Stardew Valley 1.6 Update Focuses on Modding

Game developer ConcernedApe is putting his current project on hold for the new Stardew Valley 1.6 update.

Modding in Stardew Valley is about to get way easier with the new 1.6 update, according to a tweet from developer ConcernedApe. He announced he is currently taking a break from his project, Haunted Chocolatier, to work on it. Haunted Chocolatier has no set release date yet and was first announced in 2021, but it seems fans have no problem waiting if it means a new Stardew Valley update.

This news comes as a pleasant surprise to Stardew Valley fans, who assumed the 1.5 update released in December 2020 would be its last. That release added new NPCs, ostriches for the farm, and a new world area, the Ginger Islands. ConcernedApe said in the tweet that the 1.6 update will not be nearly as big content-wise as the previous one but will add new dialogue options. 

According to ConcernedApe’s tweet, the 1.6 update will focus on “mostly changes for modders,” noting that it “will make it easier and more powerful to mod.” The Stardew Valley modding community is quite large, ranging from simple quality-of-life mods to entire fan-made expansions that add new areas, NPCs, and storylines to the game. 

ConcernedApe’s replies are full of fans asking for new content and fixes to be included in 1.6. One fan asked if there would be any updates to the content for the farmer’s children. Another fan asked about a new mini-quest to rebuild the Hat Mouse’s house. There were also replies where fans speculated there might be a mod workshop added to the game to make it simpler to add mods. 

Most replies were fans thanking ConcernedApe for his continued work on the game, as he is the sole developer and has been since the game released in 2016. Some new Haunted Chocolatier information was added in the reveal in reply to a fan. The game will be set in a town on the water with docks, similar to Stardew Valley. ConcernedApe also confirmed in a tweet that once he’s done with the update, he’ll be back to working on Haunted Chocolatier.

There is no current release date for the 1.6 update, so keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, check out what the Stardew Valley modding community has to offer on Nexus Mods. Like ConcernedApe’s updates, they are all free to add to your game. If you’ve never added mods before, don’t worry; the Stardew Valley wiki has an easy-to-follow installation page. It’s unclear if the update will be available for all platforms as it will be mod-heavy, which is only compatible with PC.

Stardew Valley is available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, Playstation, IOS and Android.