Fans of Stardew Valley on Nintendo Switch have reason to celebrate today, as the long-awaited multiplayer update to the popular farming title arrives on Dec. 12 in the North American, European, and Japanese eShops. As the name may suggest, Wednesday’s free update brings the ability to play with up to three other friends to a game that was previously single-player only. Players can either play online using their Nintendo Switch Online accounts or make use of the local feature that allows nearby players to play without paying for an online subscription.
Stardew Valley’s multiplayer update is sizable, allowing for players to each own a house on the same plot of land and work together to grow crops. They’ll share the same pool of income and work through the main story together, which means that teamwork and collaboration are key to success. For the real-life couples that plan to play together, two characters can even marry each other through a new system that involves obtaining a wedding ring.
In addition to the multiplayer update, however, there are a few smaller tweaks made to the game for those who would prefer to play alone or want some more content. Players can now use a chat box to interact with other people, including through using the numerous available emojis. A new event, the Night Market, has been added for players to explore in the game’s Winter season. There are also several more secret events that are kept deliberately vague in the update notes in order to allow players to learn about these new features for themselves.
The multiplayer update first arrived on PC in August of this year, with the Switch version being the second platform to get updated. The PS4 and Xbox One versions are being worked on with the promise of more news regarding these updates after the Switch version has officially launched.
This post was originally written by Hannah Stewart.
