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‘Stardew Valley’ finally gets multiplayer beta, and you can try it now

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Stardew Valley Switch Trailer | Nintendo Switch

Stardew Valley developer Eric Barone — better known as “Concerned Ape” — has been promising a multiplayer mode in the hit farming adventure game for a while now, and players who have grown tired of waiting need not wait any longer — the game’s multiplayer is available in beta on PC right now.

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The latest version of Stardew Valley is 1.3, and it includes access to a public opt-in multiplayer beta mode. In this mode, you host your farm to your friends, for whom you must build cabins so they have somewhere to live.

You can also start a completely new farm with the cabins already built if you don’t want to mess with your existing masterpiece, and server options allow you to make the farm “friends only,” “invite only,” or completely offline if you decide you want to play on your own again. In addition to using invite codes or your Steam and GOG friends lists, you can play Stardew Valley multiplayer via a LAN connection, which sounds like the most relaxing LAN party of all time.

The game supports up to four players in multiplayer, and there are a number of different activities you can do with your friends. If you want to get married, all you have to do is right-click on them to propose after finding a wedding ring, and you can begin a festival by all gathering at the same location.

To opt into the beta, you currently have to be a Steam user, but GOG users will be able to play it “in a few days,” according to a post on the game’s developer blog. Head over to the game in your Steam library and head to the “properties” section, then just make sure you have allowed beta programs in the drop-down menu. The development team encourages you to back up your save file before playing it, however, as it is still in beta testing.

Stardew Valley is now available on PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. A version for the PlayStation Vita is also still in development, and it will be cross-buy compatible with the PlayStation 4.

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Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
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