Stardew Valley is set to receive its first major upgrade since 2020 next month, with the launch of the 1.6 update

Taking to social media to celebrate the 8th anniversary of Stardew Valley, creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone thanked fans for their continued support before confirming the 1.6 update would be launching for PC users on March 19.

Console and mobile will follow as soon as possible. “I really really don’t want a big delay between [them]. That was a nightmare in the past,” said Barone.

“With a new update on the horizon, a worldwide concert tour underway, an official cookbook coming soon, and now over 30 million copies sold, Stardew Valley is thriving more than ever,” he continued. “As always, I’m eternally grateful to the players for making all of this possible. Now, back to the grind. See you in 3 weeks.”

With a new update on the horizon, a worldwide concert tour underway, an official cookbook coming soon, and now over 30 million copies sold, Stardew Valley is thriving more than ever. As always, I’m eternally grateful to the players (you!🫵) for making all of this possible.

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) February 26, 2024

Stardew Valley received the 1.5 update in 2020 before Barone shifted his focus to work on Haunted Chocolatier. In November 2022, he confirmed a smaller 1.6 update was in the works that would mostly focus on mod support but the scope soon shifted.

Barone has previously teased the introduction of a trio of in-game festivals with the 1.6 update, alongside more than 100 lines of new dialogue, new items, outfits and recipes as well as the ability for cats to wear hats. There was also the promise of more “secrets”.

The 1.6 update came as Barone took a break from developing Haunted Chocolatier. Previously, he said the “life-affirming” RPG about ghosts and chocolate would be released whenever he’s satisfied with it. 

Speaking to NME, he explained: “The whole idea of the game is that it’s more exploring these weird, transcendental ideas and scenarios with ghosts and weird stuff. I feel like I can go weirder with the music, and do things that I couldn’t do with Stardew Valley, so it’s kind of freeing and interesting.”

In other news, Nintendo has said that The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom was pirated over a million times in the weeks before its official release as it tries to get Nintendo Switch emulator Yuzu shut down.