While we didn’t get too many details about what kinds of upgrades we will get to see with the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, the trailer does confirm that there will be 4-player local co-op (Switch 1 is limited to two players). You can play local wireless multiplayer with other Switch and Switch 2 owners as long as one person owns the game, thanks to GameShare.

On the performance side of things, we’re unlikely to see much in the way of improvements since Stardew Valley has always been a low-resolution title that aims for a retro feel thanks to its pixel art style. Higher frame rates in handheld mode due to the console’s refresh rate are likely, though.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, the eShop page for the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is inaccessible, so how it will be priced remains to be seen. It is unlikely to be particularly expensive, however, since the original Switch version is priced at $14.99.

Earlier this month, Barone had confirmed that he had begun working on a new major update for Stardew Valley. The announcement was made during a recent Symphony of Seasons concert, though he later explained that there is no current release date.

Barone’s dedication to Stardew Valley has certainly been quite noteworthy, with him having spoken about how he would continue to work on the cozy game for 50 more years if he felt the need to.

“I do take in a lot of what the fans are saying,” said Barone in an interview, referring to getting fan feedback and new ideas. “I pay attention to what their thoughts are, what their criticisms are. And the players are very important to me. I mean, I will never forget that it’s because of the players that I’m in this position, that the game was able to be popular, that my dreams as a game developer have come true.”

In the same interview, Barone also spoke about the concept of a game having “too much content” and how this can lead to developers feeling overwhelmed when it came to working on things like bug fixes.

“I think a game can have too much content,” continued Barone. “And I ultimately want Stardew Valley to be the best game it can be. So if I feel like it’s starting to become kind of overwhelming with content to the point where it’s detrimental to the game’s entertainment factor, I would stop at that point. Another thing is, I do want to make more than one game in my life. Including the development time, I’ve been working on Stardew Valley for over 12 years now.”

Stardew Valley is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Android and iOS.

It is worth noting that Barone hasn’t yet confirmed what kind of content we can expect from the update or a release date. “Okay, I revealed this at the concert last night and now the cat’s out of the bag, so I will confirm for everyone: There will be a Stardew Valley 1.7 update,” wrote Barone on social media platform X. “No release date, no estimate. But it’s happening”

The announcement for this update basically came out of nowhere since Barone had spoken about also working on Haunted Chocolatier and returning to it after Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update. However, it falls in line with his desire to continue supporting Stardew Valley for several years. Back in January, Barone went as far as to say that he would continue working on updates for the game for 50 more years.

“I do take in a lot of what the fans are saying,” said Barone in an interview, referring to getting fan feedback and new ideas. “I pay attention to what their thoughts are, what their criticisms are. And the players are very important to me. I mean, I will never forget that it’s because of the players that I’m in this position, that the game was able to be popular, that my dreams as a game developer have come true.”

He also spoke about the idea of a game potentially having “too much content”, and how this can start feeling overwhelming for him when it comes to working on things like bug fixes. Despite this, however, he still wants Stardew Valley to be “the best game it can be”.

“I think a game can have too much content,” continued Barone. “And I ultimately want Stardew Valley to be the best game it can be. So if I feel like it’s starting to become kind of overwhelming with content to the point where it’s detrimental to the game’s entertainment factor, I would stop at that point. Another thing is, I do want to make more than one game in my life. Including the development time, I’ve been working on Stardew Valley for over 12 years now.”

Ever since its release back in 2016, Stardew Valley has been incredibly successful for Barone. Back in January, he confirmed that it has sold more than 41 million copies. Of the sales, PC was leading the pack by accounting for 26 million copies on its own, followed by the Nintendo Switch with 7.9 million copies.

Stardew Valley is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Android and iOS.

“It’s all the systems — all the major systems — are already all done,” said Barone. “That’s the stuff that’s not fun to do. When I make an update [for Stardew Valley now], it’s like, you know, oh, throw in this, throw in that. Let’s add green rain — like, these random, whimsical ideas.”

“I might eventually make a Stardew Valley 2, to be honest,” he continued.

It is worth noting that, while Barone is also currently working on another game – Haunted Chocolatier – he has maintained that he will continue to add more content to Stardew Valley. In an interview from back in January, Barone even spoke about wanting to add things to the game even 50 years later.

“I do take in a lot of what the fans are saying,” said Barone in January. “I pay attention to what their thoughts are, what their criticisms are. And the players are very important to me. I mean, I will never forget that it’s because of the players that I’m in this position, that the game was able to be popular, that my dreams as a game developer have come true.”

Barone also spoke about the idea that a game could potentially have “too much content”. He did say that, if he were to ever start feeling overwhelmed with all of the things he plans on adding to Stardew Valley, he will ultimately stop further development. “Another thing is, I do want to make more than one game in my life. Including the development time, I’ve been working on Stardew Valley for over 12 years now,” he said.

However, he still hasn’t shown any signs of stopping work on Stardew Valley. He went as far as to even joke about releasing a fresh update for the game when he is 90 years old. “I don’t want to definitively say that the book is ever closed, because I think I will always have a desire to come back and maybe add a thing or two. You know, maybe even 50 years from now, I might add something.”

“I like creating things. I don’t think I’m ever going to retire. I think it would be funny to release an update when I’m, like, 90 years old — if I live that long. Let’s hope.”

Stardew Valley was originally released all the way back in 2016. As the title has crept up to its tenth anniversary, it has ultimately been released on just about every gaming platform out there. As of January this year, Barone had confirmed that more than 41 million copies had been sold so far.

When it comes to his other title, Barone had mentioned in the past that he was “taking a break” from the development of Haunted Chocolatier. However, he hasn’t revealed any more details about the title since then aside from saying that work on the game would resume after a major update for Stardew Valley had been completed.

Barone spoke about keeping an eye on criticisms of Stardew Valley that players might have, and how this often tends to inform his future plans for the game. With the belief that he owes players for his success, he refers to the continuous support of the game as his way of giving back to the community.

“I do take in a lot of what the fans are saying,” said Barone to NPR. “I pay attention to what their thoughts are, what their criticisms are. And the players are very important to me. I mean, I will never forget that it’s because of the players that I’m in this position, that the game was able to be popular, that my dreams as a game developer have come true.”

Barone also took time to discuss the idea that a game can have “too much content”, and how it can often get overwhelming for him to work on new features or bug fixes for the game. He also mentioned that he does ultimately want to make more than one game in his life.

“I think a game can have too much content,” continued Barone. “And I ultimately want Stardew Valley to be the best game it can be. So if I feel like it’s starting to become kind of overwhelmed with content to the point where it’s detrimental to the game’s entertainment factor, I would stop at that point.”

“Another thing is, I do want to make more than one game in my life. Including the development time, I’ve been working on Stardew Valley for over 12 years now.”

Barone capped things off by talking about how he will likely keep getting new ideas to add things, and potentially even add new content or bug fixes to Stardew Valley “50 years from now”.

“I don’t want to definitively say that the book is ever closed, because I think I will always have a desire to come back and maybe add a thing or two. You know, maybe even 50 years from now, I might add something.”

“I like creating things. I don’t think I’m ever going to retire. I think it would be funny to release an update when I’m, like, 90 years old — if I live that long. Let’s hope.”

Since its 2016 release, Stardew Valley has been immensely successful, with Barone revealing earlier this month that the farming sim had crossed 30 million in sales. He has also previously stated that he would never charge players for new content, tasking players with to “shame” him if he ever breaks the oath.

Currently, Barone is working on a new title, Haunted Chocolatier, which doesn’t yet have a release date. Stardew Valley, on the other hand, got a major update last year.

Stardew Valley had an eventful year with Update 1.6, adding eight-player multiplayer, festivals, new end-game content, balance changes, a new farm type, and more. Another patch would add 40 new layouts for mines alongside additional fairy styles, mystery boxes, and fish frenzies. The free updates follow Barone’s pledge for free post-launch support.

His next project, Haunted Chocolatier, is currently on hold while the developer focused on Stardew Valley (despite the promise to resume after Update 1.6). Whether this means more new content for the latter remains to be seen.

Stardew Valley is available on iOS, Android, PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

Expect this trend to continue as Creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has sworn “on the honor of my family name” that updates or “DLC” will never cost money. “I will never charge money for a DLC or update for as long as I live. Screencap this and shame me if I ever violate this oath.”

While Barone didn’t specify if that includes his next title, Haunted Chocolatier, it’s more than likely. In the meantime, he’s working on ports of Stardew Valley’s update 1.6 after promising it would be released for consoles and mobile “as soon as possible” in April. Barone assured players that he’s “personally been working” on the mobile port’s update and will announce any “meaningful news” when it happens.

Stardew Valley is available for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, Xbox Series X/S and Android. It’s sold over 30 million copies as of February 2024 and received extensive acclaim from critics. Stay tuned for more details on update 1.6’s launch for other platforms in the meantime.

the ports and next pc update are still in progress. I know it is taking a long time, its on my mind every minute. I have personally been working on the mobile port every day. I will announce when there is any meaningful news (e.g. a release date). hope youre having a good summer

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) July 22, 2024

I swear on the honor of my family name, i will never charge money for a DLC or update for as long as I live. Screencap this and shame me if I ever violate this oath

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) July 22, 2024

These range from 20 “alternate” layouts that manifest upon reaching the bottom and 20 new volcano layouts. Other new features include four new fairy styles, fish frenzies, tree-specific drops from the Shaving enchantment, mystery boxes and golden mystery boxes at the Raccoon Shop, and more.

Edits to the Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Hungarian and Turkish translations have been made, with the Chinese version also receiving several improvements. There are also multiple balance changes for treasure chests in Skull Caves, Life Elixirs and Energy Tonics. Furthermore, players can look forward to randomized monsters in the first volcano level daily.

Check out some of the patch notes below. Stardew Valley is available for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS and Android and has sold over 30 million copies.

Stardew Valley 1.6.4 Notes

New content & features

• Added 20 new ‘alternate’ mine layouts, which can start appearing after reaching the bottom of the mines.
• Added 20 new volcano mines layouts, which can appear after you’ve unlocked the shortcut between the caldera and the volcano entrance.
• Added fish frenzies.
• Added a special cutscene after you’ve helped your new neighbors grow their family to the max.
• Added 4 new fairy styles.
• You can now place 8 additional non-fish items into fish tanks.
• Raccoon shop now includes a trade for mystery boxes and golden mystery boxes.
• Vinegar can now be poured onto trees to stop them from ever growing moss.
• Shaving enchantment now causes tree-specific drops:
  – fern → fiddlehead fern
  – mushroom → red mushroom
  – mahogany → hardwood

Translation changes

• Many edits and improvements to the Chinese version
• Edits to the Russian, Portuguese, Hungarian, Turkish, and Korean translations.
• Changed the Chinese fonts to make them more appealing and readable.
• Changed Hungarian number spacing character from a comma to a period.
• Some improvements to Russian font.

Balance changes

• When you load a save, you’ll now unlock missed Steam achievements if needed (e.g. achievements gained while playing offline).
• Added mini-shipping bin as an expensive Qi gem shop purchase.
• Added more variety, and improvements, to Skull Cave treasure chests.
• Life elixirs now only restore health, and energy tonics now only restore energy.
• Wild seed spots are now rarer, but yield more seeds.
• Doubled the Iridium Golem’s chance to drop iridium.
• The monsters in the volcano entry level are now randomized each day.
• Using a treasure totem indoors no longer works. This prevents them from being wasted.
• Going down a level in the mines now makes you invulnerable for 1 second.
• Increased raccoon mystery box reward from 4 to 5.
• Farming experience now contributes to mastery experience at a 50% rate.
• Ice orb will no longer freeze a spider while it is in the air jumping.
• Removed red snapper from winter fishing quest pool, and sardines from the summer quest pool.
• You will no longer get calico rating points from going down the normal mines.
• Golden mystery boxes now have a small chance to yield an auto petter.
• Slightly reduced chance to find mystery boxes.
• Mine barrels and coal carts will now “refresh” at the start of each year.
• The order of mystery box rewards is now randomized per-player instead of per-save.

Visual improvements

• Qi club coins now show up in the shop menu.
• Various map edits and fixes.
• Removed Maru’s glasses from all beach portraits for consistency.
• Improvements to signage in some non-english languages (i.e. Chinese, French, and Russian)

Quality of life changes

• Added a 1.2-second delay after dropping an item, before it’s picked back up by the same player.
• Napalm rings are now non-destructive on the farm and inside the slime hutch (i.e. the explosion will only damage monsters).
• Added ctrl + right-click as an alternate toolbar drop hotkey.
• Receiving a “special notification” (e.g. first geode message) will no longer cancel out player actions such as eating or warping.
• Flopping fish no longer fall back into fish ponds.
• Crab pots now have a short time period after harvesting from them during which they can’t be removed (750ms).
• The Junimo bundle menu now only highlights items that can actually be placed in the selected bundle.

Other changes

Minor optimizations.

• Added two inappropriate names to the list to exclude from the name generator.
• You can no longer give gifts to NPC’s during green rain year 1 (prevents incongruous attitudes). This also prevents a portrait issue with Demetrius.

Gameplay fixes

• Fixed disappearing pets bug.
• Fishing splash zones and ore pan points are now removed overnight.
• The prize ticket machine now consumes your ticket when you get the reward, rather than when you first press the button.
• For the purposes of perfection, the level 100 mines stardrop now has a more robust way to check if it’s been acquired.
• Fixed Monster Compendium not actually doubling all loot.
• Fixed geodes no longer dropping on the farm in normal circumstances.
• Fixed rare crash when spawning items overnight.
• Fixed player colliding with stuff during event cutscenes.
• Fixed pre-1.6 forged weapons having reduced stats.
• Fixed not being able to put a torch on the sprinkler you get as a CC reward.
• Fixed various bugs/crashes related to building a cabin.
• Fixed wild seeds in garden pots putting their final crop in the top-left corner of the map instead of the pot.
• Fixed “lost and found” chests (from night market and elsewhere) not working anymore in 1.6.
• Fixed a duplication bug with the “lost and found” chests.
• Fixed slime hutch floors reverting to the default after reloading a game.
• Fixed malformed casino shop red fireworks ID.
• Fixed pet adoption catch-all case only working with the animal catalogue, and only applying in year 2 specifically, rather than for any year 2 or beyond.
• Fixed ‘use legacy randomization’ option applied inconsistently when loading a save, which caused weird issues like broken green rain days.
• Fixed the case where you could permanently miss the ancient seed recipe if you grabbed the ancient seed packet but not the associated recipe, and then closed the museum rewards menu. Missing recipes will also be restored upon loading a file.
• Fixed issue with duplicated animals & building interiors from pre ~1.3 saves.
• Fixed end tables not being rotateable.
• Fixed an issue where empty barns/coops could not be removed by Robin on old saves.
• Fixed slime egg incubators letting you reclaim the egg before it hatches.
• Fixed farmhouse placement bounds to match the object placement restrictions around it.

Taking to Twitter, Stardew Valley creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone offered an update on the same, confirming that Update 1.6’s development is “in progress” for consoles and mobile devices, and will be going live “as soon as possible.” How soon exactly? On that front, Barone doesn’t yet have any specifics to share.

“I have no specific release date, but I will give updates if there is anything significant to share,” he wrote. “I really appreciate your patience and understanding.”

Last year, when Stardew Valley Update 1.6 was first announced, Barone revealed that he would be focusing on it and pausing development on his next game, Haunted Chocolatier. A couple of weeks ago, he confirmed that development on the title will resume once Update 1.6 has released on all platforms.

Console and mobile 1.6 — They are in progress and will be released as soon as possible. I have no specific release date, but I will give updates if there is anything significant to share. I really appreciate your patience and understanding.

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) April 6, 2024

According to Barone, this includes having the Stardew Valley update come to all other platforms, as well as making sure any bugs that might surface for players in the latest patch have been fixed.

For context, Stardew Valley‘s 1.6 update—one of the biggest updates the game has seen—was released earlier this month on PC. The update brought with it a host of new content, balance changes, and the addition of 8-player multiplayer.

It is worth noting that the update turned out to be much larger in scope than Barone had originally planned, ultimately encompassing new content for many different facets of the game, from festivals to end-game content.

Barone’s follow up to Stardew Valley, Haunted Chocolatier, was originally announced back in 2021. Development on the title, however, has been slow. Back in 2023, Barone had announced update 1.6 for Stardew Valley alongside revealing that he was “taking a break” from developing Haunted Chocolatier.

I am eager to get back to work on it. But I have to see Stardew 1.6 settled, bug-free and out to all platforms first

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) March 23, 2024

Recently, developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone released the highly anticipapted Update 1.6 for Stardew Valley, adding eight-player multiplayer support, new endgame content, multiplayer support, and more, and the massive update’s release has sparked renewed interest in the game.

As per SteamDB, in the aftermath of the update’s release, Stardew Valley has hit a new all-time peak of concurrent players, sitting at 147,612 players at the time of writing. It has blown well past its previous peak of 94,879 players, which it hit in January of 2021.

Last month, Barone announced that Stardew Valley had surpassed 30 million units sold across all platforms.

Stardew Valley is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.