Stardew Valley: How to Play Split-Screen

Split-screen multiplayer is finally in Stardew Valley, and there has never been a better time to jump into the popular farming game with friends than now. Stardew Valley update 1.5 has just been released, marking the largest content drop for the game since it launched in 2016. On top of local co-op, the update adds new areas to explore, new items to collect, and new secrets to discover. Split-screen multiplayer works the same way as online multiplayer, so you can expect the same level of support if you’ve already been playing the game with friends online. Here’s how to play split-screen multiplayer in Stardew Valley.

How to Play Split-Screen in Stardew Valley

To play split-screen in Stardew Valley, you must build a cabin from Robin’s for the players who will be joining your game. If you’re starting a new game, you can choose to have the cabins already built from the start in the advanced game options menu. Once the cabins have been built, open the game menu, scroll down to Multiplayer, and select “Start local co-op.” The other players can then join the game by pressing start on their controllers. Once everyone has joined, you can adjust the zoom level and UI settings in the options tab of the game menu.

Image: Attack of the fanboy

To recap, here’s how to play split-screen in Stardew Valley.

1. Build a cabin from Robin’s for each player.
2. If you’re starting a new game, you can choose to have the cabins already built from the start.
3. Open the game menu.
4. Scroll down to Multiplayer and select “Start local co-op.”
5. Press start on the additional players’ controllers.

Local multiplayer works just the same as online multiplayer, so all the same rules and restrictions apply when playing split-screen. When playing split-screen, you can do basically anything you can do in single-player, although certain things like sleeping and quests are handled a bit differently when other players are added into the equation.

Stardew Valley is available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. The 1.5 update is only available on PC for now, but other platforms will receive the update in early 2021.