Stardew Valley 1.7 Update: What 1.6 Taught Us & Should You Wait?

I have been refreshing the twitter of ConcernedApe, more than I would like to admit. Stardew Valley 1.7 update was officially announced already in August 2025 ( Official ), and frankly speaking? I have a dilemma of starting myself a new farm immediately or waiting until the update is released.

You happen to be in the same boat with me, you see what we really know–and what 1.6 can say us as to where this game is going.

What ConcernedApe Actually Confirmed About 1.7

The thing is the following: we do not have so much. In December 2025, ConcernedApe gave hints that in the proposed 1.7 release, new characters or socials will be added, and to the surprise of many other recent
dominant, there is another type of farm.

That will be the ninth farm plan, count on. We have got Standard, Fishing, Foraging, Mining, Combat, Riverlands, Beach, and addition 1.6, Meadowlands. So what’s left? Perhaps a greenhouse oriented farm? A town-integration layout? Your guess is as good as mine.

However, what struck me here is the following: he replied that there was much more but he did not want to tell me lots at the moment. That’s not a throwaway line. A developer is sitting on content that he is enthusiastic about.

The 1.6 Playbook: What It Tells Us About 1.7

I made a jump into the first one, 1.6 when it was released in March of 2024 and to be honest? It altered my way of thinking regarding the updates in this game.

Social Suppleness Is the Novelty Value.

The Meadowlands Farm had two starter chickens and special blue grass of animals. However, the thing that caught my attention was the overhaul of the NPC dialogue. The reaction to gifts changed among the people in villages. They would remark on the festivals which they went to. The Desert Festival provided three days of special interactions.

Not content but personality. And when 1.7 is double-talking character/social stuff, we shall know:

• The NPCs can be made more dynamic (think of bumping into Abigail in the mines at random).
• Further romance options or after marriage content.
• Competitive marriages that really succeed (noticing other couples getting together and you are left behind).

This is what the community has been requesting. ConcernedApe knows it.

Endgame Content Matters Now

1.6 added the Mastery system to players that maxed all five skills to level 10. You open a secret place in the Cindersap Forest and receive bonuses such as Iridium Scythe and the Golden Animal Crackers (doubles farm animal production- complete game changer).

Until then, to reach level 10 in everything was to be done. There is now a reason to continue playing. In case 1.7 follows the pattern, there should be additional end-game hooks. Maybe new challenge modes? Additional mastery perks? A reason to save files at 300 hours.

Quality-of-Life Does Love In silence.

One point more home renovations were added (dining room, attic, corner room, cubby) as well as the Big Chest with two-storey storage. Things of little value, however, made everyday life less boring.

I assume 1.7 will creep in with such tweaks as faster movement choices, time-skipping options or improving inventory management. It is the type of things that you do not notice that you need until you have them.

Should You Start a New Farm Now or Wait?

This is what you really came here, right?

Start Now If:

You are new or you are back after some vacation. The Stardew Valley 1.7 release date is nonexistent. ConcernedApe remarked that it will take a long time before it is prepared. Although it is merely a guess, it is said to be likely on March 19, 2026 (the 10th anniversary of the game) when the event took place.

And you will be lying around waiting, who knows, months. And this is the point, Stardew is not a game that you win. It is a game you will live in, and by now, by the time 1.7 gets released, you can have relationships established, skills developed, and in in-game farms optimized.

You would like to experience 1.6 the right way. The Meadowlands Farm is actually entertaining when you are an animal lover. The novel crops (broccoli, powdermelon, summer squash) are unavailable in Pierre’s you have to forage after seeds. Mastery system provides you with an object to pursue.

Playing until 1.6 now would mean that you would value what is being added in 1.7. You’ll see the progression. Also, the r/StardewValley subreddit and free YouTube tutorials make the process of learning much easier than it was before.

You are alright with different farms. I’ve got three saves running. My my of farms where I practice all my stuff. One of his challenges run (no buying at Pierre). The pure chaos of one person, who marries everybody, does not care about crops, simply vibrates.

I will begin a fourth with the new type of farm when 1.7 drops. No guilt. No FOMO.

Wait If:

You’re a one-farm player. Others invest all their riches in one save. In case you are that, and the new type of farm is like your play style? Yeah, waiting makes sense. You do not want to spend 100 hours at Meadowlands making the wrong choice on going to the 1.7 farm when you only wanted the 1.7 farm.

You’re burnt out. In case you have been grinding at Stardew years and you need to have a time off, do so. The game’s not going anywhere. Back when 1.7 lands and the hype is back in fact.

The Reality Check

This is my personal opinion: you should not wait.

The updates that ConcernedApe makes are never paid. 1.6 is proof that he is not in a content crunch–it has been over six years between significant ones. The 1.7 release is not going to hold back Haunted Chocolatier, his next game, and the guys is working at his own speed.

That is months, perhaps a year, prior to 1.7. And when it does? And your present farm will not be old-fashioned. You will just have new things to get to.

I have played since the days of 1.6 and I am not going to stop. By the time the Stardew Valley 1.7 update is released, I will be prepared, with powered-up abilities, relationships with all the NPCs, and an agricultural setup that will enhances the new features even further.

So grab your watering can. Plant some parsnips. Build something. The release of the update is the next thing, yet the game is already present.

Read:

The Game Studio’s Guide to Animation Outsourcing: Workflow, Costs & Best Practices