Our Top Picks for Cosmetic Upgrades, Changing Mechanics, Adding Features, and Making it All Run Smoothly (Updated for 1.6)
Our Top Picks for Cosmetic Upgrades, Changing Mechanics, Adding Features, and Making it All Run Smoothly (Updated for 1.6)
Stardew Valley is an addictive game – the carefree indie cozy game practically has a cult following. With beginner-friendly gameplay, memorable storylines, and characters you really come to love (or hate), it’s no wonder there are so many mods out there to tweak the game.
Not to mention Stardew creator ConcernedApe goes out of his way to make the game moddable.
From simple sprite changes and background recolors to completely new content, there are tons of mods to choose from — but which ones are the best? We’re going over all of the must-have and top-rated Stardew mods, including:
Updated for 1.6: Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update changed how mods work under the hood, and a lot of older mods broke along the way. We’ve rechecked every mod on this list for 1.6 compatibility and swapped out the ones that didn’t survive. If you’re coming back to an old mod setup, update SMAPI first, then check your SMAPI log, which will flag anything outdated.
There are several ways to mod Stardew Valley on Steam, Steam deck, and Android phones. Unfortunately the Nintendo Switch and non-PC mobile devices are more locked down, so you won’t be able to mod them.
If you’ve never modded a Steam game before, be sure to check out the modding guide on Steam and the more specific Stardew Valley Wiki modding page.
My favorite way to handle Stardew Valley mods is with Vortex, a convenient mod-manager by Nexus that makes it easy to take advantage of all of the open-source mods on Nexus. It works with multiple games, allows you to create different mod profiles (perfect for players who want a variety of farm aesthetics), and makes management as easy as it can be. You’ll just open your Stardew Valley game within Vortex to use your mods.
When you go to download mods from Nexus, you’ll notice that most of them require some foundational mods in order to work. These are a few of the most common ones you’ll see other mods depending on, so it’s a good idea to download them before downloading anything else.
🛠️ Modding Tools | 👤 Pathoschild | ⬇️ 30M downloads
This is the mod loader for Stardew Valley. It makes all of the other mods work. If you have any trouble getting it to work, SMAPI has a super active and helpful Discord. No wonder it has 10 million downloads.
🛠️ Modding Tools | 👤 Pathoschild | ⬇️ 25M downloads
Got a mod that changes the game's data, images, or map? Then you need Content Patcher. It allows mods to make dynamic changes based on in-game details like location, weather, date, festivals, spouse, relationships, Joja membership, and more.
🖥️ User Interface | 👤 spacechase0 | ⬇️ 14M downloads
If you’re planning to get a lot of mods – or even just a couple of mods – the configuration menu is a lifesaver. Instead of typing commands into the console, you’ll just have a settings button on the title screen where you can turn mods on or off and make any changes to how they’re set up.
🛠️ Modding Tools | 👤 PeacefulEnd | ⬇️ 4M downloads
This is a framework for all sorts of fashion mods. It allows for bigger hats and clothing items as well as new hairstyles, sleeves, and more.
🛠️ Modding Tools | 👤 PeacefulEnd | ⬇️ 3M downloads
If you want to recolor or retexture anything in Stardew Valley -- whether it's pets or buildings or the farmer themself -- you need this handy dandy framework.
These are some of the top-rated, most-downloaded, and all around coolest mods out there – category, creator, and download count as of this writing included.
🗺️ Expansions | 👤 FlashShifter | ⬇️ 22M downloads
You can tell a lot about the quality of a game by how dedicated its fanbase is and why they’re so engrossed. This massive fan-made expansion for ConcernedApe’s original Stardew Valley content just shows how much people care about the game.
It’s a must-download mod for anyone who loves the game. It adds 27 new NPCs, 50 locations, 260 character events, and 27 fish – not to mention reimagined vanilla areas and world map, new music, quest lines, objects, crops, festivals, and (astoundingly) more!
🖥️ User Interface | 👤 Bouhm | ⬇️ 14M downloads
Wondering if Marnie’s actually at her shop for once? Or maybe you’re trying to track down Elliott to give him some crab cakes? NPC Map Locations puts all of the NPCS on the maps so you know exactly where to find them.
🤫 Cheats | 👤 CJBok, Pathoschild | ⬇️ 10M downloads
Once you’ve played through Stardew Valley once, you deserve to take a few shortcuts, right? So with CJB Cheats Menu, easily select exactly what you want your game to look like – what levels your skills are, how many hearts you’ve earned with villagers, even how quickly you walk.
But pretty much every CJB mod is pure gold. You’ll also wanna check out CJB Item Spawner to get the full impact of CJB’s mods.
🖥️ User Interface | 👤 Pathoschild | ⬇️ 10M downloads
There is a LOT of information to remember in Stardew Valley. This mod makes it easy. If you press F1, you’ll get an info box about whatever is under your cursor. Simple, but super helpful.
👫 Characters | 👤 ohodavi | ⬇️ 7M downloads
If you’re sick of the basic villager portraits, this one's for you. Swap the original art style for sleek anime portraits instead.
🎮 Gameplay Mechanics | 👤 Pathoschild | ⬇️ 7M downloads
Refine ore, put bait in crab traps, recycle trash, make wine… there’s no end to what this handy mod can do. It saves a lot of time when you multiply it over all of the things you catch, refine, grow, and produce in this game!
🎮 Gameplay Mechanics | 👤 Pathoschild | ⬇️ 7M downloads
Say goodbye to harvesting crops by hand. Buy this tractor from Pierre, and away you go.
🎮 Gameplay Mechanics | 👤 Lestoph | ⬇️ 6M downloads
Ah, Skull Cavern. Perhaps the most dreaded and feared part of the game. With this mod, you don’t have to craft a million staircases or swap the Desert Trader all your jade. Just take the elevator like you would in the mines. It will save you SO much time. And also save your keyboard from when you rage quit over dying on level 98 again.
🖥️ User Interface | 👤 JoXW | ⬇️ 1M downloads
With 45 villagers to woo or befriend, it can be tough to keep track of who likes what, particularly when you start out. But honestly, even after you’ve been playing a while, there’s just not enough room in one brain for pink cake recipes, crafting requirements, and everybody’s top six gifts. That’s where this mod comes in. Just hover over a villager’s icon in the friendship tab, and you’ll get a handy pop up of what’s on their wishlist.
(The original Gift Tastes Helper by tstaples is one of the widely, widely used mods that broke in 1.6, but this update by JoXW picks the functionality right back up again)
🖥️ User Interface | 👤 Pathoschild | ⬇️ 4M downloads
Access your chests whenever you need them! No more running all around to find where you stored your things. Grab what you need anywhere – from the bottom of Skull Cavern to the comfort of your kitchen.
🏠 Buildings | 👤 junimods | ⬇️ 2M downloads
If you like Elle’s Seasonal Buildings, be sure to check out her other mods. She’s redesigned everything from the town animals to the horses to the dogs and cats. So if you want an upgraded stable or a cat that looks just like the one sitting next to you while you boot up Steam, definitely check out junimods’s page.
👫 Characters | 👤 ApryllForever | ⬇️ 3M downloads
You no longer have to break Penny’s heart in order to see what Haley’s heart events are. If you can’t choose between Elliott and Harvey, you don’t have to. With Free Love, you can marry as many bachelors and bachelorettes as you choose.
PS – Free Love used to be the mod for this (and Multiple Spouses before it), but it broke with the 1.6 update. PolyamorySweet picks up where it left off and adds some new content of its own.
🏠 Buildings | 👤 Gewniaczek | ⬇️ 2M downloads
Update your village buildings with some medieval flair. This cosmetic upgrade is available for vanilla, but the modder also released a version that’s compatible with Stardew Expanded called Medieval SV Expanded.
🎨 Visuals & Graphics | 👤 shekurika | ⬇️ 3M downloads
Catch just the fish you were searching for. This mod simply takes the fish swimming about in the bodies of water – both vanilla and modded – and makes them visible so you know whether or not it’s worth casting out a line.
👫 Characters | 👤 Poltergeister | ⬇️ 2M downloads
Make sure the new characters in Stardew Valley Expanded are dressed for the weather. This mod comes with seasonal outfits for each character, along with some bonus designs like festival outfits and gym clothes.
🗺️ Expansions | 👤 lemurkat | ⬇️ 2M downloads
Welcome to East Scarp – a totally new section of Stardew Valley. You’ll find new locations, new NPCs, shops, secrets, and of course, mods. Like Fieval comes to East Scarp and Always Raining in the Valley - Custom NPCs for East Scarp.
📍Locations | 👤 MaxMakesMods | ⬇️ 700k downloads
Cindersap Forest is pretty magical to begin with, but with this mod, the adventure never has to end. It generates infinite areas within the forest, unique challenges, and more for players to explore.
👫 Characters | 👤 PaintedParrot | ⬇️ 1M downloads
Firmly in the camp that those magical blue messages are actually love letters? Now you can share your feelings that must not be repressed and tell the wizard how ardently you do care for him. Includes 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 14 heart events… and now awkward rejection in the rain.
🧱 Maps | 👤 aedenthorn | ⬇️ 550k downloads
You no longer have to settle for your spouse’s room clashing with your decor. Give the whole house a design overhaul with Custom Spouse Rooms. It even works with the polyamory mods so you can customize all of your spouses roomseses.
PS – The original version of this mod (Custom Spouse Rooms) was created by aedenthorn and included functionality for the Free Love mod. It's not 100% clear whether the original is still being updated, but this one -- building on aedenthorn's original -- definitely is.
🗓️ Events | 👤 Agent Lyoko | ⬇️ 1M downloads
Feel like the spark has died out since marrying your spouse? You don’t have to start over with another villager. The Date Night mod introduces general and character-specific events like camping with your spouse or simply going to the grocery store together.
PS – The original version of this mod (Date Night) was created by LiveOnSUPERT-- but this version works with 1.6.
👾 Miscellaneous | 👤 paradigmnomad | ⬇️ 1M downloads
Artisan goods are worth so much more than ordinary ones. And they take so much longer to make. So why are their icons so bland? With this little mod, the artisan good icons get elevated to artisan good status. Since 1.6 came out, this one's been broken -- but a patch was released to Github that restores functionality. Just download the file, install using Vortex (or manually, if you prefer).
🖥️ User Interface | 👤 SugarSugarRuin | ⬇️ 1M downloads
Make the game’s UI a little more dreamy and romantic. Introduces curling vines and dreamy petals to make your game look like the fantastical escape that it is.
🎮 Gameplay Mechanics | 👤 Pathoschild | ⬇️ 400k downloads
The train station can be so much more than a place you rush to in order to collect lumps of coal. This mod restores the station to its glory – allowing you to travel to other mods' destinations by boat, bus, or train.
🛋️ Furniture | 👤 ANYUEnvia | ⬇️ 10k downloads
Transform the entire vibe of the farmhouse. This mod includes pretty decorations, walls, doors, fences, and floors so your decor can match the vibes of the rest of the village if you choose to go that direction.
🎮 Gameplay Mechanics | 👤 LUCASGATICA | ⬇️ 1k downloads
Wish you could bring the good people of Pelican Town along on your adventures? Now you can. Journey into the mines, forage for materials, or just go for a stroll with any of the original bachelors or bachelorettes. The original NPC adventure's mod by purrplingcat is sadly depreciated, but this mod expands the functionality to let you assign other locations to NPCs as well. Which means when you need Marnie to be at work because your animals are starving, she finally, finally will be.
🎨 Visuals & Graphics | 👤 yunage | ⬇️ 200k downloads
Feeling nostalgic? This classic recolor makes Stardew Valley look like it’s on your old Gameboy. Yes, the really old one. Your character may get lost in the texture of the background sometimes, but that’s not a high price to pay for nostalgic fun.
🗺️ Expansions | 👤 laurencephala | ⬇️ 350k downloads
Can’t get enough of the Adventurer’s Guild? Expand it. This mod comes with new quests, new story events, new romanceable NPCs, and even a friendly monster who can come live on your farm!
👗 Clothing | 👤 bblueberry| ⬇️ 250k downloads
The Sailor Scouts are now a part of Pelican Town. Wear hair, hats, and kimonos based on the characters of Sailor Moon.
🏠 Buildings | 👤 sonreirblah | ⬇️ 250k downloads
Give your valley a cozy facelift. This mod retextures the buildings in your town into Japanese buildings. They change with each season, and the mod even includes some animated statues and craftables. Note, the mod generally still seems to be working, but sonreirblah announced that they are no longer keeping up with the project. So while it's mostly good for the time being, check out similar aesthetic mods like Updated Seasonal Japanese Buildings by leroymilo, which is newer and still being manned.
🧵 Crafting | 👤 hadiwrites42 | ⬇️ 250k downloads
Upgrade your sodas to the artisanal level of your cheeses, jams, and wines. Stick it to the man with snooty soda makers that Joja can’t compete with. Pump fresh water, carbonate your drinks, and create fancy syrups to create the banana sodas, cream sodas, and fancy colas of your hipster dreams.
🐴 Pets / Horses | 👤 icepuente | ⬇️ 200k downloads
Call your horse any place, any time. Whether you need a quick ride home from town or you can’t go to bed until your horse is safely returned to his stable, this mod is for you. You can even customize the sound to match the flute from Breath of the Wild with BOTW Horse Whistle.
🗺️ Expansions | 👤 XxHarvzBackxX | ⬇️ 600k downloads
Wanna see the city Sebastian dreams of escaping to? Or uncover the bakery that makes Haley’s pink cakes? This one requires a long list of other mods, but it unlocks a variety of new buildings, NPCs, and stories for you to explore!
💬 Dialogue | 👤 linenpants | ⬇️ 350k downloads
Hey there hopeless romantics, this one is for you. With support for several vanilla bachelors and bachelorettes, you can build romance and affection like never before.
🏠 Buildings | 👤 strawberrymilk95 | ⬇️ 150k downloads
Make your farm a little more magical. This mod gives several buildings a total makeover: the farmer’s house, greenhouse, barn, coop, silo, stable, and slime hutch will look like they’ve been transported right out of a fairytale.
👫 Characters | 👤 TrentXV | ⬇️ 67k downloads
Spouses do some chores, give you a smooch, make your coffee… but beyond that? Not much in the vanilla game. This mod expands the unique perks associated with each choice of spouse.
NOTE: This mod was temporarily hidden in late 2024 -- as of this update in 2026, it's not back online. I'm not giving out hope on it yet, but it is currently unavailable.
🎨 Visuals & Graphics | 👤 collingbe | ⬇️ 200k downloads
Transform the slightly brighter than realistic vanilla Stardew Valley colors with a pretty fantasy palette. It’s like you’re farming in an ice cream wonderland.
🎮 Gameplay Mechanics | 👤 Pathoschild | ⬇️ 150k downloads
Forget spending all winter inside twiddling your thumbs. This mod allows you to grow crops and fruit trees all year long, which means the cash never runs out.
PS – All Crops All Seasons used to be the mod for this, but it has been abandoned! So be sure to use Crops Anytime Anywhere instead.
🗓️ Events | 👤 xiaoleiwen | ⬇️ 400k downloads
Ever feel like your family’s life is boring? Let the kids enjoy Stardew Valley too with this expansion. It adds 35 events and over 300 NPC dialogues centered around your kids’ adventures, including crossover content for SVE, RSV, ES, and more.
🐮 Livestock + Animals | 👤 irowirow | ⬇️ 30k downloads
Turn Stardew Valley into Pokemon. That includes farm critters, Krobus, and more.
🪣 Items | 👤 6480 | ⬇️ 60k downloads
Change the color of iridium everything in your game. Whether you want to make a natural green or fiery red, this mod allows you to change the color of iridium ore, bars, tools, animal tools, and more.
🎣 Fishing | 👤 RielleTheWitch | ⬇️ 22k downloads
The fact that Fishing has its own category on Nexus Mods tells you all you need to know about how frustrating it is. This mod lowers the arbitrary difficulty levels of all fish, including the legendary fish.
🎨 Visuals & Graphics | 👤 Wuxi859359 | ⬇️ 13k downloads
Make the pixel game a little more, well… pixel game. This recolor allows you to choose from a variety of grass, water, tree, and other textures inspired by games like Pokemon, Legend of Zelda, and more. Honestly, even if you haven’t finished a runthrough, this one is just fun!
👫 Characters | 👤 Brimsbane | ⬇️ ??
Forget random kids that look nothing like the bachelor or bachelorette you spent so much energy wooing. This mod makes your kids actually look like your spouse’s mini me. The original creator lakoria abandoned the mod in late 2022 when it had 7k downloads, but another modder picked up where they left off.
The official version no longer works, but if you navigate over to Posts and check out the second sticky post from the top by Brimsbane, you’ll find an updated version of the mod that does work (click initiates download).
🎨 Visuals & Graphics | 👤 Doraguon | ⬇️ 27k downloads
Poor hat mouse. All alone all day long in his broken down hat shop, off in a corner where he doesn’t get much foot traffic. Well thanks to Doraguon, nobody puts Hat Mouse in a corner. This mod gives Hat Mouse some friends. And alternates who’s manning the shop window so Hat Mouse can take a much deserved break.
🎨 Visuals & Graphics | 👤 YellowSlime | ⬇️ 22kk downloads
It was never a phase! Contains furniture that lets you transform the farmhouse into something much more elegant... not to mention spookier.
🎨 Visuals & Graphics | 👤 iargue | ⬇️ 60k downloads
Wish your tools all freakin’ matched? Now they can. With the Prismatic Tools Continued Mod installed, you can update the look of your milk pail, sheers, copper pan, and more
🎨 Visuals & Graphics | 👤 sIO | ⬇️ 3k downloads
Dear Diary, Mood: Apathetic. This desaturated, blue tinted recolor is perfect for those who appreciate the emo things in life. It also works great for spooky themed builds or even Victorian ones. KittenTyme Gloomy Recolor is the gold standard in this space, but they turned the mod over for other developers to update to 1.6, and so far no one has stepped in. In the meantime, while brighter, the sIO version gives a similar effect.
One of the fun things about these Stardew Valley mods is that you can use them to recreate your favorite worlds and games, whether you’re a classic Nintendo games stan or a diehard Pride and Prejudice fan.
Here are a few recommendations for some popular Stardew Valley mods – pick what works for you and skip what doesn’t, but this should be a good starting point.
We hope you found a new favorite on this list. And if you’ve modded Stardew as far as it can go, try one of these games like Stardew Valley next. Want to see your favorite mod or build covered in a future article? Drop us a line and let us know.
Originally posted 03/04/2024. Last updated 10/16/2026.
