Updated November 2024: This story has been updated with the new availability of Stardew’s 1.6 update.
The popular farming sim and ultimate cozy game Stardew Valley dropped a major update on Tuesday after months of anticipation. Stardew’s 1.6 update has an insane amount of new content that touches every area of the game, from new menus and DIYs, to a new farm layout, new crops, and the ability to have multiple pets and play with seven friends at once. It’s enough updates to make the game feel fresh, but it isn’t so new that you can’t ease back into a beloved farm and toil away.
As of November 4, 2024, the free update is available for players on all platforms. The update was initially only available for PC players using Steam, but it’s now available for console and mobile players too. If you don’t have the game yet, you can purchase it on Steam for $15 for PC, Linus, and Mac computers, or the shop for your console of choice, like the Nintendo Store ($15) or Xbox Store ($15). You can also purchase it for mobile in the Apple Store ($5) or Google Play Store ($5) to play on your mobile devices. There are no cross-saves, so each platform will have its own files and farms.
As soon as the PC update arrived back in March, I opened up Stardew Valley and started a file with the brand-new farm layout (which has me very broke) to dive right in. The update also works on your existing Stardew files, and I’ve been bouncing back and forth between my brand-new file and a later-game file to see what’s new in different seasons. Everywhere I look, I see something new. Moss to forage off trees! New reactionary dialog from NPCs! A prize machine in the mayor’s house!
If you hate spoilers, I’m honestly not sure why you read this far, but you should definitely stop reading. I’m about to tell you about some of the biggest changes I’ve spotted since playing the updated game.
Screenshot courtesy of Nena Farrell
Ranch Mode
The biggest change to see right away is the new farm layout. Stardew’s 1.6 update adds the Meadowlands Farm, a grass- and animal-focused design for my fellow animal ranchers. This farm grows a special blue grass that game creator Eric Barone says animals will love. It can raise animal’s hearts faster, improving the eggs and milk they give you. There’s less farming land available, and a few changes to initial quests. I’m enjoying the Meadowlands Farm so far—I immediately created one when the game dropped–even though starting with two chickens and no parsnip seeds is definitely a slower path to the infinite wealth I’m seeking. But even though I’m broke, it’s still been fun to have such a different start to the game.
Screenshot courtesy of Nena Farrell
Fresh Crops
The first question my sister asked me when I started playing: “Are there new crops?” At first, I told her no. I didn’t see anything new to purchase in the shop. But there are new crops with the update–you just won’t find them in any stores.
Instead, you find four new crops (one for each season!) in a few different ways—mainly, digging them up from the ground in the game’s well-known Artifact Spots, although spots with these new crops have a slightly different style you’ll be able to spot. You can also win them in the brand-new Prize Machine in the mayor’s house, once you get your hand on a prize ticket. The new crops are carrots for spring, summer squash for (shocker) summer, broccoli for fall, and powdermelon in winter. These new crops can be used in the game’s main quest, too. Just choose Remixed Bundles for the Community Center in your starting settings.