Stardew Valley’s “secret, experimental” new feature is locked behind this cheat

Despite having just shipped a new update that brings some cool new features to PC players and the entire suite of 1.6 enhancements to those on console and mobile, Stardew Valley’s creator has revealed that there is a new multiplayer feature that wasn’t mentioned in the patch notes. However, because it is in such an early stage, it isn’t being plastered all over the main menu, and is instead being “hidden” behind a cheat code. Yes, really.

Now, I’ve heard of games hiding money glitches, infinite health, and bonus characters behind cheat codes, but an entire multiplayer experience? Clearly, Stardew Valley’s solo developer Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone still very much enjoys surprising the life game’s community. While this week’s new Stardew Valley update was an important one, it has just become even more significant for mobile players, who now have something resembling multiplayer support after a long period of waiting.

“Mobile multiplayer works pretty much the same as on other platforms, except there is no farm “discovery” capability. You can only connect via IP,” ConcernedApe says. “You can, however, join a PC-hosted farm from a mobile device via IP.” In fact, the developer recommends that a PC-hosted farm will offer the most stable experience, alongside mobile users using WiFi instead of mobile networks. However, you can still host from an iOS or Android device and play using mobile data if you want – just prepare for things to be less smooth – “you will likely encounter problems,” ConcernedApe warns.

This is a huge step forward for Stardew’s mobile community and gives them a first taste of the co-op multiplayer support those on PC and console have enjoyed for a while. But due to the “experimental” nature of this feature and the fact using mobile networks could potentially make it “frustrating,” it is being buried behind rather familiar cheat code.

To access Stardew Valley’s mobile multiplayer, you have to tap the leaves surrounding the Stardew logo on the home screen in a specific order, and that order is the famous Konami code. The graphic above shows you which leaves correspond to which direction, but by tapping them in the order of up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, and then pressing the question mark symbol, you’ll get yourself access to mobile multiplayer. Simply back out of the question mark menu, and a co-op button will now be present on your homescreen.

You can read ConcernedApe’s full guide on how to access and use mobile multiplayer right here.

While it’s not quite the seamless, go-anywhere multiplayer experience that mobile players will want, it is at least a step in the right direction. I just love that it’s been pushed out in the most ConcernedApe way possible.

For those of you still playing on PC, make sure you checkout our guides to the best Stardew Valley mods. Alternatively, here’s our rundown of our favorite games like Stardew Valley if you’re looking for a new adventure.

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