Stardew Valley is a 2016 indie farming and dating simulator developed and published by ConcernedApe. Available for all major platforms and some mobile devices, the game is rated E10+ for fantasy violence, alcohol use, gambling, and mild language. The developer still releases occasional updates to the game, most recently in December of 2024.
Stardew begins with the protagonist (who can be male or female) inheriting their deceased grandfather’s farm. If this sounds similar to titles in the Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons series, that’s because Stardew was inspired by classic Harvest Moon, meaning the Nintendo 64 era and earlier.
Starting a new life in the titular Stardew Valley, the player can upgrade their new farm as they see fit; they can also fish, mine, attend festivals in Pelican Town, and — if they so choose — date one (or more!) of the 12 eligible characters, regardless of the player’s gender. Effectively this makes both the player and the eligible cast queer. The game treats both opposite- and same-sex relationships similarly, swapping out gender-specific words as needed to match the characters’ genders (e.g., the marriage officiant will say “wife and wife” for a sapphic wedding).
Stardew is light on plot; gameplay is non-linear and much is optional, allowing players to customize their playthrough. Players looking for more direction can complete various Achievements. One of the game’s few plot points is the evaluation of the player’s farm: At the beginning of your third year, your grandfather’s ghost will return to assess your progress, which is evaluated on a few different metrics, including your Skills levels, total earnings, and social goals such as number of friends and marriage.
Stardew Valley was the first farming sim to allow same-sex dating and marriage. The inclusion of this feature may have inspired the OG farming simulator series Story of Seasons (formerly Harvest Moon) to include this option for the first time in their 2020 title Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town. This title was a remake of the Game Boy Advance titles Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town and More Friends of Mineral Town, neither of which included same-sex relationships.
Also unique to Stardew is a co-op feature that allows multiple players to join a single file. The players can then create relationships with each other or with the townsfolk as they see fit, allowing additional options for queer relationships.
According to Stardew’s website, the game has sold more than 41 million copies across all platforms, as of December 2024. It won a Golden Joystick Award in 2016 in the Breakthrough Award category; in 2017, it won a Steam Award in the “The World Is Grim Enough Let’s Just All Get Along” category. The game has also been nominated for a dozen other awards.