Stardew Valley creator says 1.6 update content "done", definitely out this year

Stardew Valley creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has shared an update on the farm-life sim’s highly anticipated – and long-in-the-works – 1.6 update, saying he’s now “done adding major new content” and that it’ll “definitely” be out this year.

Barone revealed he was working on a 1.6 update for Stardew Valley back in June 2022, warning it would be relatively modest in scope and ‘mostly modding-focused’.

With each new showing, however, 1.6 has seemingly grown more ambitious; by September last year, Barone confirmed it would include one major new festival and two new mini festivals, new items and crafting recipes, new dialogue lines, a new farm type, new late-game content, winter outfits for villagers, a new larger chest, 8-player co-op on PC, and more – that “and more” encompassing perhaps 1.6’s most important addition: hats for cats and dogs.

In December, Barone revealed he’d made a “ton of progress” and was in “(self-imposed) extreme crunch mode” to wrap up work on 1.6. And now, in a new update on social media, he’s confirmed he’s officially “done adding major new content” and that his focus will be on “bug-fixing and polishing” until it’s ready for release. “Thx for your patience,” he added. “It’ll be fun to see everyone play it!”.