Stardew Valley | Games of the Year 2024

In some ways, this article has been eight years in the making.

Stardew Valley isn't just my game of 2024, it's quietly been my game of the year every year since 2016.

Its launch pretty much coincides with my start in games media; I started in January 2016, Stardew Valley released in February, I interviewed developer Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone in April. And my obsession with the indie farm sim started immediately.

I have clocked just shy of 400 hours of playtime, helped this year by the release of its 1.6 update, the most significant content expansion since its original launch, adding even more layers to a world already filled to the brim with things to do, finely crafted details, and personality.

The 1.6 update, which launched in March on PC and November on console, has felt like a masterclass in how to evolve a game without taking anything away from previous versions, and how a single-player indie title can stay relevant more than eight years after release.

Quality of life improvements, new quest lines, and fresh mysteries add precious value to the title but the core experience remains untouched, challenges arising in different manners, and never in a way that's made me regret doing things differently in previous playthroughs.

While the 1.6 update has given a new lease of life to the game, I need to be honest: I'm just using it as an excuse to finally talk about Stardew Valley in a game of the year piece because I didn't get to write one in 2016. As I'm leaving GamesIndustry.biz, let this be my swan song.

Even as a lifelong gamer, I don't think I had experienced this type of obsession with a game before. The 'just one more in-game day', making pages of notes, constantly thinking about it, playing until 4am, type of obsession.

I had also never played a farming sim before Stardew Valley. I had never really cared for Animal Crossing-type titles, and Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons meant nothing to me. I was more of a Zelda and Baldur's Gate type of kid. But something about Stardew Valley grabbed me instantly and never let me go.

It sees you escaping a late-stage capitalism hellhole, tasked with returning your grandpa’s farm to its former glory all while nurturing relationships with the town's inhabitants and restoring its community center. In practical game terms, that translates into planting seeds, petting farm animals, crafting items, talking to NPCs, and doing it all over again the next day.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that's all there is to it; looking at Stardew Valley's screenshots doesn't give away its depth, after all.

But there's also mysterious caves to explore where you get to fight a plethora of monsters, a faraway island with secrets to uncover, sea creatures to fish, trains to catch, doors to open, and the cryptic Mr Qi.

Each of the 34 NPCs in the game has a unique and in-depth storyline exploring topics including PTSD, depression, alcoholism, loss, the hardships of growing old, living on the fringes of society, found family, and more.

But there's also a deeply endearing lightness and joy to it all, whether you're witnessing a character organising a charity event to support education in the town, watching an aspiring robotics engineer saying goodbye to the sentient droid she built, or simply feeding maple syrup to a friendly bear.

As I hinted at back in 2021 when Unpacking was without contest my game of the year, I find a lot of joy in depictions of the mundane. And Stardew Valley excels at that, showing you the simple beauty in taking care of yourself and others, whether humans or animals, getting one's hands dirty and growing things, being outdoors and just, breathing for a second.

But there is also so much to do at any given time in Stardew Valley that I always turn to it when my brain needs a break from thinking about real-life issues. And god knows there's been a lot of reasons to want to do that this year. I started playing Stardew Valley again mid-2024 as a way to cope, and somehow never put it down again.

The strengths of Stardew Valley's game loop are worth celebrating, always leaving you wanting more and mentally planning what you could be doing next. Even after 400 hours, including 170 hours in a single playthrough started this year, I've never encountered an in-game day where I didn't know what I could be doing. And there's still tons of content I haven't experienced for myself yet!

If that isn't a testament to how effective Stardew Valley is as an object of play, I don't know what is. The sheer variety, complexity, and depth of it all just scratches a particular itch in my brain that is simply perfection to me.

Stardew Valley is the game I never stopped playing – we all have one. Whether it's a live service title that's continuously updated or just a favourite that you're constantly replaying or going back to. During chats in preparation for this very piece, I noticed everyone at GI had one – James' is The Witcher 3, Chris' is Sea of Thieves, George's is Elite Dangerous, Sophie's is Alan Wake 2, Vikki's is Dishonored.

Mine is Stardew Valley and I don't intend to ever stop playing it.