For nearly a year, Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone, also known as ConcernedApe, has been teasing the farming simulator's massive Patch 1.6. Now, after a development period that turned out longer than he had expected, the update finally has a release date.
In a post on Twitter/X today, Barone celebrated the game's eighth anniversary by announcing that the 1.6 Update will be out on PC on March 19, with console and mobile following soon after.
It's the 8th anniversary of Stardew Valley. Thank you for all the support over the years! Today I am announcing the PC Release date for the 1.6 update: –March 19th–. Console & Mobile will follow as soon as possible. pic.twitter.com/dMEFydjSqC
— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) February 26, 2024
In an update to the game's press site, Barone also noted that the game has sold an impressive 30 million copies across platforms, with over 19 million copies on PC, throughout its eight years.
"With a new update on the horizon, a worldwide concert tour underway, an official cookbook coming soon, and now over 30 million copies sold, Stardew Valley is thriving more than ever," Barone wrote. "As always, I'm eternally grateful to the players (you!) for making all of this possible."
Barone initially announced he was taking a break from developing his new game, Haunted Chocolatier, to develop Stardew Valley's Patch 1.6 back in April. Since then, he's teased quite a few features, including a new farm layout, eight-player multiplayer support, hats for pets, and the possible addition of the long-awaited iridium scythe, although he mentioned that most of the update's additions will be a secret until closer to its launch date.
In addition to the patch news, the Stardew Valley press site confirmed that the popular farming sim has sold 30 million units as of February 2024, with 19 million copies sold on PC alone. It's an impressive figure that eclipses the official sales data for the likes of GTA: San Andreas and Super Mario Odyssey.
We gave Stardew Valley a 9.5 in our 2018 re-review, calling it "a beautiful, fun game that, when all of its parts are pulled together, make for a wonderful countryside adventure."
Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they've contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun, and they're currently developing a game called Garage Sale. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.
