Biggest Additions To Stardew Valley Since Its Launch

Highlights

• Stardew Valley has received numerous updates that have greatly improved the game and enhanced the player experience.
• Updates like the Lost & Found Box and Mayor Lewis’ Divorce Book add small quality-of-life improvements to the game.
• The addition of features like Tool/Weapon Enchantment, the Movie Theater, 14 Heart Events, New Farm Layouts, Ginger Island, and multiplayer have kept players engaged and excited about the game.

After a humble release back in 2016, Stardew Valley has proven itself as one of the greatest games ever made. It has a charming world, endearing NPCs, and relaxing gameplay that keeps players coming back time and time again — and it’s even possible that Stardew ushered in a cozy simulator renaissance.

The game was always great, but it’s seen dozens of updates over its tenure, from small bug fixes to giant additions to the game’s world and content. Stardew Valley’s developer may have another game in the pipeline, but even now, he continues to give his debut title plenty of attention. It’s hard to imagine support for Stardew Valley ever fully petering out because its updates so far have vastly improved the experience.

10 More Pets

Added In Update 1.6

Stardew Valley has always allowed you to start with a pet, and while more updates granted more breeds of cats and dogs to adopt, you could only have one pet total. As of the 1.6 update, that’s all changed.

Once you reach maximum hearts with your first pet, you can adopt more – including these adorable turtles. Having more pets grants more variety on your farm, and more friends for you to make. Animal lovers alike will love this addition, because what’s a farm without your favorite animals?

9 Lost And Found Box

Added In Update 1.5

The Lost & Found Box isn’t the most glamorous of updates that Stardew Valley has ever seen, but it’s certainly one of the most useful. Placed in Mayor Lewis’ house, you can use the box to retrieve items from failed special orders, items or tools lost during a quest, items from offline players, items left in your grange display from the Stardew Valley Fair, and so on.

It’s one of the small quality-of-life changes that really add up over time, and its inclusion shows just how much care developer Eric Barone puts into his game, even after all this time.

8 Mayor Lewis’ Divorce Book

Added In Update 1.1

As one of the first big updates for the game, it’s kind of hard to believe that some of the features from the 1.1 update weren’t there when Stardew Valley initially launched. One of those features is Mayor Lewis’ Divorce Book, which does exactly what it sounds like — it allows you to divorce a spouse after you’ve been married.

Part of Stardew’s legacy is how much players love to marry and divorce and remarry as many of the romanceable NPCs as they want, and this of course could never be possible without the Divorce Book. All you have to do is shell out 50,000 to Mayor Lewis, and your virtual marriage will be no more.

Added In Update 1.5

Taking note from its predecessors in Minecraft and Terraria, tool and weapon enchantment became available as part of Stardew Valley’s huge 1.5 update. With this feature, you have access to the Forge on Level 10 of the Volcano Dungeon on Ginger Island. There, you can upgrade weapons, enchant weapons and tools, combine rings, and even change weapon appearances.

Upgrading weapons with various gems gives them various effects such as knockback or increased critical damage. Enchanting weapons or tools with a Prismatic Shard applies a random, powerful effect such as your Fishing Pole automatically hooking onto a fish when they bite, or tools not draining your energy when used.

6 Movie Theater

Added In Update 1.4

The Movie Theater is another feature that was added for players to access after they complete the Community Center and replaces the abandoned JojaMart building. To access the Theater, you’ll need to complete the Missing Bundle that appears in the empty building, and then allow the Junimos to build it before you’ll have access.

The Movie Theater plays eight movies in total, cycling through them every two years. The films range from light-hearted children’s animation to absurdist sci-fi comedies to pulpy horror movies, and the theater even has its own unique concessions you can purchase.

5 14 Heart Events

Added In Update 1.4

Stardew Valley’s roster of charming friends and love interests has become one of the most beloved features of the game, and players are always hankering for new dialogue or story events. Barone delivered in the 1.4 update, as he added a lineup of 14 heart events for romanceable characters (and also Krobus).

From strange dreams to late-night gaming sessions to romantic walks in the rain, these events are heartfelt ways for you to get to know the characters that you already know and love. Some are shorter than others, but they’ll all bring you even closer to your bachelor or bachelorette of choice. In the 1.6 update, after reaching 14 hearts, you can purchase a portrait of your spouse.

4 New Farm Layouts

Meadow Farm Added In 1.6; Beach Added In Update 1.5; Four Corners In 1.4; Riverlands, Forest, Hill-Top, And Wilderness In 1.1

You can do a ton of different activities in the world of Stardew Valley, but farming has to be the most prominent among them. Your farm is your home and becomes an area where you’re going to spend a lot of time on any given playthrough. That’s why it’s nice to switch up the layout of your farm for new playthroughs — an option that only became available through updates after Stardew’s initial release.

The options include the Meadow Farm, which stars you off with a coop, two chickens, and blue grass that they love to eat eat; Riverlands farm, which has rivers running through your farm for some awesome fishing; the Forest farm, which allows for better foraging; the Hill-Top farm, which encourages mining; the Wilderness farm, where enemies will come out and attack the player at night; the Beach farm, where your farm is surrounded by ocean; and the Four Corners farm, which is optimized for multiplayer playthroughs.

3 Ginger Island

Added In Update 1.5

Released in the massive 1.5 update, Ginger Island is the single largest content update Stardew Valley has received since its original release back in 2016. 1.5 featured Ginger Island as a whole new region of the game’s world, including new locations, NPCs, and questlines.

Along with the new region a wave of other new content — everything from hats to enemies to crops to craftable items and more. Ginger Island and 1.5 as a whole are testaments to Barone’s love for and dedication to a game that he released seven years ago.

2 Mobile Versions

iOS Version Released On October 24, 2018; Android Version Released On March 13, 2019

Of all the games on the market, Stardew Valley was most rife for a mobile port. The gameplay is relatively slow paced, incredibly relaxing, and is perfectly suited for a pick-it-up-and-put-it-down-whenever play style — a perfect combination for mobile gaming. Plus, Stardew is a game that doesn’t require a lot of technical skill to play, so its controls translated well to a touchscreen interface.

Players’ ability to take Stardew on the go has certainly led to its ubiquity for casual mobile gamers on top of its already massive success with the traditional gaming crowd.

1 Multiplayer

Added In Update 1.3.27

Of all of the updates that Stardew Valley ever received, its multiplayer was one of the most anticipated. Other cozy simulator games like Minecraft and Terraria had already seen massive success with their multiplayer, and fans were hankering for a chance to share Pelican Town with their friends. Finally, on August 1, 2018, in the game’s 1.3.27 update, they got it.

Stardew’s multiplayer mode allows one to four players to join a host’s game through split screen, LAN, or online through your IP address. There’s a special farm type associated with multiplayer as well, which allows you and your three friends to each have a small section of your farm to call home. You can also change the look of the cabins your friends stay in, courtesy of the 1.6 update.