"Stardew Valley Modding Guide"

While the latest Stardew Valley update made waves, dedicated players have been enhancing their experience with mods for even longer. Whether extending NPC storylines or adding fresh cosmetic options, modding lets you fully customize your gameplay. This guide walks you through modding Stardew Valley step by step.

Modding Stardew Valley on Windows: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step One: Safeguard Your Save Files

We strongly recommend backing up your saves before modding. While unnecessary for new games, seasoned farmers with valuable progress should protect their hard work. Just imagine losing all those carefully cultivated crops and hard-earned friendships.

Backing up is straightforward:

Press Win + R to open Run dialog
Type %appdata% and hit Enter
Navigate to Stardew Valley > Saves
Copy files to a secure location

Step Two: Set Up SMAPI

SMAPI serves as the essential mod loader for Stardew Valley, seamlessly integrating your mods into gameplay. Download it directly from the official SMAPI website.

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After downloading SMAPI, extract the ZIP file to any convenient location (desktop or downloads folder works). Remember: SMAPI isn't a mod itself but the framework that enables modding. Never extract it directly into your mods folder.

Launch the extracted SMAPI files and choose "Install on Windows."

Complete the installation by following the prompts.

Step Three: Adjust Game Client Settings

Players using Steam, GOG Galaxy, or Xbox App may need additional configuration to maintain achievement tracking. Refer to platform-specific guides for detailed setup instructions.

Step Four: Install Your Mods

Now comes the exciting part!

Nexus Mods offers the largest selection of Stardew Valley mods, with options for every playstyle. Most mods download as ZIP files - simply extract them into the automatically generated Mods folder at these locations:

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

Congratulations! With thousands of Nexus mods available, you're now ready to transform your Stardew Valley experience.

Stardew Valley is currently available on multiple platforms.