Stardew Valley Multiplayer Detailed, Not Releasing Until 2018

Stardew Valley is getting multiplayer support, even if it isn’t coming by the end of the year. A developer at Chucklefish has just given update on the project in a blog post on the Stardew Valley website detailing what multiplayer will be like, while also mentioning how tough a project incorporating multiplayer is.

As noted in the post, multiplayer in Stardew Valley will open up to players shortly after starting a new game. Robin, the carpenter, will offer to build you up to three farmhand cabins on your property. These cabins are where your friends will live when they come to your farm.

Playing as a farmhand will be just like playing as the main character. Farmhands can explore the mines, romance NPCs, attend festivals and do just about everything else the main player can do. The only things the farmhands are locked out of include triggering events like when to sleep, when festivals start and stop and if the player will side with Joja Mart.

Another feature requested by fans is the ability to marry each other instead of an NPC character. This will be looked into, but it will mean a new set of challenges will need to be added. As said in the blog post, the developers want “a similar amount of effort to wooing an NPC.” Exactly how to implement this in the game hasn’t been figured out yet, so more time is still needed.

We also know what the multiplayer update will NOT include. There will be no local multiplayer, no split-screen play and no PVP combat. These features could theoretically come in a future update, but there is nothing planned as of right now.

A beta for multiplayer is planned at the end of the year for Steam users. Getting your friends hired as farmhands should be as simple as sending an invite through Steam. It sounds like the hardest thing about playing will be deciding which friend gets to be the head farmer. After the beta period, the full 1.3 multiplayer update is expected to release in early 2018 for Mac, PC and Linux.

Consoles will also be getting the update, starting with the Nintendo Switch. The blog post warns that the update will be larger than normal, which means it will take more time until the update is ready. There were no release plans given for the multiplayer update on Xbox One or PS4.

So what do you think? Are you excited to play Stardew Valley with friends? What other features would you like to see get added in a later update? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.