The 23 best Stardew Valley mods to shake up your playthrough (2024)

Despite being released back in 2016, Stardew Valley is still going strong. But even the best-designed games can be tweaked to your liking using mods. New players might decide they prefer a recolored look, while those with hundreds of hours of game time might be searching for an expanded experience. Either way, we’ve gathered some of the best Stardew Valley mods to give you tons of options for your next playthrough.

However, first, you’ll need to get set up for modding. These mods are predominantly for those playing on a PC, although the Steam Deck and Android versions of Stardew also support some mods. You’ll need an additional piece of software, called SMAPI, which can be downloaded from Nexus Mods. There is also a nice set of instructions for installing and using it available on the Stardew Valley Wiki.

For quite a few mods, you’ll also need Content Patcher, so it’s worth setting that up as well. Just unzip the folder inside the Mods folder that was created automatically by SMAPI.

Congratulations! You’re ready to dive into the wonderful world of Stardew modding.

In March 2024, developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone released Stardew’s 1.6 update, which changed many things in the game — and, on the back end, impacted a lot for modders. Although many mods have been updated accordingly, others are no longer compatible with the 1.6 version of the game. Some are in the process of being updated, while others have unofficial patches, but some will remain unfixed.

We’ve updated this article to ensure all the recommendations are fully compatible, and tried to replace any incompatible mods with something similar where available.

However, if you’d like to use an incompatible mod, you can still play the 1.5.6 version of Stardew Valley, which should avoid any issues. To access legacy Stardew Valley on Steam, right-click on the game in your library and select “Properties.” In the “Betas” tab you can opt in to the 1.5.6 version. This should mean that older mods work again.

Our latest update added a bunch of mods and removed some that are now deprecated or don’t work with Stardew Valley 1.6.

Many Stardew Valley mods simply make small changes to how the game looks, and Seasonal Outfits is a popular example. Its subtitle is “Slightly Cuter Aesthetic,” so it’s not here to overhaul anything, but it does tweak NPC sprites so that they have different clothes depending on the weather, as well as giving them special looks for the Flower Dance and Spirit’s Eve festivals. It’s a great place to start if you want to give the game a bit more variety without changing it too much.

Given how much representation this mod adds to the game, it’s arguably more than just an aesthetic change. It might not affect the gameplay directly, but it makes Pelican Town more inclusive as NPC mods add a broader variety of character races, disabilities, and body types. On top of that, Diverse Stardew Valley adds outfit options like seasonal changes, festival fits, and even maternity clothing.

It’s always a nice surprise to be wandering around running errands at Pierre’s or handing out gifts to your beau and seeing a bunny or bird hanging out doing their own thing. To get more of that feeling, this mod adds a whole host of new animals to inhabit the valley. Deer in the forest, ducks on the pond, and crows in the graveyard make the whole place feel more alive. And on the beach, Pelican Town can finally have pelicans of its own!

The bright colors of basic Stardew Valley are certainly cheerful, but recolor mods give players tons of other palettes and seasonal moods to choose from. DaisyNiko’s Earthy Recolour brings the whole game down into a more muted, grounded palette that’s easier on the eyes. It also replaces the dig spot so that it grows a clover instead of those weird worms from the base game, which is a nice touch.

Unfortunately, a lot of Stardew’s recolor mods have been impacted by the 1.6 release, and it can be jarring to play with an incompatible visual effect, as newer sprites added in the update will appear unchanged and look out of place. Hueless Haven is a simple recolor, but it’s compatible with the current version of the game, and it brings everything down to a more desaturated look.

Stardew’s farm animals are great, but there’s so much more variety in real-world cows, sheep, pigs, and goats. This mod allows you to choose between Highland cattle or a Texas Longhorn, for example, depending on whether you want to live your British dreams or become a cowboy rancher. It also gives you the ability to replace your sheep with alpacas, which come in wild colors, like pink, blue, and green.

This mod used to be called Wild Food Faerie Garden, but its name has been updated along with 1.6. While there is some foraging in vanilla Stardew, this mod bumps that up considerably with dozens of new items to find all across the map. Just like real foraging, these seasonal surprises are exciting to stumble across, and cover everything from springtime cherry blossom petals to autumn mushrooms. And the same creator has mods for turning those finds into teas, jams, and more (some of which are still in the process of being updated for 1.6).

If you can’t get enough of the kitchen, why not try cooking outdoors? While vanilla Stardew has the Cookout Kit to help you accomplish that, it doesn’t capture the same feeling as cooking over a fire. This mod will allow you to try out some appropriate recipes at a cozy campfire so you don’t have to trek all the way home before getting a hot meal. You might not be able to make anything particularly gourmet, but everything tastes better eaten in the open air.

Can’t decide whether to romance Shane or Abigail? Want to make a massive polycule out of the town? Just want to hang out with your favorite NPC as your roommate? Free Love allows all of this and more, in the name of creating more complex relationships between your farmer and the townspeople. It’s based on, but supersedes, the earlier Multiple Spouses mod, which did more than it said on the tin; it also added important features like “Lets you kiss all of your spouses as many times per day as you like, because seriously.” So true.

At time of writing, the modder has retired, but there’s an unofficial version for 1.6 is in the works.

As the names suggest, these twin mods add more crops and more flowers, respectively. Exactly how many is up to you — the basic packs add a good handful, but there are also additional ones that add things like fruits and herbs that up the numbers even more. The creators are also working on making additional artisan goods and recipes so that you can make use of all the new veggies, fruits, and blooms.

Before we get into the bigger, full expansions available for Stardew Valley, it’s worth mentioning that many of the most popular mods are much more humble, but no less worthwhile. Some of the most popular mods on Nexus introduce quality-of-life changes, including the ability to get a bigger backpack and see real-time NPC locations on the map. Some of them go a little more in depth, like the Lookup Anything mod, which will give you a ton of easily accessible information about resources and more, and some let you simply skip the fishing minigame. (A personal thank you to that one.) If there’s any kind of annoyance you face while playing the vanilla game, it’s worth taking a moment to search whether someone has fixed it. They probably have.

Eventually, you’ll run out of things to do in Stardew. You’ll have completed all the community center quests, befriended all of your neighbors, had two happy kids, and earned millions in gold. But you can push that endgame moment far, far down the line with Stardew Valley Expanded. This mod adds a whole town’s worth of NPCs, locations to explore, events, quests, crops, and yes, even fish. Modder FlashShifter wrote on the official Nexus page that he wanted to recapture the feeling of Stardew’s best moments by creating more of them for the experienced player, and the popularity of this mod certainly suggests that it was a success. And as a bonus, lots of other mods are compatible with Stardew Valley Expanded, thanks to its popularity, including Ridgeside Village (see below).

East Scarp is another content expansion mod that adds a seaside town to explore. There, you can find new NPCs, items, and more. But as well as adding additional townsfolk to get to know, East Scarp also works as a foundation for other mods that add yet even more friendly faces, which can be found on the Nexus page as well.

It’s also worth noting that many of these expansion mods are compatible with one another, so you can add multiple new areas and their associated NPCs and trinkets all at once. For example, if you have Stardew Valley Expanded, you can also add East Scarp, which will be accessible via one of the new bridges added in Expanded.

Ridgeside Village is another major expansion, opening up a new town accessible by cable car. As you might expect, that means a whole lot more NPCs to make friends with, as well as new quests, events, and items to flesh out the endgame. You might even find romance up in the mountains!

Stardew’s Witch’s Swamp is a late-game area already, but if you’re looking for more to do in the endgame, this mod expands it into a base for new fish, crops, and forage items, along with some new associated quests. It even expands on the mysterious NPC who used to appear here for only a brief time.

Why restore the valley the old-fashioned way when you could do it with mysterious nature magic — and turn into a dragon while you’re at it? Stardew Druid is an adventure-focused mod that adds fresh quests and new NPCs, as well as the ability to carry out several kinds of rites to engage with Pelican Town in brand-new ways.

These mods still come highly recommended, but, as previously noted, at the time of writing they haven’t been updated to work with Stardew Valley’s 1.6 version. This can have various effects; if it’s an aesthetic mod, for example, it may still work with many aspects of the game, but not affect anything that’s been added in the most recent major update.

If you want to use these mods to their fullest effect, you can still opt in to the 1.5.6 version from the Properties menu on Steam.

Some modders may also update their mods later, so if you’re curious it may be worth checking if they’ve been made fully compatible.

The animals scattered around Pelican Town help it to feel alive and in tune with the nature around it. Elle’s Town Animals jazzes them up, with multiple options including dozens of new birds and 42 butterfly variants. You can also randomize which ones appear if, like me, that seems like an impossible decision to you.

For a slightly more intense aesthetic change, try this mod, which swaps out all of the flora and fauna for beautiful pastel versions. I’m a huge fan of the spring look, with multiple shades of blossom trees — and don’t forget the giant, house-sized mushrooms.

If the standard pixel faces of the bachelors and bachelorettes of Pelican Town aren’t quite your style, it’s anime portraits to the rescue. This mod by OhoDavi is the one of the most popular, making Alex look like a sports anime protagonist and Haley like a magical girl. But there are hundreds of other options available to suit your personal tastes.

There’s a lot to do in Stardew Valley — but there could always be more! This mod (a 1.6-compatible version of the New Barn Animals mod), for example, adds to the variety of animals you can keep on your farm. As well as giving pigs, sheep, goats, and cows cute new sprites, it adds a couple of new options for your barn, too. These won’t act any differently, but you’ll still be able to achieve your dreams of becoming an alpaca or deer farmer!

This mod fully overhauls Stardew’s kitchen-related details. You’ll receive Grandpa’s old cookbook in the mail, and as you might expect, it will have a bunch of recipes inside. These recipes are totally reworked from the base game, to make sure they’re all worthwhile in terms of buffs and perks. But the mod adds a lot more than that, too, including Cooking as a skill you can improve, a new frying pan tool you can upgrade, fresh crops, and even the ability to burn your food — although you can turn that feature off if you like!

If you’re one of the people who enjoys fishing in Stardew, rather than one of those who (like me) finds it hopelessly difficult, More New Fish is for you. It adds 140 fresh fish to be caught, including rays, clownfish, and new kinds of eels. You can even catch koi and goldfish and put them in a tank in your house with this compatible mod. There are a couple of added quests for the later game, too, so you won’t get bored of fishing anytime soon. (Also, I’m in awe of your skill.)

Reached the bottom of the mines? What about the heart of the forest? Deepwoods adds a new late-game, dangerous, procedurally generated area to explore. There are monsters lurking there and you may just get lost for good, but there are also secrets, surprises, and valuable resources available to the brave ranger who can survive the shady trees.