Not content with throwing load of documented new features into Stardew Valley on mobile with this week’s long-awaited 1.6 update, it turns out developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone also chucked in a pretty major unannounced one too; a secret experimental multiplayer mode is now available to mobile players, if they’re feeling sufficiently brave.
Barone confirmed the existence of Stardew Valley mobile’s (now no longer) secret multiplayer mode in a message shared on social media, accompanying the reveal with a detailed guide on how to get it up and running. That process starts with the installation of this week’s 1.6 update, available to download now, after which players will need to summon their powers of recollection and bash out the legendary Konami code – or most of it at least.
Eagled-eyed players should notice four leaves festooning Stardew Valley’s title screen logo once update 1.6 is installed: the one top-right points up, the one bottom-left points down, top-left points left, and botton-right points right. With that in mind, players then need to enter the following code by tapping the corresponding leaves: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right. After that, it’s simply a matter of poking the question mark at the bottom of the screen to reveal the main menu’s hidden co-op session button.
From there, players can choose to either join or host a new multiplayer game, but hosts will first need to set up a farm, while those joining will require the host’s IP address, as detailed in Barone’s instructions. Additionally, all participants must be on the same network or connecting to a player who is port-forwarding their game. It’s not, then, the most straightforward of solutions, but it does have the benefit that mobile players can also join a PC-hosted game via IP.
Barone readily acknowledges the less-than-perfect nature of Stardew Valley multiplayer on mobile right now, noting connectivity issues “could make a multiplayer session frustrating, under certain scenarios”. As such, he suggests the ideal way to play would be for mobile users to connect to a PC host using “high-end” devices on the same local network, rather than to, say, a mobile host attempting to play while on-the-go. He also warns the mode “might still have some bugs or issues”, with a few additional notes shared in his guide.
Stardew Valley’s massive 1.6 update finally hit mobile and consoles earlier this week after launching for PC back in March. It adds, among other things, the ability to guzzle mayonnaise, a new farm type, new festivals, new crafting items, new dialogue, and, perhaps most importantly, hats for cats and dogs. It also includes everything featured in Barone’s recent 1.6.9 patch for PC. All of which is to say, it’s not too surprising to hear Barone hasn’t done any additional work on his next game, Haunted Chocolatier, “in a long time”.