Stardew Valley's Latest Update Is The Perfect Excuse To Get Into The King Of Cozy Games

Next week marks one of the single most important events in Western civilization, and it’s important that you participate. I am, of course, referring to the console and mobile release of Stardew Valley’s latest major content patch.

Eight years after its release, Stardew is still the overall king of cozy gaming, and version 1.6 adds a number of excuses to start up yet another new farm.

This is a good opportunity to jump back into Stardew or pick it up for the first time, as many of the changes in 1.6 are designed to smooth out its early game. This includes a new starting farm layout that lets you get an early start on raising chickens, a few new seasonal crops for easy money in the early game, and optional micro-festivals that provide some useful rewards for a starting player.

At this point, however, Stardew is such a pillar of the genre that it can be mildly intimidating. It’s developed a legion of fans, some of whom are hardcore enough that they’ve gotten the game down to a science, and that’s chased off some newcomers. If you’re looking to start Stardew Valley in 2024, here are some useful things to know beforehand.