Stardew Valley Multiplayer: How to Play Co-op With Friends

To play Stardew Valley multiplayer, one player hosts a farm from the Co-op menu and every other player needs an empty cabin on that farm. Friends then join through your Steam or GOG friends list, an invite code, LAN or an IP address, or by pressing in on a second controller for split-screen.

Last checked: November 9, 2026. Current version: 1.6.15.

How many players can play Stardew Valley co-op?

Every player beyond the host needs their own cabin, so a full 8-player PC farm needs 7 cabins.

Cross-platform play is not supported between PC and consoles, or between different consoles. The one official exception is mobile, which can join a PC-hosted farm by IP address.

How to start a new co-op farm

1. On the title screen, click Co-op, then the Host tab, then Host New Farm.
2. Create your character and choose a farm map. Four Corners was designed for multiplayer: it is split into four areas, so each player can run a section.
3. Set Starting Cabins to the number of friends who will join. Each one is a ready-made home for a farmhand.
4. Pick Cabin Layout. "Nearby" places cabins close to the farmhouse, "Separate" spreads them out. You can move them later through Robin.
5. Set Profit Margin if you want a challenge. Lower margins reduce what items sell for, which offsets having more players.

Once the farm loads, the game is open to connections. Open the Options menu and check that the Multiplayer section shows Server Mode: Online if friends will join over the internet. Switch has no Server Mode setting.

How to turn a single-player save into co-op

You do not need a new farm. Your existing save works as a host save:

1. Go to the title screen and click Co-op, then the Host tab.
2. Load your existing save from that list. If you load it from the normal Load button, it starts in single-player mode and nobody can join.
3. Visit Robin's Carpenter Shop and build a cabin for each friend. Since 1.6, a cabin costs only 100g and no materials, and all cabin styles are combined into one menu entry. Robin builds it instantly, so a friend can join the same day.

The cabin style has no gameplay effect. Pick whichever look you like.

New players who join an existing save start fresh: basic tools, level 0 skills and normal starting energy. Expect them to need help early on.

How friends join your farm

If the invite code options are greyed out on PC, the game could not reach your Steam or GOG account. Make sure the launcher is open and you are logged in.

How to play split-screen co-op

Local split-screen was added in update 1.5. It works on PC and consoles for up to four players on one screen.

1. Make sure the farm has a free cabin. On a new farm, set Starting Cabins to at least 1; on an existing farm, have Robin build one.
2. Load the farm, open your menu, go to Options and find the Multiplayer section.
3. Choose Start Local Co-op. The new player presses start on their controller (or Escape on a keyboard) and creates or picks a farmhand.

Each split-screen player gets their own section of the screen, inventory and menus.

How to play co-op on mobile

The 1.6 mobile release includes a hidden, experimental multiplayer mode on Android and iOS. It is not available in the Apple Arcade edition (Stardew Valley+). ConcernedApe describes the unlock in the official mobile multiplayer guide:

1. On the title screen, tap the four leaf groups on the Stardew Valley logo in this order: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right.
2. Tap the ? button in the bottom-right corner, then close that menu.
3. A Co-op button now appears. Choose Host or Join.

Mobile co-op connects only by IP address; there is no farm discovery. Players need to be on the same Wi-Fi or hotspot, or the host must forward UDP port 24642. A phone can join a PC-hosted farm, which ConcernedApe calls the best-case setup. Back up your save first, because the mode is experimental.

What players share and what stays separate

Money is shared by default. To switch between shared and separate wallets, read the green book on the table in Mayor Lewis's house. Separate money stops one player from spending the seed budget on a backpack.

The host can also decide who may move buildings through Robin: everyone, the host only, or only each building's owner.

Tips for a smoother co-op farm

• Time does not stop for menus. In single-player, opening a menu pauses the clock. In multiplayer it keeps running, so days feel shorter. The host can type /pause in chat to freeze the game.
• Everyone has to sleep. The day only ends once every player has gone to bed, so agree on a bedtime.
• Split up jobs. One player can mine or fish while another waters and harvests. Separate skills mean nobody has to level everything.
• The save lives with the host. Farmhands cannot keep playing that farm without the host online.
• Plan crops together. Use the farm planner to lay out fields and sprinklers before you split the work, and the crop profit calculator to agree on what to plant. The first year guide works well as a shared to-do list.

How to fix "can't connect" problems

Work through these in order. They come from the official troubleshooting guide.

1. Same version for everyone. Click ? on the title screen; the version shows in the bottom-left corner. Since 1.6, players also need the same build number, so update everyone.
2. Host started in Co-op mode. If the Options menu has no Multiplayer section above Sound, the save was loaded in single-player. Quit and reload it from Co-op, Host.
3. Enough free cabins. If Robin's menu has no cabin option, the farm is either full or not running in co-op mode.
4. Firewall and antivirus. Allow Stardew Valley, Steam and GOG Galaxy through them.
5. Router. On PC, forward TCP and UDP port 24642 to the host's computer. On consoles, a strict NAT type can block hosting.

Frequently asked questions

How many players can play Stardew Valley multiplayer?

Up to 8 players on PC since update 1.6, and up to 4 on consoles. Each player after the host needs their own cabin on the farm.

Is Stardew Valley cross-platform?

No. PC and consoles cannot play together, and neither can different consoles. The exception is the experimental mobile mode, which can join a PC-hosted farm by IP address.

Can I add multiplayer to my existing farm?

Yes. Load the save from the Co-op menu's Host tab instead of the normal Load button, then have Robin build a cabin for each friend. Cabins cost 100g and are built instantly.

Does Stardew Valley co-op share money?

Money is shared by default. You can switch to separate wallets by reading the green book on the table in Mayor Lewis's house.

Can friends play on my farm when I'm offline?

No. The save is stored on the host's device, so farmhands can only play while the host has the farm open in co-op mode.

How do I play split-screen in Stardew Valley?

Make sure there is a free cabin, then open Options and choose Start Local Co-op in the Multiplayer section. The second player presses start on their controller to join.