On February 26th, developer Eric Barone celebrated the eighth anniversary of Stardew Valley, his popular farming life simulator game. Not only did he announce the release date of the major update 1.6, but he also shared new sales figures for the game.
Patch 1.6: Anticipated Since 2024
The development of the 1.6 patch for Stardew Valley was initially mentioned by Barone in the summer of 2024. Originally envisioned to be a small update, the patch has since expanded and was expected to launch on the PC by the end of 2024.
Release Date Announcement
Stardew Valley is set to be updated with patch 1.6 on March 19th. The update will first roll out on PC and will eventually be made available on consoles and mobile devices “at the earliest opportunity,” as per Barone’s statement.
What’s Included in the Update?
According to Barone’s September tweet, the 1.6 version will bring three new festivals (one big and two smaller ones), a new type of farm, new items, recipes, more than a hundred dialogue lines, and a multiplayer mode that supports up to eight players (PC only).
Additional end-game content and secrets, numerous minor improvements, and measures to make the life of modders easier are also expected.
Sales Success
Highlighting the game’s continued success, Barone revealed that sales of Stardew Valley have now exceeded 30 million copies, up from the 20 million milestone reached in March 2022.
Barone thanked the gaming community saying, “With the update on the horizon, a world concert tour in progress, an official cookbook coming, and now 30 million copies of Stardew Valley sold, the game is thriving like never before. As always, I am infinitely grateful to the players (you!) for making this possible. Now back to the grind. See you in three weeks.”
