Stardew Valley fans have been eagerly anticipating the 1.6 update, and creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has finally provided some updates on its progress. He has announced that the update is “definitely” set to release this year and has finished adding major new content.

Initially, Barone had stated that the 1.6 update would be modest in scope and mainly focused on modding. However, the update has since grown in ambition and will include a major new festival, two new mini festivals, new items and crafting recipes, new dialogue lines, a new farm type, new late-game content, winter outfits for villagers, a new larger chest, 8-player co-op on PC, and more. One of the most exciting additions is the inclusion of hats for cats and dogs.

In a recent social media update, Barone confirmed that he has completed the major new content and will now focus on bug-fixing and polishing the update. He expressed his gratitude for the patience of the fans and is looking forward to seeing everyone play it. Despite the 1.6 update being larger in scope than originally planned, Barone has assured fans that it will definitely be released this year.

This update comes after the previous major content update, version 1.5, which was released in February 2021. Although Barone had announced his next project, Haunted Chocolatier, he has temporarily set it aside to complete the 1.6 update. Once the update is released, he may resume work on Haunted Chocolatier.