Stardew Valley Co-op: Everything You Need To Know

Beloved by many for its cozy farming simulator with hints of adventure and exploration, Stardew Valley as a game has almost anything you can ask for. From unique characters to straightforward gameplay, anyone can easily pick up the game and start playing. However, while farming alone can get tiring over time, you can easily pull in your friends to start a new experience in Pelican Town with Stardew Valley co-op.

The game has a co-op mode that allows you and your friends to play together in Stardew Valley. You can either create a farm or join remotely from the comfort of your home. You’ll be able to strategize the tasks you’ll be dividing among your friends and get your group’s farm right into business.

If you’re wondering how to even begin using the co-op mode of Stardew Valley, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ll be breaking down for you right here everything you need to know about Stardew Valley co-op, how to create a multiplayer farm, the benefits of playing in this mode, and more.

What is Stardew Valley Co-op?

So, first off, what is Stardew Valley co-op mode or multiplayer mode? Well, when you launch the game, you have the option to choose co-op or play the game on your own. This is an optional game mode that will allow two or more players to join you virtually in playing the game. Other players can join the same farm world through split screen mode, over virtual LAN service, or through an IP address.

In terms of actual gameplay, co-op mode allows you and your friends to divide tasks and focus on a particular aspect of the game.

Whether it’s being assigned to plant and harvest crops, care for animals, mine for resources, and other similar tasks, you can do these activities to maximize efficiency within your farm. As a group, you and your friends can progress within the game faster.

Co-op mode becomes quite appealing to a lot of players within the community because of the sense of community and shared goals you and your friends may have. You’ll be able to bond more on a common interest, which is Stardew Valley, and have occasional competition within the game. You’ll be able to make a lot of memories through this mode and have a little bit of chaos every now and then for a fun experience with your peers.

What do you need to play Co-op in Stardew Valley?

As you know the basic information about co-op in Stardew Valley and its appeal, you might be interested now in playing this mode. There are a couple of things you need to play the co-op feature of Stardew Valley. One of these things is, of course, a platform that supports multiplayer. Co-op is available on PC (Windows, Mac, and Linux), PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, iOS, and Android. You’ll have to purchase the game if you’re new to getting into Stardew Valley.

Next, like all multiplayer games, you’ll need a standard internet connection. This is applicable if you’re playing remotely on PC and console platforms. However, if you’re playing locally such as having friends over, you’ll just need extra controllers and a decent system to run the game. Do keep in mind that you can only either have split-screen or remote players. Combining this isn’t possible within the game.

Lastly, to play co-op, you’ll need a co-op farm. You can either start a new game from the main menu or bring in an existing single-player save file you already have into co-op. This would ask you to build cabins on your farm to allow other players to reside within your residence. We’ll discuss this in further detail later on.

How does Stardew Valley Co-op work?

Moving onto how co-op actually works, multiplayer mode operates almost in the same way as a single-player run of the game. You and your friends will enter the game from their perspective. They have their own skills, relationships, quest progress, and overall experience.

However, all players will work and contribute to the same farm on the multiplayer server, making the experience collaborative.

Another thing you should know about how multiplayer farms hosted in-game work is that time in co-op works a bit differently. Time will continuously run despite one of the players pausing the game by checking the in-game menu.

Additionally, all of the players on a server have to agree if they’ll start a festival or sleep at the end of each day. This mechanic is also applied to deciding whether to rebuild the community center or acquire a Joja Membership. It becomes quite important to communicate whether it’s through voice chatting or using the in-game chat.

When you start a co-op game, the host of the multiplayer save creates a farm and invites fellow players to join. This is usually done with an invitation code for remote play such as with Steam friends. While for split screen mode, you just have to enter the game by clicking a button on an extra controller to join the game like on the Nintendo Switch.

Is Stardew Valley Co-Op cross-platform?

The online play and split-screen mode variations also raise the question of whether the game supports cross-platform playing. This means that if you’re on a Nintendo Switch and want to play with someone on an Xbox One or PC, you all have to be using the same platform. Unfortunately, Stardew Valley doesn’t support this, and there hasn’t been any new information yet about whether this will be added to the game in the near future.

The closest thing that works within this scope is if you and your friends are on different PC devices such as one player using Windows, another on Mac, and another friend on Linux.

How do you play co-op with your friends in Stardew Valley?

Playing co-op in Stardew Valley is pretty easy. All you have to do is set up a multiplayer farm. Whether it’s a current farm you already have or you want to start a new one with your friends, you can bring them into the game’s multiplayer mode. Here’s how you can play co-op on both online and local communications play:

Online Play

For those who want to play virtually, the best way to play co-op is to make a multiplayer farm online. This is done by navigating to the title screen of Stardew Valley, and then choosing the “Co-op” option.

Then, you choose to either host a game or join an existing one. This entirely depends on what you and your friends decide. Hosting a game means you will manage the farm world you make and decide how many cabins can be built or destroyed in-game. You’ll be the one to give the invite code or IP address to your fellow players.

When hosting a game, you’ll have to build cabins for the number of players who’ll be joining your play session.

You pick from one to up to seven cabins, allowing a maximum of eight players within a farm world for PC. While for consoles, you’re limited to playing as one to four players only.

After deciding on the features for your farm world, you’ll then be able to create it and an invitation code will be generated.

This can also be accessed within the in-game options of Stardew Valley, whether on GOG Galaxy or Steam. You can then share this with your friends and they can start joining your world.

Meanwhile, joining a game means you can either input a LAN game IP address or an invitation code your friend has sent.

The IP address option allows you and your friends to play on the same internet network without relying on an online service. You and your friends just have to be connected to the same network such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet. On the other hand, entering the invitation code is simply inputting a unique code only you and your friends know to access your farm world.

Playing multiplayer co-op hosted on consoles

In terms of playing the game on other consoles, these usually require an online subscription. For those on the PlayStation 4, players need to be subscribed to PlayStation Plus to join virtually. Similarly, those on the Nintendo Switch must be subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online service. If you have added your friends online via Nintendo Switch and they have a hosted farm already, you can also join them in the game’s “Join” tab. Then for the Xbox One, you or your friends can join virtually through the Game Pass subscription.

Local Communications Play

On the other hand, if you want to play together in person, you have the local communications play option. Using this option works slightly differently than online play.

First, you’ll have to create a new file. This is done by clicking the “New” option on the game’s main menu like you would in a single-player game.

You must then click on the wrench icon on the lower right of the screen to enable the number of cabins that will be generated within your world.

After that, you can then let your friends connect their controllers to your device.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll need to open the menu of Stardew Valley and head to the “Options” tab. Then, you’ll look for the “Multiplayer” option and you can enable local communications play by choosing “Start Local Co-op.”

Be sure your friends click whatever “Start” button they have on their controller to join your game.

Helpful tips for Stardew Valley co-op

As mentioned earlier, communication is key when playing multiplayer in Stardew Valley. You should coordinate tasks and activities with your fellow players to maximize each day you all experience. As a group, you can assign tasks or have everyone volunteer for a task they’re confident they’d be good at. This will ensure efficiency within the farm.

In line with that, you and your friends should also properly manage your shared resources. The game has an option if you want to share your money with your fellow players or split your finances individually. When it comes to food, all of you should account for how much food everyone will need. This puts weight, especially on the person assigned to the farming task.

Finally, make the most out of your team experiences when playing. Activities such as venturing into the mines can make the task of battling monsters much easier since you and your friends can cover for each other. Furthermore, you can share the storyline achievements by completing the community center, upgrading buildings, or winning the egg hunt at the Spring Festival. Doing these together with friends makes the experience of playing more enjoyable and memorable.