Stardew Valley is a farming and life simulation game. You inherit a neglected farm in a small town, and the game gives you the tools and no deadline.
Days pass on a clock and a seasonal calendar. You clear land, plant crops suited to the season, raise animals, fish, mine, forage and cook, and each activity feeds the others — mining yields ore for better tools, which clear land faster, which supports more crops. There is no failure state and no pressure to optimise, which is much of why it is played the way it is.
The town is the other half of the game. Around thirty villagers have their own schedules, histories and relationships, and befriending them unlocks conversations, events and backstory that is frequently more serious than the art style suggests. Twelve are romanceable, and marriage and family are part of the long game.
Beneath the valley is a mines system with combat, gems and its own progression, and beyond the first year there is a sizeable amount of late-game content — the community centre restoration, a second island region, and a perfection tracker for players who want a defined goal.
Paid once on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, with every update free since release. Supports up to four-player co-operative farming.
Stardew Valley was created almost entirely by Eric Barone, working under the name ConcernedApe — programming, art, music and writing — and he has continued to release free content updates since 2016.
