After selling over a million copies and garnering the adoration of critics and fans earlier this year, Stardew Valley has remained relatively quiet. A recent update on the main web site reveals the next step for the darling indie farming sim: console release. Stardew Valley will launch globally on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on December 14 (it will arrive Dec. 13 on PS4 in the US).

“I spent over four years developing Stardew Valley,” wrote creator Eric Barone for xbox.com. “[I was] inspired by games that I loved as a child such as Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing. Although the idea of a ‘farming RPG’ might have seemed odd at first, the games were very addictive and had a heartwarming charm that stuck with me. With Stardew Valley, my goal was to recreate that special feeling and bring it to modern platforms.”

Stardew Valley was originally slated for a Wii U release. But given Nintendo’s production ceases and upcoming launch of the Nintendo Switch, Barone has canceled the Wii U port in favor of the Switch. “Looking at Wii U and the current gaming landscape, we made the difficult choice to shift our development efforts to creating a version for Nintendo Switch. I believe the Switch’s unique capabilities could create some exciting opportunities for Stardew Valley.”

Stardew Valley has been this year’s massive indie success story. The pixelated farming game has a deep breadth of gameplay and undeniable charm. It’s still my current game of the year, and I called it a “love letter to 90s RPGs” in my review. If you plan on jumping in, check out our tips and tricks guide.

“Stardew Valley has been a great success on the PC, and I am very excited to share it with many new people,” writes Barone. “I hope you’ll enjoy your time in the valley!”


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Eric has been writing for over nine years with bylines at Dicebreaker, Pixelkin, Polygon, PC Gamer, Tabletop Gaming magazine, and more covering movies, TV shows, video games, tabletop games, and tech. He reviews and live streams D&D adventures every week on his YouTube channel. He also makes a mean tuna quesadilla.