The highly anticipated Stardew Valley 1.6 update is officially live on PC, bringing an unexpectedly large number of changes to the 2016 indie smash hit. Developed by only a single person, Stardew Valley has received astounding post-launch for years, though it was previously thought the 1.5 update would be the last major addition to the farming and life sim. While 1.6 is not as large as its predecessor, the patch notes reveal that it still brings a significant amount of new content to the game.

Stardew Valley developer ConcernedApe announced via X (formerly Twitter) that the 1.6 update had gone live for PC on March 19, with a subsequent post linking to the Stardew Valley website, where the comprehensive changelog can be viewed. The most prominent changes include new festivals and events, a brand-new "mastery" system and its special area to give players special perks and items, the new Meadowlands Farm, and a fresh batch of personalized NPC dialog lines.

1.6 is compatible with existing Stardew Valley saves, but ConcernedApe recommends starting a new farm to get the most out of the changes. Similarly, many existing mods will be compatible with the new version, but the developer urges players to try a vanilla experience first. It's currently unclear when Stardew Valley's 1.6 update will come to consoles or mobile platforms.

Stardew Valley 1.6 Update Adds New Crops, Quests, & Bug Fixes

1.6 is not as hefty an update as 1.5 was – there appears to be no singular addition on the scale of 1.5's Ginger Island – but it does bring changes to a remarkable number of Stardew Valley systems. Carrots, summer squash, broccoli, and powdermelon are new crops alongside two unnamed giant crops. There is a new "big tree" with its own dedicated questline that results in "new neighbors." 1.6 also adds four new home renovations, letting players build out their house to include a dining room, attic, expanded corner room, and a cubby. Being able to have multiple pets will likely entice longtime players, as will a number of quality-of-life improvements.

Not to be overlooked, however, is a wide range of bug fixes and visual improvements that came to Stardew Valley via the 1.6 update. A number of crash sources have been fixed, general performance has been improved, and many lingering odds and ends, like item descriptions having formatting errors, have been cleaned up. There are notably a handful of improvements to lighting that will likely help the game's ambiance, including the winter sun setting earlier, and indoor light transitioning smoothly between daytime and nighttime.

New Stardew Valley content is always welcome, as the game manages to stay perennially popular, but with ConcernedApe continuing as a solo developer, it does potentially bode ill for this update would be different from 1.5, with less of a focus on new content. It certainly is smaller, but the full patch notes indicate quite a lot of work has gone into Stardew Valley's latest update, coming almost two years since its original announcement.