Stardew Valley was released for Windows in February 2016 to “generally favorable” reviews and has since sky-rocketed in popularity – it is still one of the most popular games played on Twitch today and has sold over 20 million copies across multiple platforms. Its community scene has also spawned a life of its own, with Stardew Valley mods breathing new life into the title.
Stardew Valley began life as Sprout Valley, developed by Eric Barone (operating under the pseudonym, ConcernedApe).
The original intention was for Stardew Valley to be a modern fan-made alternative to the Story Of Seasons series as he felt it had become “progressively worse”, after the release of Harvest Moon: Back To Nature.
With the popularity it has achieved on Twitch – especially within the LGBTQIA+ community – due to the accessibility and freedom the player character has with their life.
What Can You Do With Stardew Valley Mods?
Players can do things such as, marry villagers – regardless of gender – so it may surprise you to know that players feel the need to mod the game in a number of ways,
Mods range from finer textures, to being able to gather together an army of robots to help you with your harvest – the options really are unlimited.
With that in mind, we have scoured community creations in search of the best customisations available right now. Here are the ten best Stardew Valley mods according to reviews and downloads:
10. SMAPI – Stardew Modding API
PC gamers the world over rejoice at the sound of those wonderful two words, ‘Mod Loaders’.
Mod Loaders essentially allow mods to load and run correctly within the game’s architecture and they are vital to using mods correctly.
SMAPI is the most well-known and intuitive Mod Loader available for Stardew Valley – it essentially gives ‘modders’ free-reign with modding and allows them to revert any changes made if they happen to cause outright chaos in the system.
9. Content Patcher
Stardew Valley mods enable a whole host of content packs available to download that can change hundreds of aspects of the game.
Before players are able to do this however, the Content Patcher must be downloaded.
It ensures all the installs are clean and helps to error-check any problems in order to make the process fluid and flexible for anyone who wants to use the content packs.
Not exactly a headline act I know, but critical to ensure that the pack is compatible with your version of Stardew Valley.
8. Better Crafting
You read that correctly, the mods have even taken a crack at making the crafting better in a game that owes its existence in large part TO crafting.
Crafting in ‘vanilla’ SV is intuitive anyway, but as you experience it more and more, you may begin to yearn for a more ‘detailed’ experience and luckily, you have one.
This comes in the form of this next mod. The Better Crafting mod provides you with a new UI, a number of requested QOL improvements and more recipes – what more can you ask for from a mod?
If you fancy yourself as a crafter, you NEED this Stardew Valley mod in your life.
7. Date Night
As mentioned before, the player character can marry anyone they wish in the village, but for a long-time, that’s where the game’s romantic element ended, but no longer.
The Date Night mod adds meaningful, playful and cute date-activities which the player character can engage in with their spouse.
All the dates are extremely well-written and engaging, and owe to hours of extracurricular fun. Even in Stardew Valley, we have to do what we can to keep the magic alive and this mod sure does that.
6. Skateboard
The skateboard mod allows players to, well, add a skateboard to the game in order to get around quicker. The item is not given pre-built and players do have to gather materials to create it but the cost/benefit ratio is extremely fair with the Skateboard only costing the player:
- 4 Hardwood (for the custom maple deck)
- 1 Iridium Bar (for bodacious bearings)
- 1 Iron Bar (for truck, coping, etc.)
- 1 Refined Quartz (for grip tape)
- 10 Sap (for risers, wheels, grip tape)
It is worth adding that the mod’s creator, aedenthorn, recommends installing the ‘Yet Another Jump’ mod to allow the player to have full control of the skateboard in sticky situations like getting stuck in corners and scenery, and allows the player to do some pretty nifty tricks that would make a young Tony Hawk Swoon.
Players can also type skateboard into the SMAPI console but we here at Power Up Gaming would never suggest to cheat…
5. Teh’s Fishing Overhaul
In recent years, Fishing has seen a resurgence in videogames and Stardew Valley is no exception, there is something to be said for wandering over to a shoreline, sitting back and casting out to wait for that all important bite.
The fishing in Stardew Valley has always been a little, shall we say, contentious, but no more!
Presenting the Teh’s Fishing Overhaul mod, which allows you rewards for consecutive perfect hauls and adds overall ease to the fishing experience.
A sure-fire way to start enjoying grinding for all those fishing achievements which we all know you’ve been avoiding.
4. Stardew Valley Expanded
You didn’t misread that, it really says ‘expanded’. This mod adds 26 new locations, 160 new character events, 21 new NPCs, a new village, a new map and a whole heap of other wonderful additions.
If you feel you have done and seen everything that Stardew Valley mods have to offer but want to remain in the wonderful colourful atmosphere, this mod is an absolute must. It will add hours and hours to your playtime, and allow you to fall in love with the game, all over again.
3. Free Love
‘All you need is love’ – at least that’s what The Beatles told us. Stardew Valley is no different.
The options, however, for love in Stardew Valley can be restrictive, at least for those who don’t subscribe to a traditional monogamous situation.
Free Love is here to help. Free Love builds on the work of the ‘Multiple Spouses’ mod and allows you to have multiple ‘living situations’ be it; roommates; spouses; or multiple spouses, the limit really is just your imagination.
2. In-Game Cheat Menu
‘Imagination’, is a word which people use far too often and misunderstand the meaning. Sometimes, a game does just stifle your creativity and freedom, luckily cheats can help in this regard.
Teleporting, activating GOD mode, altering fishing difficulty, and a bunch of other cheats are all available on the menu.
It’s worth mentioning that some mods available online are available as features in the ‘cheat menu.’ I won’t ruin the surprise by telling you which ones, after all, remember what I said about imagination?
1. Automate
That’s right, AI even infiltrates your quiet little farm in the middle of the forest – kind of. While not FULL automation, there is an element of robotics here but Luckily though, these robots are on YOUR side.
Automation is achieved by pairing chests and machines together. Many chests can be chained together to create an entire factory. Automating will allow you to explore other elements of Stardew Valley