Stardew Valley’s long-awaited 1.6 update – which creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone at one time warned wouldn’t “be huge”, a comical assertion in hindsight – is finally here on PC, and it’s accompanied by some an absolutely gargantuan patch notes.
Barone confirmed he was working on a 1.6 update for Stardew Valley back in June 2022, but warned fans it would be relatively modest in scope and ‘mostly modding-focused’. As time has gone on, however, and more features have been teased by Barone, it’s become increasingly obvious 1.6 has grown considerably more ambitious than was initially planned.
It’s only now, though, with 1.6’s arrival – and the release of its accompanying changelog – that we can see exactly how much work has gone into the update. Prior to today’s patch notes, Barone had teased a number of new additions, including one major new festival and two new mini festivals, new items and crafting recipes, new dialogue lines, a new farm type, new late-game content, winter outfits for villagers, a new larger chest, 8-player co-op on PC, and – most importantly of all – hats for cats and dogs.