Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, the mastermind behind Stardew Valley, has hinted at the possibility of creating a sequel, Stardew Valley 2. During an interview with TigerBelly, Barone expressed that while the idea of a new game is tempting, the process of building everything from scratch is daunting compared to simply adding new content to the existing game. "It's all the systems — all the major systems — are already all done. That’s the stuff that’s not fun to do. When I make an update [for Stardew Valley now], it’s like, you know, oh, throw in this, throw in that. Let’s add green rain — like, these random, whimsical ideas," he remarked.
Despite his openness to the idea of Stardew Valley 2, Barone is currently focused on his new project, Haunted Chocolatier. He shared that he doesn't want to be solely known as "the Stardew Valley guy" and emphasized that there's still much work to be done on Haunted Chocolatier, aiming for it to surpass the quality of Stardew Valley. However, fans should not expect a release date anytime soon.
When IGN reviewed Stardew Valley in 2016, it received an impressive 8.8 "Great" rating. Fast forward to 2024, our revisit resulted in a perfect 10/10 "masterpiece" score. We praised it as "not only the best farming game I’ve played, it is one of my favorite games of all time. That myself and others keep returning to this eight-year-old gem each time it gets even the smallest update speaks to how it’s truly a masterpiece in the genre it both reinvigorated and has come to define."
For those diving into or revisiting Stardew Valley after its 2024 1.6 update, our fully updated Stardew Valley Beginner's Guide covers the new crops, fish, and the exciting Raccoon Family Quests that unlock a new shop and valuable rewards. Veteran players looking to advance further can refer to our Mastery Points guide, while those exploring Ginger Island will find our guide on locating all Golden Walnuts invaluable.