Stardew Valley Celebrates 10th Anniversary

The game was famously created by a single person, Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, who taught himself the necessary skills and worked on it for four and a half years before its initial release on February 26, 2016. Initially titled "Sprout Valley," Barone developed it as an alternative to the *Harvest Moon* series, which he felt had declined in quality. Since its launch, *Stardew Valley* has sold nearly 50 million copies across all platforms as of February 2026, making it one of the best-selling indie games of all time. More than 26 million of those sales were on PC alone. The 1.7 update's new marriage candidates have been revealed as Clint, the Pelican Town blacksmith, and Sandy, the shopkeeper of the Oasis in the Calico Desert. Both have been long-requested romance options by the game's community. Previous free updates have added significant content long after the game's release. The 1.6 update, for instance, introduced a new farm type, major festivals, a "mastery" system for late-game skills, new crops, and hundreds of lines of additional dialogue. Beyond official updates, a thriving modding community has contributed to the game's longevity. Tens of thousands of fan-made mods exist, offering everything from cosmetic changes to massive content expansions with new characters and locations. While continuing to support *Stardew Valley*, Barone is also developing his next game, *Haunted Chocolatier*. Though development is paused for the 1.7 update, the new title will feature a "dark and mysterious" vibe compared to its predecessor but is intended to be similarly uplifting.