Mods can add features like showing NPCs on the map , change game mechanics like making fences decay more slowly , make cosmetic changes like making your house look like a hobbit home , and more. Using mods is easy! You just need to... That's the mod loader for Stardew Valley — it launches the game with mod support and lets mods interact directly with the game code. It's safely installed alongside your normal game, and you can uninstall it anytime. See , or keep reading to get started! Getting started Install SMAPI First you'll need to install the mod loader, SMAPI. Registering an account is free, just don't choose a package when you register. Some mods are released here most are also on Nexus. Not many mods yet, but you can install those it has very quickly through their Windows-only client. Some mods are posted directly in the forums. Some hidden gems are only here, but finding them can be a challenge. Before you download a mod... SMAPI will automatically disable most incompatible SMAPI mods, but you're on your own with XNB mods. Try checking the mod description or comments. Mods here are usually outdated, since the site republishes mods without permission for ad revenue. Find your game folder Next you'll need to open your game folder the one containing Stardew Valley's. Install mods To install a mod, just unzip it into the Mods folder in. Make sure each mod has its own subfolder. SMAPI will automatically search inside each folder until it finds one with files. It might be created the first time you launch the game with that mod. This file lets you customise the mod settings. To edit the config. Make sure the game isn't running when you edit it, or your changes might not take effect. You can use this to make sure the format is correct. That should replace the older files, but keep any config or data files it generated for you. XNB mods Can I use mods on Linux, Mac, Windows, or consoles? Can mods corrupt my save? Yes, but it's extremely rare. Only a few mods affect your save file at all. If you avoid those, mods are very unlikely to corrupt your save file. In most cases, you can fix save corruption by. If you're worried, just back up occasionally. That's strongly recommended even if you don't use mods, since save corruption is almost always caused by the game itself. Can I stop using mods later? With a few exceptions see previous question , mods don't directly affect your save file so you can stop using them anytime. Do mods disable Steam achievements? Steam achievements work fine, as long as you launch SMAPI through Steam. Make sure you follow the to configure Steam on Windows no Steam changes needed on Linux or Mac. If the Steam overlay works, the achievements should work too. Do mods work in multiplayer? How they work depends on the mod. Usually each player can have their own mods, and you can mix modded and vanilla players. Some mods don't work or work poorly in multiplayer, or affect other players too. Try checking the mod description for details about multiplayer often under a 'compatibility' header. Here are some approximate rules for mods that don't specify: type of mod effects summary Content Patcher depends See applies for XNB mods too. Map replacements local That includes mods which replace an existing map without adding special logic with SMAPI. These are only visible to players who install them. Players without the custom map will see the normal map and will be subject to the normal bounds e. Visual changes local That includes custom portraits and sprites, custom farmer appearance except GetDressed or Kisekae , recolors, etc. These mods only affect the players who installed them. Other players won't be affected. If both players have the same mods, they'll see the same visual changes though. Time changes global That includes any mod which pauses time, changes the current time, or changes the rate of time. These mods only work when installed by the main player, but will affect all players. They will have no effect when used by farmhands. Custom UI local That includes mods that add new icons, tooltips, and menus. These mods only affect the players who installed them. Other players won't be affected. World changes global That includes any mods which edit things in the world — durable fences, monster stat changes, etc. These mods affect all players, no matter who installs them. Other mods depends See the mod's description for details, or ask the author. SMAPI is the mod loader for Stardew Valley. SMAPI is required for most types of Stardew Valley mod. SMAPI does a lot for you. For example, it will... Many types of mod aren't possible without SMAPI. If a mod crashes or causes an error, SMAPI will intercept the error, show the error details in the console window, and in most cases automatically recover the game. SMAPI automatically alerts you when a new version of a mod is available. SMAPI automatically detects when a mod is incompatible and disables it before it causes problems.
