No. 12 of 12 · Farming & life · checked September 2026
Stardew Valley
£10.99Ten years on, still the game for a group that wants to do something gentle together. Plant, fish, mine, gossip, sleep, repeat.
Stardew Valley gives you a run-down farm, a small town of people with routines and a calendar of seasons. You clear land, plant crops, keep animals, fish, explore a mine and slowly get to know the neighbours. The game never hurries you beyond the clock in the corner, and one in-game day lasts about fourteen minutes, which makes it unusually easy to say “one more day” and mean it.
In co-op, up to four of you share one farm, each with a cabin, and the work divides naturally: one plants, one mines, one fishes, one runs errands into town. Money is shared by default and the host can change that. The biggest update, 1.6, added new content, an eight-player option on PC and a lot of quality-of-life for groups. It is the game we would recommend for a couple, or for two friends who want to talk while their hands are busy.
The maker, ConcernedApe, still updates it for free a decade after release and has never added a shop, a pass or a currency. The price is the price. It runs on everything, including phones, and the PC, Mac and Linux versions play together across stores.
The catch is cross-play, and it is a real one for this site: a PlayStation farm cannot host an Xbox friend, a Switch player cannot join a PC farm, and the phone version has no multiplayer at all. The host also has to be online for anyone else to play. If your group is all on one platform, it is a near-perfect calm co-op. If it is not, look at Valheim or Sky.
What works
- Gentle, welcoming and endlessly replayable
- A shared farm with natural roles
- No shop, ever
- Runs on everything, including phones
What to know first
- No cross-play between platforms
- No multiplayer on phones
- The host has to be online for the group to play
The first evening: four things to do
- Pick the standard farm for your first shared game
The alternative maps are lovely but harder. Standard has the most space for cabins and crops while everyone learns.
- Agree who does what on day one
One person clears, one plants parsnips, one fishes for money. Wandering as a group is fun but you will not make rent.
- Set the money to shared
Separate wallets lead to one rich fisher and three broke farmers. Shared money keeps it a group farm.
- Let the host set day length in the multiplayer options
The host can slow the clock for a group that likes to chat. Longer days mean fewer “wait, I need to sleep” moments.
In play
Screenshots and artwork © ConcernedApe, shown for review.
Verdict
Ready, with notes: the calmest co-op we know, held back only by the platform wall. If you all own the same machine, start a farm tonight.
Best for: A couple, or two to four friends on the same platform who want a quiet routine.
Ready to try it?
The official site has the current price, platforms and download links. We do not sell games or take a cut.
Go to stardewvalley.net (opens stardewvalley.net in a new tab)