<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/03/19/5acb113b/stardew-1.6.png" width="800" height="429" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p>
<p>Eight years after its official launch, Stardew Valley remains one of the most popular games on the market right now, which is no surprise; whether you're marrying a neighbor, farming crops, or toiling away in the mines, it's a game with something for everyone. Its creator, solo developer ConcernedApe, has updated it with plenty of free patches over the years, adding multiplayer, new farm types, and more, but when he moved on to work on his next game, <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/07/05/haunted-chocolatier-feed-that-eerie-craving-with-what-we-know-so-far">Haunted Chocolatier</a>, the Stardew updates came to an end. That is, until today.</p>
<p>1.6 was announced <a href="https://x.com/ConcernedApe/status/1647638975568568320?s=20">almost a year ago</a> and promises to add a number of new features, including <a href="https://x.com/ConcernedApe/status/1710021649771434352?s=20">hats on pets</a> and <a href="https://x.com/ConcernedApe/status/1663958903519080449?s=20">the highly coveted iridium scythe</a>. Here's an image of some of the planned updates from last September.</p>
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<img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/03/19/2aea9113/stardew_valley_1.6.png" typeof="foaf:Image" alt="" class="image-style-body-default" />
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<p>As the release draws closer, ConcernedApe has also teased smaller updates as well, leaving small patch notes on his X account each day. The patch will <a href="https://x.com/ConcernedApe/status/1767964221114036658?s=20">fix the sword's downward hitbox</a>, <a href="https://x.com/ConcernedApe/status/1767589731565707382?s=20">make sure harvesting is the same speed walking right-to-left as left-to-right</a>, and <a href="https://x.com/ConcernedApe/status/1768685328746135664?s=20">pickles, jellies, juices, and wines will be colored to match their fruit or vegetable of origin</a>. Finally, you can drink mayonnaise. Yeah, you read that right.</p>
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<img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/03/19/65f2080d/you_can_drink_mayonnaise.png" alt="You can now drink mayonnaise." typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" />
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<p>Some more updates are included as images below.</p>
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<img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/03/19/d08b97d7/honeymoon_period_stardew.png" alt="Spouses now have a seven-day &quot;honeymoon&quot; period after marriage which prevents them from laying in bed all day due to being upset." typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" />
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<img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/03/19/ec4765ed/fruit_quality_stardew.png" alt="Cutting down a fruit tree new yields the appropriate fruit sapling. If the tree is mature (i.e. the fruit quality is &gt; basic), it will yield a sapling with the same quality as its fruit. The higher the quality, the faster the sapling will mature" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" />
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<img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/03/19/542e6b26/stardew_new_farm_type.png" alt="Added a new farm type: Meadowlands Farm. It has chewy blue grass that animals love. You also start with a coop and two chickens." typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" />
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<img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/03/19/7187fcff/pet_time_stardew.png" alt="Reduced the amount of time you need to push against a pet before they start shaking and then let you pass through them (1.5 → .75 seconds)" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" />
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<p>In addition to the new content, ConcernedApe says he wanted to update the game to make modding "easier and more powerful." On that note, he recently announced that many existing mods are <a href="https://x.com/ConcernedApe/status/1769797473613008995?s=20">already updated for the new version</a>, though he recommends trying the patch without mods first. There will also be an option to keep your game in the 1.5.6 patch if you don't want any of the changes.</p>
<p>Stardew Valley's 1.6 patch launches later today on PC, with mobile and console updates coming sometime in the future.</p>
<p><em>Will you be jumping back into Stardew Valley? Let us know in the comments!</em></p>
Source: Game Informer
