How to play it and why you should

Last week, the console and mobile versions of the mega-hit farming and country-life game Stardew Valley were finally graced with the version 1.6 update. For those not in the know, this is the final “big” update the game is expected to get in its lifetime, and it includes a harvest’s worth of additional content.

With the 1.6 update dropping on PC back in March, it’s been a long wait for virtual horticulturists. But for all those patient mobile players, there was a little surprise hidden amongst all the other new things to do: a secret co-op multiplayer mode. Curious to try out the mode for myself, I logged back into one of the all-time best Android games, followed the Easter egg-tastic steps to access the multiplayer, and joined my partner in a trip back to Pelican Town.

So, how do you actually unlock the hidden co-op mode on the mobile version of Stardew Valley? Below are the steps you need to follow. I managed to do all this on Android, but it’s also possible on the iOS version, with the caveat that it won’t work with the Apple Arcade version of the game (called Stardew Valley+).

1. Make sure you’ve updated Stardew Valley to version 1.6 via the Play Store/App Store.
2. Open the app and wait for the title screen to load (wait for the giant Stardew Valley logo on a wooden sign).
3. Use the four leaves on the sign and the ? icon in the bottom right to enter the Konami code: Up > Up > Down > Down > Left > Right > Left > Right > ? (I’ve added a diagram above that shows the respective leaves and their corresponding directions).
4. Exit the ? menu and a new option will appear next to New and Load titled Co-op. Click Co-op.

From here, you’ll have the option to host or join a game. There are a few things to note at this stage:

• Unlike the other versions of Stardew Valley, the multiplayer on mobile is an experimental mode and only works via IP address (at least for now). That means you need to be on the same local network as the host for the co-op mode to work, be that Wi-Fi or Ethernet (if for some reason you’re using an Ethernet adapter on your phone, you maniac).
• Because of the above, the easiest and most stable way to play co-op on mobile is by joining a PC-hosted game on the same local network.
• I hosted from my PC and joined the game from my Pixel 7 Pro, and it all worked fine, but I did encounter the stumbling block that both games need to be running on the same version — this works fine for now as the latest update for both PC, console, and mobile are all the same, but it may become tricker if any of these versions are patched.
• I also don’t advise you to use an existing save for this. The mode is locked away and dubbed experimental for a reason: don’t risk sacrificing your favorite farms.

Once you’ve decided on your setup, you’ll need to grab the IP address of the host device. Here’s how to do that for iOS, Android, PC, and macOS.

• iOS: Settings > Wi-Fi > Click the i next to your Wi-Fi name > Scroll down to IP Address.
• Android: Settings > Network & internet > Internet > Tap the Settings cog next to your Wi-Fi name > Scroll to IP address.
• PC: Select Start > Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi/Ethernet (depending on your network) > Select the network you’re connected to > Properties > Copy the IPv4 address.
• macOS: Click on the Apple logo > System Settings > Select Network > Click whichever Wi-Fi/Ethernet network you are connected to > Details > Copy the IP address.

Once you’ve found the host IP, tap the Co-op menu on the client device (your phone or tablet), select Join > Join LAN Game… then enter the matching IP > Click the green tick > Select the host game from the list and it’ll load you into the multiplayer game.

Confession time: Steam tells me I have 1,451 hours logged on Stardew Valley. In my defense, that total also spans my partner’s (a bonafide Stardew Valley expert) time on the game, plus few times we’ve left it running in the background. Admittedly, that doesn’t factor in the additional hours I’ve played on the Android version. Let’s just say I’ve spent a fair amount of time harvesting Ancient Fruits, catching legendary fish, slaying foes in the Skull Cavern, and chatting with my in-game wife (Abigail, my dearest) in the ever-evolving slice of pastoral life created by Concerned Ape, a.k.a. Eric Barone.

In all this time, though, I’d never tried the co-op mode, even though it was added to the PC version of the game way back in 2018 and on consoles about a year later. I’d always been told by others how much fun the mode is, but I’d committed myself to the perpetual grind of country life chores as a solo vocation — a dedication that became even more ingrained with the mobile version’s launch, which is a fantastic drop-in-drop-out fix for my pixelated agriculture addiction. But trying out Stardew Valley multiplayer for this test has made me realize I’ve been missing out on a unique new perspective for a game I’ve already spent so many hours playing.

As far as the mobile version of multiplayer goes compared to the regular co-op on other platforms, it’s essentially the same outside of the aforementioned hosting process. You and up to seven other players inherit an overgrown, dilapidated plot of land off to the West of Pelican Town and are tasked with restoring it to its former glory by tilling the soil, rearing livestock, erecting new buildings, and other menial tasks, with each day played out in real-time and based around a seasonal calendar.

No matter how many players are around, you can still come and go from your land and the surrounding areas of Pelican Town as you please, though coordinating your daily plans and sharing the load of chores makes certain mundane responsibilities a little less time-consuming when there are two or more of you getting things done. Your relationships with the townsfolk are also unique to your character, so if you’ve got your eyes on that special someone, you can still win their hand in marriage (just make sure you propose first!). Experience points, item upgrades, and many quests are also locked to individual players, though a lot of world-based events, such as fixing the bridge on the beach, descending further into the mine, and the collection in the museum, are all shared. Cash can also be split or put into a shared pool, but there are a few things only the host can do, such as upgrade buildings.

The only noticeable downside of playing the multiplayer mode on mobile as opposed to PC, Mac, or console was that the touch controls felt a little less responsive than the usual smooth play I’m used to on my phone when playing offline. For the sake of comparison, I booted up a co-op game between a PC and MacBook and didn’t encounter any lag, so I do think this minor issue is purely down to the experimental nature of the mobile mode. It’s absolutely playable, and you might not even notice, but dragging your finger to move your character doesn’t feel as 1:1 with the character movement as it does offline. Using tap-to-move or a gamepad alleviates the issue, but the former always feels a bit cumbersome to me when navigating on a smaller screen, and if I was going to play with a controller, I’d just play my Nintendo Switch copy.

What really struck me, though, as a newcomer to the co-op mode, is how the multiplayer experience manages to both stay true to the endlessly engaging day-to-day loop of Stardew Valley while also completely refreshing and recontextualizing it. Although  all the non-playable characters in Stardew Valley are individually peculiar enough to leave a lasting impression, having an actual companion (or several) in game with you changes the dynamic of the world and your relationship with it.

Your land isn’t just yours anymore; it’s a communal space, so construction planning requires some strategy and compromise of your own design ideals (I let my partner lead here as she has an uncanny knack for designing incredible farms). You could divvy out chores so that one person always does one task, make a rota to switch things up, or embrace the chaos of no one having a set list of jobs. The simple act of pausing also becomes a collaborative exercise, as only the host can pause and stop the world clock from ticking down and potentially wasting precious seconds that could’ve been spent on progress.

What surprised me most, though, is how the tone of the game itself changes: all of those typically chilly days and nights in the Winter season feel a little more cheery when you’re trudging through the snow with another person, taking in the twinkling soundtrack together, but it goes beyond that.

Despite its colorful, retro demeanor, Stardew Valley delicately converses with some darker themes — depression, anxiety, PTSD, abuse, even suicide — that steadily reveal themselves as you get to know the townsfolk, each of whom also struggles with the existential threat of posed by the town’s possible takeover by a greedy megacorp. The cyclical gameplay of Stardew Valley is pure escapism for the player (that’s why I have so many hours logged), but it remains engaged with discussions on how unhealthy isolation can be if not appropriately measured.

Playing Stardew Valley with another person dulls this underlying tension a bit, and I’d recommend new players play at least two seasons completely solo before trying out the co-op just to soak in the game as the subtly moving masterpiece it is. That way, you’ll enjoy all of the brilliantly contrasted moments of levity and sorrow uninhibited. But, having now spent some time back in this technicolor yet quietly troubled world with another real person, I think it’s fair to call it an essential part of the experience that fully realizes the game’s central idea of a community working together.