DECEMBER 7 UPDATE - For those wondering, or looking, it appears as though Stardew Valley Update 1.5 is still not live for any platforms.
We thought since the last update from the team came mid-November saying it was on 'home stretch' it was worth updating our hub to reflect that, as of December 7, it was still being finalised.
Hopefully the new update, along with all its excellent new features and split-screen fun will arrive in the coming two weeks so we can enjoy it over the Christmas break. Fingers crossed we'll see some sort of update on the state of the games next major update, this week.
Stay tuned for more news as it breaks.
Original Story Follows - Not content with being one of the most wholesome games for the past four years, Stardew Valley is still rolling out new updates to keep players hooked for many more moons to come.
After relative silence for the best part of 2020, Stardew Valley’s creator, Eric Barone (aka @ConcernedApe) has now released plenty more info on the state of the games next big update.
Update 1.4 dropped last November and introduced (among other things) a new end-game mystery to solve, a new 14-heart event for every spouse, fish ponds, plus a whole host of gameplay improvements.
But in February 2020, whilst celebrating the games 4-year anniversary, @ConcernedApe confirmed that Update 1.5 was already in the works.
Now, with November once again in sight, the developer has given players a sneak peek into what they can expect from the next big update.
Stardew Valley 1.5 Update Release Date
As noted above, we have a fairly decent idea of when to expect update 1.5 to release.
The 1.3 Update in 2018 dropped in August, whilst the 1.4 Update dropped November 26. Clearly there is no grand timeframe for these annual updates.
But with Stardew Valley's creator teasing the update now, we can likely expect to see update 1.5 dropping in November 2020, possibly towards the end of the month as we saw with the 1.4 updates last year.
We'll be sure to update this section should the developer release any more precise details.
Stardew Valley 1.5 Update Confirmed Features
The big new feature which @ConcernedApe has been happy to share with fans, is the introduction of a new split-screen mode.
“In Stardew Valley 1.5, there will be split-screen co-op,” the developer confirmed on Twitter with a serious of screenshots.
In follow up tweets with fans it was also confirmed that this split-screen feature will be coming to "console and PC", however it was stressed that the number of simultaneous players might vary.
The example given was that "on PC, you will be able to have up to 4, but on some platforms it might be limited to 2".
Stardew Valley 1.5 Update Leaks
As highlighted by the team at PCgamesN, fans have also spotted a variety of new features within the screenshots shared, including:
"identified desert farms, a new telephone stand, torches in fence-posts [and] new chests".
Beyond this, there are also some smaller features which may be coming to the game, although are as yet unconfirmed.
Stardew Valley 1.5 Update Banana Trees and More
Earlier in the year, @ConcernedApe tweeted a poll, which read: “the next update will include the following fruit tree”
The four options included Banana trees, Mango trees, Avocado trees and Passionfruit trees.
Bananas were the victors and the following day, @ConcernedApe tweeted out an image showing a farmer holding aloft a banana fruit.
As per PCGamesN, the cynic in us would suggest that the speed at which the image was made would suggest that actually, all four will likely be added as part of update 1.5.
But for now, at least we know 1.5 will contain banana trees.
Stay tuned for more details about Stardew Valley Update 1.5 in the coming weeks.