How to install mods for Stardew Valley (2024)

Stardew Valley was introduced in 2016 to great fanfare and is still popular today. It's also among the best RPGs on the Google Play Store. The game's developer continues to update it for free with new content and patches years later, something of a rarity these days. You will eventually explore every location and complete the endgame content, leaving you with nothing new to check out. You can install mods to your game and continue your farming adventure with new characters, events, and quality-of-life features.

Modding Stardew Valley on Android isn't as simple as its desktop counterpart. This guide walks you through the process step-by-step so that you can install mods without a problem. We recommend playing Stardew Valley on Android with one of the top Android-compatible controllers, as they are easier to use than the game's touch-screen controls.

How to prepare Stardew Valley for mods on Android

Start a game in Stardew Valley, play for a few days, then close it. While installing mods prompts a restart, ensuring the game works correctly from the start is essential.

1. Install Stardew Valley from the Google Play Store.
2. Open the game, check if it's running fine, and close it.
3. Press and hold the app icon to open the App Info page.
4. Tap the Force Stop button.

Install and run SMAPI

After checking that your Stardew Valley game is working, you'll install a tool called SMAPI. This tool provides a platform to install and run mods, but it doesn't affect your gameplay by itself.

Depending on the version of SMAPI you install, you'll follow slightly different instructions. We list two methods: the standard method and the method for installing alpha versions of SMAPI.

Regardless of the method, tap the arrow at the bottom of the app's home screen to start Stardew Valley when you're done. If SMAPI works, the game runs as usual. If you encounter an issue with your game, reinstall SMAPI.

Method 1: For stable versions of SMAPI

1. Go to the Android SMAPI page and download the APK file.
2. Find the downloaded APK file in your phone's Download folder.
3. Tap the file to run it.
4. Confirm the file permissions and tap the Install button.

   

   

   See Also

   Mod compatibility - SMAPI.ioAnimal Husbandry Mod (former ButcherMod)Modding:Installing SMAPI on Linux - Stardew Valley WikiSMAPI log parser - SMAPI.io
5. After the installation is complete, tap Update to complete the installation.

   

Method 2: For unstable versions of SMAPI (for example, alpha builds)

For alpha builds of SMAPI, you'll perform the installation manually. Explore the Issues tab on SMAPI's GitHub page if you run into errors during this process.

Before you begin, you'll need:

• A file manager app that has permission to modify the Android/data folder. CX File Explorer is a good choice.
• The SMAPI installer archive.
• The alpha assembly of SMAPI. Double-check that this is the latest version before you install it.

When you have the above items, follow these steps:

1. Unpack the SMAPI installer archive in Android/data.
2. Install the alpha assembly of SMAPI.
3. Open the SMAPI installer.
4. Tap the three-dot button in the upper-right corner of your screen.
5. Change the Set Mods Path text to read Android/data/com.zane.stardewvalley/files/Mods.

Now you're ready to install mods. However, if you followed the alpha instructions, read the following instructions carefully, as they differ slightly from the stable guide.

How to install mods for Stardew Valley

You'll download mods directly to SMAPI, and the tool has built-in functionality to make this process seamless. While you can acquire Stardew Valley mods from numerous places, the best place to download Stardew Valley mods is Nexus Mods.

1. Open SMAPI.
2. Go to the Help tab.
3. Tap the Nexus button. Tapping this button opens Nexus Mods in your phone's browser. Here, you can search, filter, and sort the mods available for Stardew Valley. You must create an account to download mods.
4. Find the mod you wish to download and tap Manual Download. Many mods have different downloads for each platform. Check that you have the Android download link to avoid errors.

   

   

5. Move the downloaded mod to your newly created Mods folder.
   • Stable version: Internal Storage/Stardew Valley/Mods
   • Unstable/Alpha version: Internal Storage/Android/data/com.zane.stardewvalley/files/Mods
6. Extract the zipped mod into the Mods folder.
7. Restart SMAPI.
8. Check that the mod appears in the Config tab to confirm the installation.

   

   

You can now use your mod by tapping the green arrow in SMAPI. Do not run the regular Stardew Valley app. Always use the SMAPI launcher to play the game with mods.

Explore the world of Stardew Valley mods

Installing mods for Stardew Valley is an excellent way to dive into the game if you want something new or like trying Android game mods. The community constantly releases new and exciting mods, which means there's something for everyone. After installing your favorite Stardew Valley mods, don't update the game if a new update is available. Otherwise, you'll repeat these steps to mod the game again. But sometimes, you might have to wait until the developers release updates to make their mods compatible with the game update.