The full release of Stardew Valley’s multiplayer update will launch Aug. 1, publisher Chucklefish announced. Previously available only as a public Steam beta, the mode will launch across multiple PC storefronts, including Humble and GOG.
It sounds like the multiplayer mode will remain mostly the same when it’s out of beta. Among its features are the ability to recruit up to three friends as either farmhands, who work for the host player, or fellow farmers, who get their own cabin on the host’s farmland. Either way, Stardew Valley’s co-op encourages people to collaborate, not compete to see who’s the best and richest farmer.
Players can even get married to each other when playing in multiplayer mode, which means they’re also able to get divorced. Emoji and a chat box allow you to communicate through text instead of just passive-aggressive actions, if you want to announce to your friend that you’re divorcing them instead of just going ahead and doing it.
We dug the Stardew Valley multiplayer beta when we checked it out on Steam back in the spring. It doesn’t change the game in any major way, but something as pure as Stardew Valley needs very few adjustments to begin with. See a taste of it for yourself in the launch trailer above; the update will be available on Linux, Mac and Windows PC.
Update (Aug. 1): Chucklefish announced that Nintendo Switch will receive the multiplayer patch next, followed by PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Specific timing has yet to be revealed.
