While playing the hit farming and life simulator Stardew Valley alone is a worthwhile experience, trying to take care of a growing farm all by yourself can be difficult. Luckily, if you have one or a few friends who love Stardew Valley just as much as you, starting a farm in a multiplayer co-op mode is available. It's never been a better time to start a farm with your friends, as the huge 1.6 update introduced tons of new features for players new and old to enjoy.
The only caveat is that it may not be as simple as you thought, depending on which platforms you and your friends have, or whether you want to play it through couch co-op instead of online. Even if you know all the tips and tricks, playing and running a co-op farm in Stardew Valley can be vastly different than playing alone.
While multiplayer is available for players on PC and console, it is not accessible for mobile users. Also, Stardew Valley does not offer cross-platform support. This means that you can only have an online farm together if you own the game on the same system.
PC players must stick with other PC players, and the same goes for PlayStation 4/PlayStation 5, Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch users. Also, all players must be on the same update. Once the 1.6 update releases for consoles and mobile, console players will be able to play online with the latest version of the game.
As a reminder, one to eight players can can play on one co-op Stardew Valley farm together. Also, you must all be playing the game on PC or all on console.
Step 1: Have one player, the host, select the Co-Op option from the Stardew Valley main menu.
Step 2: Select the Host tab, then choose the Host New Farm option.
Step 3: Create your character, then add more cabins depending on the players playing on this co-op save file. You can also change your cabin layout, profit margin, and whether money will be shared or separate.
Only four players can play Stardew Valley together through split-screen mode. Local co-op is available for both PC and console players. As a note, you can also join local co-op with LAN. To do this, just select Co-Op from the main menu, then choose the Join LAN Game option, and enter the IP address.
Step 1: Create or load a multiplayer world like normal, as the previous section explained. Ensure that you've built or started with enough cabins for all players.
Step 2: Connect a controller for each player joining. If you're playing on PC, the host will use the keyboard and mouse, but extra players can connect controllers using USB cords.
Step 3: Head to the Options tab through the in-game menu. Under the Multiplayer section, select the Start Local Co-Op button.
Step 4: Press the start button on your controller to connect and create/play your character.
If you're not the host but the player joining an online Stardew Valley game, there are a few different ways to go about it. This depends on your system, since PC players can use an invite code or simply invite through Steam itself.
How to join on PC
How to join on Nintendo Switch
How to join on Xbox One/Series X|S
How to join on PlayStation 4/5
Do you already have a long-running Stardew Valley farm that you want to turn into a co-op game? No big deal, you can make this happen!
Step 1: Enter your single-player Stardew Valley game and visit Robin's Carpenter's Shop.
Step 2: Speak to Robin and select the Construct farm buildings option.
Step 3: Find the cabin building and spend 100 gold to build one of seven cabin types. They take up a 5x3 plot of land, and don't take any time to build.
Who has the save files for your multiplayer world, and how can you get access to them? Luckily, you can find the Stardew Valley co-op save files on the host's PC. On console, it's all within the device of the host too, but it's only accessible on PC as the host through File Explorer.
Step 1: Hold the Windows and R key, then type "%appdata%" and select OK.
Step 2: Open the StardewValley folder, then open Saves. Each save file is stored within its own folder.
