How To Mod Stardew Valley

Enhance your Stardew Valley experience with mods! This guide details how to add mods to your game, expanding gameplay and adding cosmetic features. Let's get started.

Modding Stardew Valley on Windows:

Step One: Back Up Your Save (Recommended)

Protecting your progress is crucial. If you have an existing save file with significant playtime, back it up before proceeding. This is easily accomplished:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type %appdata% and press Enter.
3. Navigate to the Stardew Valley folder, then the Saves folder.
4. Copy the contents to a secure location on your computer. New game saves don't require this step.

Step Two: Install SMAPI

SMAPI is the essential mod loader. Download it directly from the official SMAPI website. Remember: SMAPI is not a mod itself, but a tool to manage mods.

1. Extract the downloaded SMAPI ZIP file to a convenient location (desktop or downloads folder is ideal). Do not extract it into the Stardew Valley Mods folder.
2. Run the SMAPI installer and select "Install on Windows."
3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Step Three: Game Client Configuration (If Necessary)

If you play Stardew Valley through Steam, GOG Galaxy, or the Xbox app, you might need additional steps to maintain achievement tracking and playtime recording. Refer to the SMAPI documentation for specific instructions.

Step Four: Installing Mods

Now for the fun part! Nexus Mods is a popular source for Stardew Valley mods.

1. Download mods from Nexus Mods (or other reputable sources) as ZIP files.

2. Extract each ZIP file.

3. Move the extracted mod folders into the Stardew Valley Mods folder. The location varies depending on your game client:

   • Steam: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Stardew Valley
   • GOG Galaxy: C:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\Stardew Valley
   • Xbox App: C:\XboxGames\Stardew Valley

With thousands of mods available, explore and enjoy the enhanced Stardew Valley experience!

Stardew Valley is available now.