Stardew Valley co-op and multiplayer - plus a bonus coop guide

With this handy Stardew Valley Co-op guide, we will teach you everything you need to know about multiplayer in this chill game. Stardew Valley has grown to become a legend in the simulation RPG genre. With its massive fan base, the ability to play the game with friends has been in high demand for some time. Build your own farm with up to four friends or have them join your existing save file through local or online co-op.

We also have a heap of other Stardew Valley guides for you - whether you're wondering how to woo the mysterious Stardew Valley Sebastian, or you're looking to maximize your skills and profits with a day of catching Stardew Valley fish, we've got you.

Here's everything in our Stardew Valley co-op guide. If you ended up here while on the search for a Stardew Valley coop guide, scroll to the bottom!

How do I play online co-op in Stardew Valley?

If you want to create a Stardew Valley multiplayer world, follow these simple steps:

• Select co-op on the title screen
• Click 'host farm', then 'host new farm'
• Place enough cabins for each person playing
• You can then set rules about money, including sharing options and profit margins
• Now you can have your friends join your brand-new farm!

If you want to have people join an existing farm, you can simply choose to host the world. This will allow the other players to join through your mutually chosen platform. For example, on Switch, players can join remotely through Nintendo Switch Online by going to the in-game 'join' tab.

Multiplayer mode has a couple of drawbacks: if you want to play co-op online, all players need to have a copy of the game, an internet connection, and, if playing on Switch, a subscription to Switch Online.

You cannot have both remote and local players join you at the same time, and, on Switch, split screen is limited to two players who must both have two Joy-Cons or a dedicated controller each. Cross-platform play is also not supported.

How do I play Stardew Valley multiplayer on mobile?

As of update 1.6, mobile players can actually play together, though the method is hidden. You can activate the multiplayer mode on iOS and Android, but not through the Apple Arcade version of Stardew.

You can find all the information here, but the simplest way to activate it is as follows:

• Open up the game
• On the title screen, there are four leaves on the Stardew logo. Click the leaves in the following order:
  • Top right, top right, bottom left, bottom left, top left, bottom right, top left, bottom right
• Then hit the ? icon in the bottom right of the screen
• Exit the ? menu

A co-op button should appear on the screen, and then you can begin playing.

How do I play split-screen co-op in Stardew Valley?

Here are the steps to start playing Stardew Valley in split-screen co-op.

• First, create or load your save normally
• Build a cabin for each new player while in single-player mode
• Connect a controller for each extra player
• Open the in-game menu and go to options
• Head to the multiplayer section and select 'Start local co-op'
• Have the new player press 'start' on the connected controller
• Enjoy playing Stardew Valley together!

You can have up to four players on a farm, but are limited to two players in Switch local split-screen co-op.

Tips for starting a co-op farm in Stardew Valley

Here are some tips to help you get the best out of your Stardew Valley co-op farm.

Pick the right map

We suggest the Four Corners map as the best option for multiplayer games, as it was specifically designed with a few players in mind. The layout consists of four quadrants, perfect for housing individual cabins.

Make use of the cabins

You can build up to three cabins on any one farm. As mentioned above, every player must have a cabin in order to join. If you don't start your farm with enough, don't worry - you can get Robin to build additional cabins for 100g each. Luckily, cabin building is instant, so your friends can join right away. Each cabin can be upgraded by its occupant by using the carpenter's shop.

Keep an eye on profit margins

You can set profit margins as you create a new game, and reduce the profit you make from specific goods by 25 - 75% if you want. These are intended to balance the economy a little, as with the extra hands on your farm, you are bound to be making more money. Lowering the profit margin makes it more difficult to make gold, as well as increasing the prices of items like seeds.

We recommend that you all level your skills equally if you want to try this out, which will allow you to work more efficiently and economically, as you can craft certain items instead of purchasing them.

Multiplayer Stardew Valley features

Multiplayer in Stardew Valley is very similar to single-player, but has a few extra features and a couple of rules you should probably know before you get to work.

Emojis and emotes

Of course you can use emojis in Stardew Valley. It wouldn't be a multiplayer game without them, would it? Most of the 195 emojis work for all players, though some are locked to the host. You can use these by finding them in the game's emoji menu or by going into the chat window and typing any number from 1-195 in square brackets (i.e., [80] for a sweet bunny).

There are also emotes, which you can activate by typing /emote into the chat or pressing the emote menu key, which will differ depending on which platform you are using.

Collaborative decisions

A big part of co-op in Stardew Valley is the focus on collaborative decision-making. Certain events rely on the input of all players, such as when to start a festival by entering the festival area, when to sleep by entering a bed, and whether to focus on finishing the Community Centre or buying a Joja membership. All players share the same farmland, but each player has a separate mailbox and can build their own separate cellar.

Money and finances

You can share money between all players or split it through separate purses. You can set this at the beginning of a new game, or you can change it in-game at the town ledger in the Mayor's house. Toggling money sharing during the game will split all money across players equally, regardless of how much or how little you have. If it isn't shared, you can also use the town ledger to send money to other players.

Game progress and questing

Players can help each other during quests, but progress is mostly individual to each player. Quest difficulty gets based on the highest-level player, so we recommend you try to keep up with each other. Crafting and upgrading tools also have to be done individually, as does recipe collecting, but nothing is stopping you from lending each other a helping hand.

Experience

Each player has their own experience points and bar, and XP is not shared. Whoever commits the action gets the experience. Sounds fair, right? For instance, whoever interacts with an animal or crop gets the XP, and whoever lands the killing blow on a monster gets it. Crab pots are one to watch, though, as whoever empties the crab pot gets the XP.

Marriage

To ensure there is still some level of immersion, of course, only one player can marry each NPC at a time. The 14-heart event can also only be completed once per game. You can also marry each other and have your own children, as long as your house meets the requirements. To propose to another player, you can make your own wedding ring using a recipe purchased from the Traveling Cart. After the wedding, you will each receive a Stardrop, which will appear in a purple gift box beside your bed.

Bonus: Stardew Valley coop guide

Now for the thing you really came for - the Stardew Valley coop guide. A coop is a farm building that you can purchase and upgrade from Robin's carpenter shop. It takes three days to construct, and an additional two days for each of the upgrades. But it's worth it for the chickens.

Here are the available coop upgrades:

Remember, if your coop's doors are closed at night, animals can get stuck outside. This not only makes them a little grumpy the following day (wouldn't you be?) but it also makes them vulnerable to wild animal attacks - so be wary.

As you start playing, one of your first few quests is to build a coop. After that, you're probably going to want to build a barn, though coops are cheaper to build and upgrade.

Want to join the fun with your friends, or try your hand at building a fancy, deluxe coop? Then you can head over to Nintendo eShop to grab a copy for Switch or download the mobile version from Google Play or the App Store, and start your own farm today.