Stardew Valley console and mobile players will want to start a new farm soon. The long-awaited 1.6 update is finally available for all platforms on Monday, bringing with it a new farm type, more dialogue with NPCs, new events, and too many other things to count.
The 1.6 update launched for PC players on March 19, so console and mobile players have been waiting almost eight months for the release. In July, developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that it was taking longer than expected. The following month, he wrote in another post that the ports have been the “primary focus” for the team. He had even stopped working on the Stardew follow-up Haunted Chocolatier to get the console and mobile updates finished.
The reason they took so long is because, according to Barone, it takes longer to update the console versions with bug fixes. He wanted to get all fixes ironed out on PC first before ensuring console and mobile were ready.
“The truth is, I didn’t expect console to take this long, but there have been technical issues with the porting process. I was originally hoping it would be maybe, 1 month apart max. At any rate, I feel bad about it,” he wrote.
Do note that there is currently a bug where opening the coop door day one on a new Meadowlands Farm will cause your chickens to disappear. Barone wrote on X that you can think of it as a “wild coyote,” but in actuality, a fix is in the works. Barone also said that the PlayStation version in Europe is “not working” but the team is looking to address this “ASAP.”
If you’re hopping into the console or mobile port today, congratulations! Here’s a tip: Make sure to start a new save with the Meadowlands Farm to truly get a sense of the new additions, especially the new festivals and events. It’s also worth it to see how this new farm type, which comes with blue grass and a chicken coop, changes up the game.
Barone also released a small 1.6.9 update to all players. It isn’t as extensive as 1.6, but there is some new content in here, including a Lost Items Shop where players can pay a mysterious new friend 10,000 gold to buy items you can’t re-obtain if lost — statue decorations, furniture, cosmetics, and even a new item that’s just listed as “???” on the official wiki. There are also new Easter eggs, and even hidden cheat commands.