Stardew Valley 1.6 Launches Today, Here’s What You Need To Know

Stardew Valley players have been waiting nearly a year for the massive 1.6 update to release since developer ConcernedApe first teased it. That wait is finally almost over, as the long-anticipated update 1.6 is set to go live for the beloved farming sim today, March 19. Here’s what you need to know about when the update will go live and what will be included.

Though we don’t have an exact release time for the 1.6 update, we know it will be launching sometime today. Based on past updates, it’s likely the release will happen sometime around 11 a.m. PDT / 2 p.m. EDT. When asked when the update would be, ConcernedApe responded on X (formerly Twitter) that “it will be when I’m awake tomorrow.”

In the week leading up to the release of update 1.6, Concerned ape has been posting one patch note per day on X. This started on March 11 with the reveal that fruit trees will now yield the appropriate fruit sapling. Here are the other patch notes we have so far:

• Fixed bug where it was faster to harvest left-to-right than right-to-left
• Extended the area of effect of downward facing melee attacks
• Reduced the amount of time you need to push against a pet before they start shaking and then let you pass through them
• Added a honeymoon period for spouses that lasts seven days during which they will not lay in bed all day due to being upset
• Jelly, pickles, wines, and juices are now coloroed based on the ingredient used to make the item
• You can now drink mayonnaise (but should you?)
• Added the new Meadowlands Farm type which includes chewy blue grass for animals to graze on in addition to starting with a coop and 2 chickens

The March 19 release is for the PC, Mac, and Linux versions of the game. The mobile and console versions of Stardew Valley will receive the update at a later date that is yet to be announced. As is the case with any update, players using mods should be conscious that the new update may not work as intended with installed mods. ConcernedApe has made a public steam branch that will stay on version 1.5.6 for players who choose, and recommends that people try playing 1.6 without mods first.