As promised several months ago, multiplayer mode is finally arriving on Stardew Valley via a huge update, and now there's an official release date: Aug. 1. The feature, which has been in public beta testing for several months, is finally ready to go.
Unfortunately, this is just for the PC, Mac, and Linux versions of the game. The multiplayer update will launch at a later date for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One. It won't arrive on the PS Vita version, though. Official launch dates for those aforementioned consoles have yet to be announced.
Stardew Valley Multiplayer Mode
Multiplayer mode brings support for up to three friends to join the main player as farmhands, with each getting their own cabin in the player's farm. Farmhands can do just about anything a main player can, including fighting, mining, foraging, farming, and even sweet-talking bachelors or bachelorettes in the village. A main player and a friend may also wed by crafting a wedding ring. Those who participated in the beta tests should already be pretty familiar with these features.
What Will Happen To Player Stats?
It should be noted that even within multiplayer mode, stats will remain separate — that includes inventories, relationships with non-playable characters, and skill levels. However, money and world and farm updates will be shared between all the players. Friends may be able to communicate via an integrated group chat feature as well. All in all, it looks like a pretty stellar update to what's already a critically acclaimed game.
Eric Barone, the solo developer of the game, answered some questions about the forthcoming update in a series of tweets, so make sure to take a look at that. Barone says the Switch update is already underway, though he can't announce an official launch date yet.
Stardew Valley
For those who still haven't played the game, Stardew Valley is a farming simulation highly inspired by the Harvest Moon franchise, originally known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari. Much like the games it's influenced by, Stardew Valley features a number of farming activities, including planting crops, taking care of livestock, and harvesting many different products for profit. It's not all just about farming, though — there are also, as mentioned, a number of various activities such as mining, foraging for items, fishing, woodworking, and developing friendships with villagers.
While there are already so many things to do in Stardew Valley as it is, multiplayer mode should keep players extra busy about farm and village life.
