Stardew Valley 1.5 is out now, and it's the biggest content addition since launch
The update adds a beach farm and "the biggest solid chunk of new content" since Stardew Valley released.
Earlier today, Stardew Valley developer Eric Barone tweeted about some new features coming in the 1.5 update. Shortly after, he surprised us by tweeting that the update is out now on PC. You can read the update notes here.
The most obvious change is that the update adds a new farm type, the beach farm. "Good foraging and fishing, and tons of open space," the description reads. "Sometimes, supply crates wash up on shore. However, sprinklers don't work in the sandy soil."
If you're a seasoned player thinking of starting a new farm when 1.5 comes out, I'd like to highlight a couple of new features. There will be a new farm type, "Beach Farm", and a new "Advanced Game Options" menu, from which you can adjust some aspects of the game: pic.twitter.com/iMnw2uGLEODecember 20, 2020
However, that new farm is far from the only addition in what Barone calls "the biggest solid chunk of new content that's been added to the game since launch." The update adds new gameplay options (you can adjust mine rewards, for instance), split-screen co-op, and a big list of new "late game" stuff to encounter and craft.
If you want to see everything that's been added, a complete changelog is available, but if you want to avoid spoilers, you may not want to read it such a detailed list. To summarize, it looks like there's something new in just about every category: crops, food items, monsters, craftable items, clothing, furniture, and so on. There's even a new TV channel (though you have to unlock it somehow).
If you haven't played our favorite farming game, Stardew Valley is 33% off on Steam right now, brining it down to $10/£7.36. Our review from 2016 still captures what we like so much about it, but it's come a long way since then.