The Stardew Valley 1.6 console patch is taking so long, dev hasn’t touched their new project in a long while

For those of us who are playing Stardew Valley on console or mobile, it feels like the big 1.6 update has been a long-time coming. The PC version of the game got the enormous patch back in March, with a changelog that makes for a rather extensive read.

When last we heard about the patch for consoles, Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone said the work was very much at the forefront of their mind. Now, a recent post from the developer shows that this is still the case, but the patch is taking so long, it’s detracted from working on their next project.

The message on X shows that Barone is more than aware that 1.6 is taking a lot longer than they imagined, admitting it would be a “huge relief” if it was ready today. However, it isn’t, though it’s still very much being worked on. This also means the developer has been unable to keep working on their new game, saying “I have not touched Haunted Chocolatier in a long time because I am committed to finalizing Stardew 1.6 first.”

But they are grateful for the patience

Barone goes on to show gratitude to those who have been patient these past few months. The post on X ends by saying “to those who are patient and understanding, thank you, you make life better and reduce stress, and I appreciate it” before finishing with “back to work.”

However, one user did show signs of irritation when they questioned why the update for Stardew Valley came to PC first, adding that it “kinda f***ing sucks.” However, Barone, remaining calm and professional, explains that the PC update was done first in order to better quash any bugs early on before console users received it.

They go on to say that, on console at least, “it takes much longer to get a patch into the hands of the players” and that it makes sense to “have all major issues resolved before submitting to consoles.” The message reads loud and clear: they didn’t anticipate running into problems, saying the console patch is taking a long while partly due to some “technical issues with the porting process.”

Still, many will still be wondering when Stardew Valley 1.6 will be arriving on the PlayStation and Xbox, as well as on mobile. These things evidently take time, but it’s good to see the developer is being as transparent as they can, and that most of us are remaining patient, even though PC users are already on version 1.6.8, which dropped in April.