if the last big update is anything to go off of—Stardew's 1.5 update was released on PC in December 2020, then on console in February 2021 but not on mobile until January 2023.

If you're a newbie looking to decide which platform you want Stardew on, I recommend purchasing on Steam for your PC instead of on a console, given the amazing (and free!) mods you can add to your game. Mods will likely be down after the initial update, but the fan base has an active modding community that is preparing for the 1.6 release. And you can still enjoy Stardew Valley away from your computer if you have a Steam Deck.

What Features Will the Update Include?

After Barone first announced the update with a few teasers about what it would include, he tweeted the following list of update features that were in development:

A major new festivalTwo new mini festivalsNew late-game content, which expands on each of the skill areas.New items and crafting recipesJoja alternatives to some of the end-game quests.100-plus new lines of dialogWinter outfits for the villagersNew type of reward for completing billboard requests(PC) Support for eight-player multiplayerMany small additions and adjustmentsNew farm typeNew secrets and more

I'm excited to play the new farm type, and Barone has recommended that players start a new file when the update launches in order to see all the new content. You can, of course, keep playing an existing file and will see new content reflected there, too.