Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley Mod Installation Tutorial

Bai Fu Ling 1024·3/3/2026

Preface

Recently, I suddenly felt like returning to Stardew Valley to do some farming. I've played a few saves before, but never with mods. This May Day holiday, I wanted to try mods, so I used ChatGPT to generate a mod installation tutorial. I followed the tutorial, but still encountered some issues. Below is a tutorial I compiled based on the AI-generated content and my actual experience.

1. Preparations

1.1 Backup Game Saves

Before modifying game files, be sure to back up your saves to prevent save corruption due to mod conflicts or game updates.

  • Windows save path is usually: C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\StardewValley\Saves\.
  • Simply copy the entire Saves folder to a safe location.

1.2 Understand Mod Principles

  • Most mods are based on SMAPI, which injects game logic into C# DLL files.
  • Some resource replacement mods (like custom maps or character portraits) are implemented through Content Patcher, without modifying the original XNB files.

2. Install SMAPI

SMAPI (Stardew Modding API) is currently the most mainstream mod loader, supporting Windows, macOS, Linux, and other platforms.

  1. Visit the SMAPI official website and download the latest version:
    Official website: https://smapi.io/ (Nexus Mods)
    After entering the website, select the green install button 【Download SMAPI version number】. Three download channels will appear:

    • Download from Nexus
    • Download from CurseForge
    • Download from GitHub

    The first one is to install the SMAPI compressed package on the Nexus mod platform. This download process is the same as subsequent mod downloads, so we choose this one. Feel free to try other download channels if interested; they are all simple.

    After selecting Download from Nexus, you will be redirected to the corresponding SMAPI page on the mod platform. Click the orange 【Manual】 download button on the far right. After waiting for the redirect, select 【SLOW DOWNLOAD】, then wait for the download to complete.

  2. Extract the downloaded compressed package to any folder. Open the extracted files and run 【install on Windows.bat】.

  3. After running, a terminal window will appear with the following message:

    Where do you want to add or remove SMAPI?
    [1] c:\steam\steamapps\common\Stardew Valley
    [2] Enter a custom game path.
    Type the number next to your choice, then press enter.

    This asks in which directory you want to install or uninstall the SMAPI tool. Option [1] is the default Stardew Valley installation address, and option [2] is to input a new address. If the address is correct, enter 1 and press Enter. If the default address is incorrect, enter 2 and press Enter. You will then be prompted to enter the correct game directory; simply re-enter the directory address and press Enter. (My default address was correct, so I entered 1. Generally, the address shouldn't be wrong. To check the Steam installation directory address: Open the Steam client, right-click on 《Stardew Valley》 → Manage → Browse local files).

    After pressing Enter for the first step, you will see the prompt:

    What do you want to do?
    [1] Install SMAPI.
    [2] Uninstall SMAPI.
    Type 1 or 2, then press enter.

    This asks whether you want to install or uninstall the SMAPI tool. We enter 1 and press Enter to install.

    Then wait for the installation to complete.

  4. After installation is complete, SMAPI will generate a new launcher (StardewModdingAPI.exe, which can be found in your game installation directory) in your game directory. From now on, you need to enter the game through this launcher.

3. Downloading and Installing Mods

3.1 Downloading from Nexus Mods

  • Nexus Mods is the most commonly used Stardew Valley mod platform. Website: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley (Nexus Mods)
  • Register and log in with your email, then browse or search for the desired mods in the "Mods" section.
  • When downloading, pay attention to the SMAPI version and game version the mod is compatible with.
  • You can search for recommended Stardew Valley mods on platforms like Douyin or Bilibili. Recommendation videos usually provide mod numbers. The usage of this number is: open any Stardew Valley mod page on the mod platform, then click the navigation bar of the webpage, change the mod number at the end of the link to the one you want, press Enter to load, and it will jump to the corresponding mod. For example, if I randomly open a mod page, the navigation bar is https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/33611. Changing 33611 to 1089 will take me to the *Fast Animations* mod I want. If the page loads incorrectly or fails to load after entering the number and pressing Enter, simply open another random mod page and change the number again.
  • After finding the desired mod, the download process is the same as for the SMAPI tool: click the orange 【Manual】 download button on the far right. After waiting for the redirect, select 【SLOW DOWNLOAD】.

3.2 Placing Mod Files

  • Downloaded mods are usually in ZIP or 7z compressed packages. After extraction, you will get a folder named after the mod.
  • Copy this entire folder to the Mods folder in your game installation directory. This directory is the 【Mods】 folder mentioned earlier in the game installation directory. My directory is C:\steam\steamapps\common\Stardew Valley\Mods.
  • For convenience, you can directly copy the downloaded mod compressed package into the Mods directory, then right-click and select "Extract Here".

At this point, you can directly launch StardewModdingAPI.exe in the installation directory to begin your Stardew Valley mods journey.

4. Advanced: Quick Launch

  • If you find launching the game troublesome, you can try configuring the Steam launch options.
  • Open the Steam client, right-click on 《Stardew Valley》 → "Properties" → "Launch Options".
  • In the launch options, enter "C:\steam\steamapps\common\Stardew Valley\StardewModdingAPI.exe" %command%
  • This is my launch option address. You need to change C:\steam\steamapps\common\Stardew Valley\StardewModdingAPI.exe above to your address. The address you input is still the game installation directory address. Note: Do not omit the double quotes "" and the following statement in your final input, otherwise the launch will fail.

After entering, you can directly click "Play" in Steam, and achievements will still be recorded.

5. Mods I Use

Here are some mods I use. They might not suit your taste, but you can use them as a reference. You can find them on the mod platform by directly searching the name or by changing the navigation bar number.

  • UI Info Suite 2, displays experience, weather, luck... etc., feature-rich: UI Info Suite 2 Number 7098
  • Auto Watering Can, equipping the watering can automatically waters nearby crops: AutoWateringCan Number 28722
  • Conveniently stack items into nearby chests: Convenient Inventory Number 10384
  • Fast Animations and Dialogue: Fast Animations Number 1089
  • Skip Fishing Minigame: Skip Fishing Minigame Number 2697
  • No Production Jar Bubbles: Empty Jar Bubbles Number 22598
  • Mail Services, send and receive tool upgrades via mail: Mail Services Mod Number 7842
  • Pony Weight Loss Program, allows horses to pass through single-tile paths: Pony Weight Loss Program Number 1232
  • Skull Cavern Elevator: Skull Cavern Elevator Number 963
  • Larger Backpack Upgrades: The Return Of More Backpack Upgrades Number 21591
  • Visible Fish - see catchable fish in the water: Visible Fish - see catchable fish in the water Number 8897