How To Play Stardew Valley With Friends

Stardew Valley is an awesome life simulator where you get to run your own farm. There aren’t any strict tasks to follow, which makes it feel like a sandbox game. You can dive into all kinds of activities, gather resources, and build up your farm however you like. One of the coolest features is multiplayer in Stardew Valley, which lets you hang out and have fun with friends. Keep reading to find out all the details about playing together in Stardew Valley!

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Is Stardew Valley Multiplayer?

Yes, Stardew Valley has multiplayer and supports 1-8 players. There are different multiplayer modes: a co-op session in a local network, a session via an IP address, or a game session for 2 to 4 players (depending on the platform) via split screen.

How Does It Work?

The player who created the world is the main host, and other players join them. The host stores the game world save file and has access to their world both in single-player and online modes. If the host is offline or the farm is not open for visiting, other players will not be able to access the world or their characters in that world.

Between Which Platforms Is It Available? 

Stardew Valley online multiplayer is available for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch players but not for PlayStation Vita or mobile devices. Also, you should remember that PC players can’t join the Stardew Valley co-op if their friends are playing on consoles and vice versa.

Note:

Mobile multiplayer mode in Stardew Valley is also available within smartphones only, meaning mobile users can’t connect to their friends playing on PC or consoles.

How To Play Multiplayer In Stardew Valley

Players can create a world specifically for Stardew Valley multiplayer play or switch their single-player world to make it open to other players at any time. Here’s more info on all the available options:

How To Host The Multiplayer Word

• Select Co-op on the title screen.
• Select the Create a Game tab.
• Click Create a New Farm.
• Don’t forget to add one cabin for each person who joins the game. 
• Set the profit margin amount right away. You can decide to split the money between players or have your own wallet.
• Now you’re ready for adventures and can play Stardew Valley multiplayer!

How To Start A Split-Screen Mode

• Create or load a usual game save.
•  Add one cabin for each person who joins the game.
• Open the in-game menu and choose the Options tab.
• Find the Multiplayer section and choose Start Local Co-op.
• The invited player should press Start on their connected controller.

How To Invite Friends To a Single-player World

•  Add one cabin for each person who will join the game.
• Save and go back to the title screen.
• Open the save file via Co-op instead of Load to allow other players to enter.

How To Join Stardew Valley Co-Op

Your friends’ multiplayer farms will appear in Stardew Valley on the co-op join screen. There are also some nuances depending on the platform you are using:

• If you can’t see your friends’ worlds on Steam on PC, they can send you an invite. You can also connect via IP address.
• On PS4 and later, you can connect via PlayStation Plus, but you’ll need a subscription.
• Xbox One and later also allows Stardew Valley multiplayer with Game Pass Core or Game Pass Ultimate, meaning you’ll need a subscription.
• Nintendo Switch players can also connect via Nintendo Switch Online with a subscription. If players are close to each other, they can play remotely via Local Communication without a subscription.
• Up to 4 players can play in split-screen mode on PS4 and Xbox One and later console generations, and up to 2 players on Nintendo Switch.

How To Access Stardew Valley’s Hidden Mobile Multiplayer Mode

With the release of Stardew Valley update 1.6.9, you can now access the experimental mobile multiplayer mode on Android and iOS. However, please note that you can only connect via known IP addresses.

To activate Stardew Valley co-op on a mobile device, you need to do the following:

• Launch Stardew Valley.
• On the start screen, on the sign with the inscription “Stardew Valley,” you will see leaves in four places: near the letters S left, W up, V down, and Y right.
• You need to make the following combination by tapping on the leaves next to these letters– ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← →
• After that, click on the “?” icon in the lower right corner and restart the application.
• If you did everything correctly, when you enter the game, you will see a new option, Co-op, in the main menu. Now, you are ready to create your own world and be a host or join a friend’s farm by IP!

Stardew Valley’s Local Co-op and Split Screen

In Stardew Valley multiplayer, players can do the same things they can do in single-player, but the gameplay is more dynamic and exciting. Here are some of the top things I like doing with my friends in Stardew Valley co-op mode:

• They work on the same farm, helping each other with daily tasks such as planting, watering, and harvesting crops, as well as helping to build and upgrade buildings.
• Manage the barnyard together, care for animals, feed them, collect resources, and go fishing.
• Explore mines together, fight monsters, and collect valuable resources. Boss battles are more intense in Stardew Valley co-op, as they require coordination.
• Take part in various festivals, often requiring a team to complete tasks.
• Complete joint quests or tasks from in-game characters, helping each other solve puzzles and exchanging resources.
• Develop relationships with the game’s characters by completing their errands.

Note:

Split-screen mode is another option in Stardew Valley. It allows all players on the same device to play together, making the gameplay even more exciting.

Here’s what you need to know about split-screen mode:

• Players can be on the same screen but move and work on separate farm parts or perform other activities. 
• Each player has their own inventory panel and can select tasks or resources to work on without disturbing other players.

Multiplayer Features

Overall, Stardew Valley multiplayer is almost no different from the single-player game, but there are some unique features:

• Four Corners Farm. This map is specifically designed for multiplayer but can also be played solo. The farm is divided into four square areas of roughly equal size.
• When creating a new multiplayer game, you can choose the profit margin size: 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%. Choosing a lower margin helps balance the economy in Stardew Valley multiplayer mode by reducing the gold received when selling items and crops.
• Players can get married, just like in the single-player game.
• Some decisions are made jointly by all players: when to go to bed, when to start a party, how to divide the budget, etc.
• Players may have a shared money account or split it.
• Players will have different daily luck, and the daily luck level is shared among all players on the server.

Gameplay Tips For Multiplayer

• If you’re looking to play with friends, the Four Corners farm is the way to go since it’s made for Stardew Valley multiplayer. Each player gets their own section of the farm, rather than everyone sharing the same space. The farm is split into four areas, with little hills marking where each player’s plot starts and ends.
• Be sure to reduce the profit margin. Having too many people can make it super easy to rake in the cash, which could mess with the game’s economy.
• To make your farm work efficiently, distribute responsibilities and tasks among your team. A clearly defined goal will help you focus on your tasks; otherwise, you will inevitably distract each other and interfere.
• Create one common chest where all players will put resources for common use. And don’t forget to add items to the common chest before you end your game session! This way, other players will have access to the resources that you mined while you are offline.
• In Stardew Valley online multiplayer, there’s a neat trick to restore energy for free, which you won’t find in single-player. If all players go to bed at the same time, the game pushes you to wrap up the day. But if people go to bed one at a time, their energy will slowly refill. This can be very handy when working on a farm, so you don’t have to constantly eat or go to baths.

Looking For Stardew Valley Team? Try GameTree

Want to have an awesome time in Stardew Valley and do some multiplayer activities? Find other players on GameTree and invite them to your world or join their farm! With our player base of over 1 million people and easy filters, matchmaking will take no more than a few minutes. Meet nice people, develop a farm together, and enjoy the communication!

Final Thoughts

Stardew Valley is a very addictive game that can easily entertain you for hours. Thanks to co-op and an easy way to organize a joint farm, there is a risk of getting lost in it with friends for a long time, and the gameplay will become even more exciting. In this article, I described how to create a multiplayer world in Stardew Valley and how to connect to an existing world. I hope you will not have problems with the connection and that you enjoy this sandbox as much as I do!