Stardew Valley's next major update has a release date at long last

The wait is almost over. Stardew Valley’s long-awaited Update 1.6 has finally received a release date. For now, it remains a PC-only release date but for the rest of us, it’s a promising tease of what’s to come.

ConcernedApe is a rather generous developer. Eight years after the game originally launched, new content is still being added to Stardew Valley - and best of all, that new content is totally free. It’s why Stardew Valley has stood the test of time and retained our devotion, and the upcoming Update 1.6 sounds to be just as jam-packed as we were hoping. It’s set to land on PC next month on 19 March, with ConcernedApe adding that a console and mobile release of the update will then follow “as soon as possible”.

Take a look at the delightful Stardew Valley in action below.

Update 1.6 was revealed all the way back in June of 2022, so fans have been waiting for this one for a very long time. As for what the update will feature, developer Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone has already confirmed that players will gain access to a new major festival, two mini festivals, new craft recipes and items, a new type of farm, winter-themed outfits for villagers, new dialogue, hats for cats and dogs, a larger storage chest, extended late-game content, and eight-player co-op on PC.

That’s plenty to be excited about. Back when Update 1.6 was announced, it was actually due to be pretty modest in size. As we’ve heard over the past couple of months though, Barone’s intentions and plans grew and grew - and here we are, all this time later. Barone previously advised fans that you’ll benefit most from the update if you embark on a totally new playthrough but don’t worry. That certainly isn’t mandatory.

"I will release patch notes on the day of launch, but I think it would be more fun for you to just play the update and discover everything yourself,” Barone wrote. “The update will work perfectly fine with your existing save files, but I'd recommend starting a new file to get all the new stuff in context (and because it's always fun to start a new file). You may even want to start with the new farm type." Bring on March.