Modding:Player Guide
Do you want to play Stardew Valley with mods? This guide is for you! Modding:Player Guide/footer
Intro
A "mod" is just a package of files which changes Stardew Valley in some way. Mods can add features (like showing NPCs on the map), change game mechanics (like making fences decay more slowly), make cosmetic changes (like making your house look like a hobbit home), and more.
Using mods is easy! You just need to...
- Install SMAPI. This is the mod loader for Stardew Valley — it launches the game with mod support and lets mods interact directly with the game code. It's safely installed alongside your normal game, and you can uninstall it anytime.
- Unzip mods into your Mods folder.
That's about it! If you're ready to start, see Getting Started.
Frequent questions
Can I use mods on Linux, Mac, Windows, or consoles?
Mod support for each platform:
| Platform | Mod support |
|---|---|
| Linux | ✓ fully supported |
| Mac | ✓ fully supported |
| Windows | ✓ fully supported |
| Nintendo Switch | ✖ no mod support |
| PS4 | ✖ no mod support |
| XBox One | ✖ no mod support |
Almost all mods will work on any supported platform, since SMAPI rewrites them for compatibility.
Can mods corrupt my save?
Yes, but it's extremely rare. Only a few mods affect your save file at all. If you avoid those, mods are very unlikely to corrupt your save file. If you're worried, just back up your save files occasionally. That's strongly recommended even if you don't use mods, since save corruption is almost always caused by the game itself.
In most cases, you can fix save corruption by undoing the last save.
Can I stop using mods later?
Yep. With a few exceptions (see previous question), mods don't directly affect your save file so you can stop using them anytime.
Do mods disable Steam achievements?
Steam achievements work fine, as long as you launch SMAPI through Steam. Make sure you follow the install instructions to configure Steam on Windows (no Steam changes needed on Linux or Mac). If the Steam overlay works, the achievements should work too.
Do mods work in multiplayer?
Yep. Stardew Valley 1.3 beta is still new, so check Modding:SMAPI compatibility to see if the mod is compatible. Usually each player can have their own mods (or not use mods at all), but it depends on the mod. Not all mods work well in multiplayer, and some mods may affect other players even if they don't have it installed. Try checking the mod description to see if it says anything about multiplayer (often under a 'compatibility' header). If it's a Content Patcher or XNB mod, see how those work in multiplayer (even if not done through Content Patcher).
What is SMAPI?
SMAPI is the mod loader for Stardew Valley. It works fine with GOG and Steam achievements, it's compatible with Linux/Mac/Windows, you can uninstall it anytime, and there's a friendly community if you need help. SMAPI is required for most types of Stardew Valley mod.
SMAPI does a lot for you. For example, it will...
- Load mods into the game and provide APIs they can use. Many types of mod aren't possible without SMAPI.
- Rewrite mods for crossplatform compatibility, so you can use almost any mod on Linux/Mac/Windows.
- Intercept errors. If a mod crashes or causes an error, SMAPI will intercept the error, show the error details in the console window, and in most cases automatically recover the game.
- Provide update checks. SMAPI automatically alerts you when a new version of a mod is available.
- Provide compatibility checks. SMAPI automatically detects when a mod is incompatible and disables it before it causes problems.
Where are my...
- Game folder: see Getting Started#Find your game folder.
- SMAPI log: see Troubleshooting#Find your SMAPI log.
- Save files: see Saves.