The massively popular farming game Stardew Valley has a bustling mod scene, with tons of passionate fans creating content for the game. While the mod scene for some games, like Skyrim and Fallout, feature a lot of wacky content, the Stardew Valley mods are primarily focused on quality-of-life changes and art overhauls. There are some big mods that add new content to the decade-old farming sim, but if you are just looking to make your farming experience a bit smoother, there are mods for that too. If other games like Stardew Valley aren't doing it for you, adding mods can give you a new experience.
While developer ConcernedApe has put out several content updates since the launch of Stardew Valley, the passionate mod community on sites like Nexus Mods has been working hard on new content too. While a couple of modders have gone the extra mile to make new areas and NPCs, many of them have chosen to focus on changing the art style or fixing small inconveniences in the game. Many of the small mods focus on aspects of the game that some players don't enjoy, such as the fishing minigame.
All of the mods in this list can be found on Nexus Mods, with direct links to their pages. Those pages also include instructions on how to install the mods and get them working in your version of Stardew Valley, if you are unfamiliar with the modding process.
Skip Fishing Minigame
Created by: DewMods
The Skip Fishing Minigame does exactly what the title says: If you don't enjoy the fishing minigame in Stardew Valley, this mod will just skip it, automatically catching whatever you hooked. It also has some nice options to fully automate the process, or set a minimum catch amount before the mod kicks in, forcing you to at least catch each type of fish once before the minigame gets automated.
Canon-Friendly Dialogue Expansion
Created by: Ben and Witchweed
A very popular mod, the Canon-Friendly Dialogue Expansion adds a massive amount of new dialogue for every character in multiple scenarios. There are roughly 4,200 new lines across day-to-day interactions, festivals, and marriage. These new lines don't replace any existing dialogue, and all of them are meant to fit in with the tone of Stardew Valley. They are also all in-line with the same level of vulgarity as the rest of the game, so there won't be anything in there to spoil the cozy vibe.
Seasonal Outfits - Slightly Cuter Aesthetic
Created by: Poltergeister, Agent Lyoko, Pathoschild, Hopewashere, Alvadea, Ailin, IronZelly, Geckobud, Tanpoponoko, Airyn, Seyph, Jaksha, Seusmothesaurus, PKpixel, Periera1495, Longevity, Schrodingers Kit, DaniAlbrtSancEs, Medinaquirin, ParadigmNomad, daftpatiance
This artwork mod combines a couple of different mods to create Seasonal Outfits - Slightly Cuter Aesthetic. It gives all of the NPCs new outfits for each season and changes the portraits to reflect these new outfits. It also includes some minor tweaks to the normal portraits and some festival outfits to bring the overall aesthetic together into a cuter look, for anyone that isn't in love with the Stardew Valley style.
1oxnes and talkohlooeys' Seasonal Portraits
Created by: talkohlooeys, 1oxnes, and fuzzlepuzzle
Created to go along with the Seasonal Outfits mod, the Seasonal Portraits mod offers a complete overhaul of the in-game portraits to have a more hand-drawn and cuter art style. Not only are the base game portraits redone, but there are also versions to match the seasonal outfits from the other mod, helping to bring a cute vibe to the game.
Gift Taste Helper Continued X2
Created by: JoXW
This helpful tool adds a list of loved gifts to each villager when you view either their birthday on the in-game calendar or the relationship tab in the menu, so you don't have to create a spreadsheet or keep a guide open. The Gift Taste Helper Continued X2 can have all gifts listed from the start, or it can add them as you give loved gifts for the first time, if you still want to discover them on your own.
NPC Map Locations
Created by: Bouhm and Pathoschild
NPC Map Locations fixes one of the most frustrating, although incredibly small, issues with Stardew Valley: It adds icons to the map to show the current location of every NPC in the game. Without this mod, you have to memorize NPC schedules or spend time searching around town for them if you want to turn in a quest or give them a gift.
Stardew Valley Expanded
Created by: FlashShifter, Poltergeister, iKeychain, EscaMMC, spacechase0, Mouse, Jessie#4755, xNytax, HopeWasHere, CherrySymphony, Coldazrael, halloikbenzander
There are a few different mods that add more content to Stardew Valley, but the standout choice is Stardew Valley Expanded. This mod adds more areas, NPCs, character events, festivals, fish, crops, and so much more. As the name implies, it truly does expand Stardew Valley, so if you just need more Stardew content in your life, this mod will deliver on that front.
Stardew and Chill
Created by: Haphestia
While the name might make you think it does something else, Stardew and Chill is a music mod that changes out the in-game music for a lo-fi hip-hop Stardew Valley-inspired album. It takes music from the Stardew and Chill album made by DJ Cutman and Coffee Date and uses it as replacement tracks throughout Stardew Valley. The album is also on YouTube, so you can check out the music before installing the mod.
Skull Cavern Elevator
Created by: Lestoph
If you've ever found yourself frustrated that Stardew Valley's endgame dungeon didn't have an elevator in it, the Skull Cavern Elevator mod fixes that. Now, the Skull Cavern has an elevator just like the regular mine, checkpointing your progress every five floors so you can return to the furthest depth you previously reached. This can save a ton of time and resources since you no longer have to start from the top each time.
Wildflower Grass Field
Created by: Hesper
The Wildflower Grass Field mod changes the appearance of grass fields to have more variety and to fit whatever season you are in. It adds a ton of flowers and grass for each season, providing a cuter aesthetic as well, if you would prefer that over the default look. The flowers in each season are mixed together randomly, creating unique patches of grass throughout the game.
DaisyNiko's Earthy Recolor
Created by: DaisyNiko
Another visual mod, DaisyNiko's Earthy Recolor changes the visual look of both the environment of Stardew Valley and the exterior of buildings in town to have a warmer, earth-colored aesthetic. It's not a massive change, but it's a bit easier on the eyes and matches the relaxed vibes of the game.
DaisyNiko's Earthy Recolor Interiors
Created by: DaisyNiko
A sister mod to the previous entry, DaisyNiko's Earthy Recolor Interiors applies the warmed and cozier visual color palette to the interior of buildings across the game. If you enjoy the look of the Earthy Recolor on the outdoors, it only makes sense to apply it to the inside of buildings as well.
Custom Kissing Mod
Created by: Digus
Stardew Valley does let you kiss someone once you're married, but if you ever felt disappointed you couldn't kiss your partner prior to marriage, you aren't alone. The Custom Kissing Mod allows you to initiate a kiss with an NPC once you have seen their 10-heart event. It cures exhaustion and provides some relationship points just like the marriage kiss.
Oasis Greenhouse
Created by: DaisyNiko
The Oasis Greenhouse mod overhauls the Greenhouse to make it bigger and add a bunch of additional features, like a Spa that can restore energy and a cellar that can hold casks. The biggest bonus is the additional space, as the Oasis Greenhouse has space for six iridium sprinkler fields and enough space to have two of each kind of tree. If you have found the Greenhouse in Stardew Valley lackluster, this version has a bit of everything.
Wear More Rings
Created by: bcmpinc
The Wear More Rings mod allows you to equip more rings than normal in Stardew Valley. If you have spent a ton of time in either the mines or Skull Cavern, you probably have far more than the two rings you are allowed to wear. This allows you to increase the limit up to 20 rings, letting you utilize as many special powers and bonuses as possible.
Visible Fish
Created by: shekurika
The Visible Fish mod adds, well, visible fish. Now you can spot which fish are currently catchable at your current location by seeing them in the water. This doesn't affect how the fishing minigame works, and the fish won't be visible while biting your line, but it's nice to know what's available when you cast. It also works with other location and fishing mods.
Better Ranching
Created by: Urbanyeti
The Better Ranching mod makes a few small tweaks to the ranching system in Stardew Valley. It adds visual indicators for every animal to show if they can be either milked or sheared, along with an indicator showing if you have pet them yet that day. It also removes failure for both activities, making the overall process of caring for your animals and making money from them much easier.
Part of the Community
Created by: Space Baby
Friendship points in Stardew Valley are typically only gained by interacting with that villager directly, but the Part of the Community mod adds in passive boost to friendship points. Shipping new items, talking with a villager near other villagers, and visiting shops are just a few of the new ways to earn friendship points with the mod, which rewards players for interacting with the community in any capacity.
Immersive Family
Created by: xiaoleiwen
Having a family in Stardew Valley has always felt a bit tacked-on, but the Immersive Family mod aims to fix that. It adds 35 new events for your children, along with a ton of NPC dialogue based around your children. This is meant to make the children feel like an important part of the game, where the NPCs actually acknowledge their existence.
Medieval Buildings
Created by: Gweniaczek
The Medieval Buildings mod changes the design of all of your farm buildings to have a more old-timey feel. Instead of the modern wooden look, buildings are instead made from bricks. While the name implies they will look like castles, they look more like a regal hamlet located just outside of a castle.
Farmer Helper
Created by: aedenthorn
The Farmer Helper mod is a simple tool that helps you not only remember everything you need to do each day, but also prevents you from making simple mistakes while farming. It does two main things, the first of which is to either warn you or prevent you completely from planting seeds too late in a season to actually harvest them. The second is a warning that pops up as you go to bed for the night if you forgot to tend to either crops or animals.
Do Not Eat My Crops
Created by: u_u__w
Do Not Eat My Crops is a very specific mod that does one thing, which is prevent crows from eating your crops if you don't have scarecrows protecting them. This mod takes away the stress of placing scarecrows in the proper places by making it so crows never eat your crops, regardless of scarecrow placement.
Automate
Created by: Pathoschild
If you find yourself tiring of checking your furnaces, crab pots, and other machines every day in Stardew Valley, the Automate mod allows you to create automated machines to do it all for you. By connecting a chest to different machines, it will automatically collect finished products and place more raw materials into machines. You can even connect multiple machines to make an assembly line.
Save Anywhere
Created by: Aredjay and Sweet Panda
The Save Anywhere mod allows you to save (almost) anywhere. Normally, Stardew Valley only saves when you go to sleep at the end of a day, but the mod allows you to save wherever you are, although certain events can prevent you from doing so. Still, it's better than having to either waste a day by cutting it early or lose any progress you have already made that day.
Elle's New Barn Animals
Created by: Elle
If you have ever thought to yourself, "I wish these animals were cuter," when looking at your cows and pigs, Elle's New Barn Animals mod overhauls the barn animals design to be much cuter in design. There are multiple options to choose from for each one, including the option to fully replace some, like having deer instead of cows.
