As with the last few major updates, Stardew Valley ($4.99) game creator Eric Barone (ConcernedApe) has been teasing and posting details about said updates on Twitter leading up to the launches. The upcoming major Stardew Valley 1.6 update will bring in new features, content, and more like the Big Chest that can store almost twice as much as the regular one. Over the weekend, he posted that Stardew Valley 1.6 ended up being a little larger in scope than originally planned, and that he is done adding major new content with it being in the bug-fixing and polishing phase leading into release. He also went on to confirm that it will “absolutely" have a 2024 release date, but clarified that it will likely launch on PC first. He also said he wants to avoid a big delay for Stardew Valley 1.6 on mobile and consoles.

1.6 ended up being a little larger in scope than originally planned. I'm done adding major new content to it now, though, and it's in a bug-fixing and polishing phase until it's ready for release. Thx for your patience. It'll be fun to see everyone play it!

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) January 26, 2024

If you’ve not followed the game’s recent news and feature reveals, the upcoming Stardew Valley 1.6 update will bring in 8 player multiplayer for PC, two mini festivals, new late-game content, winter outfits for all villagers, a new reward type for billboard requests, 100+ new lines of dialogue, and a lot more. If you haven’t tried Stardew Valley yet, read our original review. We even featured it as our Game of the Week. You can buy it on the App Store for iOS here and for Android here on Google Play. If you own a Nintendo Switch and an iOS device, I compared both versions of the game to help you find the best platform to play it on. Here’s our forum thread on the game for more discussion. Do you play it on mobile through its standalone premium release or Apple Arcade regularly?