Modding Stardew Valley Unveiled: A Comprehensive Guide

Enhance your Stardew Valley experience with mods! This guide details how to add mods to your game on Windows, expanding gameplay and adding cosmetic features.

Essential Step One: Safeguarding Your Farm

Before you begin, back up your save file. This is crucial if you've invested significant time in your game. To back up:

1. Press Win + R.
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. (This step is optional for new games.)

Step Two: Installing SMAPI – The Mod Loader

SMAPI is essential; it's not a mod itself, but the tool that integrates mods into your game. Download SMAPI directly from their official website. Extract the downloaded ZIP file to a convenient location (desktop or downloads folder is fine). Do not extract it into the Stardew Valley mods folder. Run SMAPI and select "Install on Windows," following 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 extra steps to maintain achievement tracking and playtime recording. Refer to the SMAPI website for client-specific instructions.

Step Four: Adding the Mods – The Fun Part!

Nexus Mods offers a vast library of Stardew Valley mods. Download your chosen mods (usually as ZIP files). Extract each ZIP file and place the resulting folder into the Stardew Valley Mods folder. The Mods folder 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 on Nexus Mods, the possibilities are endless!

Stardew Valley is available now.