Stardew Valley fans have been suspecting that we’ve received the ‘final update’ of our beloved game for years. Since multiplayer was added to SDV in August 2018, I’ve been wondering if “that’s it”. But we’ve received three more major updates since then, and each has been jam-packed with content and free with the base game, with the most recent being 1.6 in March 2024 on PC.
For those farmers who prefer to harvest crops on console, this latest update is now available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, as well as mobile platforms. The release is actually version 1.6.9, which brings all platforms in line with the current PC version.
When ConcernedApe (Eric Barone) first announced the 1.6 update in April 2023, he said:
"There is going to be a Stardew 1.6 update. It's mostly changes for modders (which will make it easier & more powerful to mod). But there is also new game content, albeit much less than 1.5."
Sure, 1.6 might not feature an entirely new world (as 1.5 did with Ginger Island) but this announcement truly undersells what ConcernedApe shared with us. Out of curiosity, I compared the changelogs for 1.5 and 1.6, and I discovered that the 1.6 changelog is 7,300 words long—almost double the length of 1.5’s. The 1.6 changelog uses the word ‘fixed’ 200+ times, while 1.5’s most-used word is ‘added’. This makes sense: 1.6 is all about fixing systems, text, and menus to improve quality of life.
Overall, the SDV community has loved the 1.6 update. Reddit threads and Steam discussions deepdive into the benefits of small additions, like being able to ‘strafe’ while preparing to use a hoe or watering can (which allows the player to reposition their tool hit area if they haven’t quite lined it up correctly). Others are celebrating small changes in dialogue that make the world feel more alive or the addition of the new catalogues, which allow players to easily access a bunch of new decorative items for their farms. Although these updates will make SDV an even more satisfying experience for new players, these changes feel like they are for the SDV fans who know this game inside and out, and can really appreciate every little tweak and adjustment.
And I’m under no illusions: I am one of those fans. I’ve played 170 hours of SDV on PC and 310 hours on Switch. I just started a new game as a rancher so I can fully experience the new ‘Meadowlands’ farm type, which focuses more on raising animals than tending crops. While I’m excited to get back to the endgame and try new 1.6 features like trinkets and mastery, I’m more excited by the little things. There are new items like mushroom logs and moss, which make my little goblin heart sing. You can get multiple pets on your farm now, and they can wear hats. ConcernedApe understands what really matters.
Some 1.6 additions are contentious though. There have been long discussions in SDV community spaces about some of the new statues, books, and ‘perfection waivers’ that let players spend in-game currency to gain experience or find items that used to take significant time investment from players instead. Some players seem frustrated that they had to ‘earn’ their 100% runs of SDV on previous saves and that now players will be able to reach that milestone in different—perhaps easier—ways.
But SDV is mostly a solo experience, so if you feel like these new options are ‘cheating’, then you can always choose not to pursue them. Although you can choose to play cooperatively with your friends and live out your farming dreams together, SDV isn’t trying to be a competitive multiplayer experience. Just like restoring the community centre or supporting Joja Mart were always different paths that players could take, 1.6 adds more options to other aspects of the game.
Choice is the cornerstone of SDV. It’s one of the reasons people adore this farming sim and compare all new entries in the genre to the benchmark that it set. Every playthrough of SDV is different based on your choices, including the skills you upgrade, the townsfolk you befriend, and the way you choose to spend each in-game day. The game can be a fast-paced hustle where you focus on optimising your harvesting to complete community bundles as quickly as possible, or it can be a meditative experience where you let the story unfold organically while taking five in-game years to restore your community centre because you were too focused on romancing Leah and kept forgetting to grow some gold-star parsnips before the end of Spring. Players share strategies online for how to min/max crop layouts for maximum profit and sprinkler efficiency, or post photos of how they have decorated their farms to represent the perfect countryside getaway—and all playstyles feel equally respected by the community and rewarded by ConcernedApe’s comprehensive updates.
It is not revolutionary to suggest that Stardew Valley is the best farming sim around. It was inspired by the original farming sim—Harvest Moon—but it’s not derivative or a clone. It’s a love letter to the genre, taking everything that players adored about these original games and extending on them for a new generation of players. It gives you an endless checklist of tasks to achieve but there’s no urgency to complete them. You’re always one in-game day away from completing some goal that you’ve set yourself, and the next discovery feels like it’s right around the corner—even when you’ve already clocked up near 500 hours of playtime.
It’s no wonder ConcernedApe can’t seem to put SDV down and move on to his next project; I can’t put it down either.
