Stardew Valley review

Stardew Valley is the pick for couples who want something gentle and long-running rather than a campaign with an ending. The Steam page describes an open-ended country-life RPG: you inherit an overgrown farm and slowly turn it into a working home by raising animals, growing crops, crafting machines and getting to know the town. For two players, Steam lists shared or split-screen co-op, LAN co-op and online co-op, and the store text says you can invite one to seven other players to build a farm together and share resources. That makes it easy to start on one TV and keep going on separate devices later. At $14.99 it is one of the cheapest games on the list, and nearly 400,000 English Steam reviews rate it Overwhelmingly Positive. The trade-offs are a slow first week of in-game time and the lack of a big finish, so couples who want a story to wrap up should start with It Takes Two instead.

Who it is for

Couples who want a relaxed game with no ending to play a little each evening.

Price

$14.99 one-time purchase on Steam (US store).

Buy Stardew Valley $14.99
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 10, 2026.

Key features

• Open-ended farming with crops, animals, orchards and crafting
• Invite 1 to 7 other players to a shared farm online
• Shared or split-screen co-op and LAN co-op on Steam
• Skills that level up in five areas, including farming and mining
• Optional setting to scale profit margins for a harder shared game

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Low price for a game with no fixed end
• Strength: Calm pace suits a partner who rarely plays games
• Strength: Overwhelmingly Positive Steam rating from nearly 400,000 English reviews
• Weakness: No story finale to work toward together
• Weakness: Slow start before the farm becomes interesting
• Weakness: Pixel art may not appeal to everyone

Key facts

• Developer: ConcernedApe
• Released: February 26, 2016
• Players: 1 to 8
• Steam price: $14.99

Where it ranks

Stardew Valley is No. 4 in our Best Games for Couples verdict and No. 5 in Best Nintendo Switch Games and No. 4 in Best 2 Player Co-op Games.