Stardew Valley 1.6 update coming this year, promises lots of additional content

Stardew Valley's next big update is "absolutely" coming this year, according to the game's developer.

Eric Barone, also known as "ConcernedApe," tweeted recently that all the major content in Stardew Valley's next update was complete. The update, colloquially known as "1.6" (reflecting the version number), is apparently in a "bug-fixing and polishing phase," according to Barone.

When asked if the update would be released in 2024, Barone tweeted "yes absolutely" [sic]. Barone also recommends using a new save file with the update as there will be a lot of new content to unlock.

So far, we know that there will be quite a few additions brought with this update, including three new town festivals, support for up to eight players without mods, new winter outfits for the town's residents, over 100 lines of additional dialogue, hats for pets, and (of course) new items.

Barone didn't give a target date for the update, meaning that the update could feasibly drop anytime in 2024. Given Barone's penchant for feature creep (the 1.6 update was originally supposed to only bring better support for third-party mods), testing and bug fixes may take some time. Barone may also slip in a few more pieces of additional content for avid farmers. 

Stardew Valley has been a big hit since its release in 2016. This February marks the 8th anniversary of the farming and life simulation game, which hit 20 million copies sold in March 2022. Considering the game's solid fanbase, growing modding community, and continued updates from the developer, it's likely Stardew Valley will continue to sell copies.

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