Stardew Valley

STARDEW VALLEY is a BELOVED PIXEL-ART FARMING SIMULATION RPG developed SINGLE-HANDEDLY over 4+ YEARS by ERIC 'CONCERNEDAPE' BARONE (Seattle, USA). Barone taught himself pixel art, music composition, C# programming, game design, sound design, and every discipline needed to build the entire game solo. Released FEBRUARY 26, 2016 on PC (via Steam, GOG); later Xbox One (Dec 2016), PS4 (Dec 2016), Switch (Oct 2017), iOS (Oct 2018), Android (Mar 2019), PS Vita (2018 fan port), macOS/Linux. Published by CHUCKLEFISH. Spiritual successor to Marvelous's HARVEST MOON / STORY OF SEASONS series (Barone was inspired to make what Harvest Moon USED TO BE after modern entries disappointed him). SETUP: Player inherits GRANDFATHER'S DILAPIDATED FARM in PELICAN TOWN (fictional rural Stardew Valley) after burning out at soulless corporate Joja Corp job. Move to farm, restore it, and become part of village community. GAMEPLAY LOOP: real-time in-game clock (6:00 AM to 2:00 AM), seasonal calendar (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter — 28 days each). Each day: (1) FARM: plant + water + harvest crops (28 crop types across seasons), raise animals (chickens, cows, ducks, goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits) for eggs/milk/wool/truffles; (2) ADVENTURE: mine the mountain mines (up to floor 120 + Skull Cavern for iridium), fight monsters (slimes, bats, ghosts, dust sprites, dinosaurs); (3) FISH: 50+ fish types in ocean/river/lake/mountain/desert; (4) FORAGE: seasonal wild items; (5) SOCIAL: befriend 30+ villagers, 12 MARRIAGEABLE candidates (6 bachelors, 6 bachelorettes: Alex, Elliott, Harvey, Sam, Sebastian, Shane / Abigail, Emily, Haley, Leah, Maru, Penny), gift items, unlock heart events, marry + have kids. GOALS: Restore COMMUNITY CENTER by completing 6 bundles (Junimo forest spirits reward you) OR side with corporate JOJA MART to bulldoze it — moral choice with different endings. Complete GRANDFATHER'S EVALUATION on year 3+ for perfection rating. Access GINGER ISLAND (1.5 endgame content, entire tropical island DLC-scale expansion). ATTRACTIVELY RELAXING gameplay; no urgency; no game-over; play at own pace. FREE UPDATES: 1.0 launch (2016), 1.1 (2016 marriage/children/etc.), 1.2 (2017), 1.3 multiplayer (2018 co-op up to 4 players), 1.4 (2019 fish tanks etc.), 1.5 (2020 GINGER ISLAND massive content), 1.6 (2024 major update: new farm types, festivals, meadow biome, walnut room content, 100+ new items). Confirmed 1.7 in development for future release. HAUNTING SOUNDTRACK by Barone himself. 30M+ COPIES SOLD across all platforms. Considered a MASTERPIECE + one of the greatest indies ever + a rare 'one-developer game' that achieved AAA impact.

Sandbox; no VP. Track gold earned, museum donations, cooking recipes, crafting recipes, achievements, PERFECTION RATING (100% ultimate goal).

Win condition · No traditional win. Grandpa's evaluation year 3+ gives 'candles lit' rating; Perfection Rating 100% is ultimate completionist goal.

Play on Switch (portable classic), PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series, PC (Steam/GOG), iOS/Android, macOS/Linux. Xbox Game Pass. Best on Switch for portability, PC for mods.

• Stardew Valley ($15 USD, all platforms)

  One-time purchase; free updates forever; often on sale $5-10

• Stardew Valley Cookbook (Random House 2022)

  Officially licensed cookbook with in-game recipe adaptations

• Stardew Valley board game ($55)

  Cooperative board game adaptation by ConcernedApe

• Modern controller or mouse+keyboard (PC)

  Both work well; PC supports mods

• Stardew Valley Expanded mod (free PC)

  Massive fan mod adding villagers, areas, story

• Year 1: focus on Community Center + starter crops

  Save cauliflower for CC bundle.

• Rush sprinklers (Farming level 2 + gold)

  Automation frees up massive time.

• Marry someone with good heart events (Elliott, Leah, Sebastian popular)

  Marriage unlocks partner benefits.

• Save Ancient Seed to grow Ancient Fruit (7-day cycle, high price, greenhouse-ready)

  Best long-term crop income.

• Explore Ginger Island (1.5) for endgame content

  Golden walnuts + parrot island + volcano dungeon + Qi's challenges.

Pelican Town

Central village in Stardew Valley.

Junimo

Forest spirits; help restore community center.

Joja Corp / Joja Mart

Corporate antagonist; alternative to community center.

ConcernedApe

Eric Barone's developer handle.

Iridium

Best material tier; from Skull Cavern + late-game crops.

Perfection Rating

Ultimate completionist goal (100% = all achievements).

Community Center bundle

Item collections for Junimos; 6 rooms + gold room.

Ginger Island

Endgame content island added 1.5.

Skull Cavern

Infinite floors dungeon for iridium + prismatic shards.

Prismatic Shard

Rare + valuable item; unlocks Galaxy Sword + secret events.

• BAFTA Games Awards 2017 Debut Game nomination

  annual · UK · since 2017

• Steam Awards multiple years

  annual · worldwide · since 2016

• Metacritic 89 average

  ongoing · worldwide · since 2016

• Speedrun: Community Center completion year 1 (~2 hours real time)

  ongoing · worldwide online · since 2016

• 🇺🇸United States
• 🇬🇧United Kingdom
• 🇩🇪Germany
• 🇫🇷France
• 🇮🇹Italy
• 🇪🇸Spain
• 🇯🇵Japan
• 🇰🇷South Korea
• 🇧🇷Brazil
• 🇲🇽Mexico
• 🇨🇦Canada
• 🇦🇺Australia
• 🇮🇳India

• Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone (developer + publisher)

  Founded 2012 · Seattle, Washington, USA

• Chucklefish (original publisher; Barone bought back rights)

  Founded 2011 · London, UK

• Stardew Valley (official site)— ConcernedApe
• Wikipedia — Stardew Valley— Wikipedia