Stardew Valley creator advises players to start a new save, and my heart just sank

Stardew Valley’s creator has said players might want to start a new game when the next update launches, to see “everything in context”.

When it comes to farming simulators or sandbox games, starting a new save file is often considered to be a carnal sin. It would be unthinkable to erase all of your hard work and start over from scratch after so many hours, but the creator of Stardew Valley reckons players might want to consider it prior to the new update.

Check out Stardew Valley below.

The new update was teased for release during this month, but has since been delayed due to it being much bigger than originally planned. It’ll bring a variety of new content like items, festivals, and more.

After sharing a progress update on Twitter, one fan asked if the new content will be accessible partway into a playthrough, or if players will need to start over to unlock everything.

ConceredApe responded saying: “That won't be a problem and you will see most of the new content that way, but I still might recommend a new file just for fun and to see everything in context.”

That won't be a problem and you will see most of the new content that way, but I still might recommend a new file just for fun and to see everything in context

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) January 26, 2024

This might come as a shock to some players and have them worrying if they should say goodbye to their current save files in favour of beginning anew, but as the creator said you should be fine sticking to your current playthrough.

Stardew Valley is currently available on Xbox, PlayStation, PC and Nintendo platforms, so you could always buy another copy for a different platform and start a new adventure that way instead.

There’s still no word on when the next update will be released, as it’s reportedly in the bug fixing phase at the time of writing. It’s possible it could release sometime in February provided there aren’t any additional delays.