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Stardew Valley‘s long-awaited 1.6 update has landed on Switch, bringing with it a whole new crop of features. Developer ConcernedApe shared the news on Twitter (now known as X) earlier today.
First landing on PC back in March, this has been the longest fans have had to wait for a big update to make the jump from PCs to consoles. But it sounds like the wait has been worth it.
The new update is actually Version 1.6.9, which also adds even more little features and quality-of-life tweaks. Check out the patch notes for the extremely detailed run-down of the fixes over on the Stardew Valley changelog, but we’ll go over the big stuff here.
First up, 1.6 delivers multiple new festivals. The first is a big one — a three-day event in the desert during spring. You can only access this after you’ve repaired the bus, but it’ll be worth it. We’re happy more stuff is happening in the desert, at least! There are also two mini fishing festivals and an environmental event in the summer.
A brand new farm layout is also available now — the Meadowlands Farm. According to the patch notes from earlier this year, “It has a chewy blue grass that animals love” and you get a coop with two chickens right out of the gate. Sounds like it’s an animal and produce-focused farm, then.
A new “mastery” system has been added. This is tied to the Mastery Cave, which you can only access after maxing out all of your skills. There’s also a bookseller who will visit your town twice a season, various little updates and tweaks to Ginger Island — 1.5’s headliner — including a proper map. And there are multiple new items and crafting recipes and tons of new dialogue.
Another adorable new feature allows you to have multiple pets — if you max out your hearts with your first pet. Not only that, you can put hats on your dogs and cats and you can also get pet turtles. And to add more personality and homeliness to your farm, there are brand new decor and renovation options for your home.
1.6.9 also adds a new Lost Items Shop, which will allow you to buy back items you lose that you can otherwise never get again. Legendary fish can be placed in ponds and produce roe. One of the best features is that items that drop into water will now float for a brief period, meaning they won’t just disappear.
We haven’t listed everything here, because frankly, it’s absolutely huge — and it’s free, just like all the other Stardew updates. So go check out the 1.6 patch notes and the 1.6.9 notes if you want to know absolutely everything included in this update.
In a previous blog post, creator Eric Barone thanked fans for their patience in waiting for the update, but also stated that “I would like to finish Haunted Chocolatier next.” Exciting times are ahead.
Are you returning to the farm in Stardew Valley? Let us know in the comments.
[Thanks to reader Eel for the reminder!]