I have a lot of love for Stardew Valley. I grew up playing Harvest Moon, and ConcernedApe managed to capture the same attention to detail and flair that kept me up night after night with my Gameboy back in the day. But hey, after a few hundred hours of farming, I need to spice things up a little. What better way than to mod Stardew Valley?!
Modding your favorite video games has become so much easier as the years have gone by. Now, we have the likes of Nexus Mods and its Vortex Mod Manager to automate most of the process.
Here’s How to Mod Stardew Valley
First and foremost, venture over to the Stardew Valley hub on Nexus Mods. You’ll immediately notice an abundance of cute and complex game mods to enhance your virtual farming experience tenfold.
You can use the ‘Search’ function at the top of the page to find a specific mod, view unique mod categories to narrow down your search, or simply sort by ‘Most Popular (All Time)’ to see what other players enjoy.
If you haven’t already installed Vortex, go ahead and do so now. It’s a quick download, with an easy setup process, and the program will find your installed games, including Stardew Valley, automatically. You can then choose to manage the game, allowing you to download and install custom mods.
Once done, return to Nexus Mods and find a mod you like.
Using the Stardew Valley Expanded mod as an example, click on the mod page. You’ll spot a wide selection of screenshots, and a ton of information thrown your way. You can take your time, read through the description and whatnot, or head to the ‘Files’ section on the navigation bar beneath the screenshots.
Here, under Files, you’ll find the download for your new favorite mod. Click the install option, and you’ll want to select ‘Slow Download’ unless you’re a Premium subscriber on Nexus Mods.
Vortex will automatically begin downloading the mod in the background, and once done, you can click to install and enable said mod.
Launching Modded Stardew Valley
After you mod Stardew Valley, you’ll want to forego the Steam launcher for the time being. It’s usually best to launch the game through Vortex, which will ensure your mods function.
But don’t worry because Steam will still recognize the launch, and you’ll receive all the functionality and perks of Steam, too.
Have Fun!
That’s all! You’ve now modded Stardew Valley, and it’s time to have some fun!
Oh, by the way, now that you know how to mod Stardew Valley, why not take a look at some of the best Stardew Valley mods available now!