Stardew Valley is one of the most rewarding games you can play, but it can feel overwhelming on day one when you inherit a wild, overgrown farm with nothing but a rusty hoe and a handful of seeds. This complete Stardew Valley walkthrough takes you from your very first spring planting all the way to earning Grandpa's four-star evaluation, covering farming, mining, fishing, relationships, and the Community Center along the way.
Stardew Valley gives you the freedom to play at your own pace, but having a loose plan in mind makes each day much more productive. The walkthrough below is structured around the game's biggest milestones, so you always know what to focus on next without spoiling the fun of discovery.
What you need to know before starting
Each in-game day runs for about 16 minutes of real time before your farmer passes out at 2 a.m. Energy governs most activities — chopping, hoeing, watering, and mining all drain it. Eat foraged food or cooked meals to replenish energy between tasks. The game saves automatically at the end of each day, and there are no permanent failure states: even if you pass out in the mines, you just lose a little gold.
The walkthrough
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Step 1: Start strong — your first week on the farm
When you arrive in Pelican Town at the start of Spring, Year 1, your first priority is to clear enough land to plant your Parsnip seeds. Use the hoe to till 15 plots, water them immediately, then spend any remaining energy pulling weeds and chopping stumps to open up the farm. On the first evening, walk into town and introduce yourself to the villagers — each conversation raises their friendship level and plants the seed for gift-giving and heart events later. Before the week is out, visit the Community Center once to trigger the Junimo cutscene, and try fishing or mining at least once to start building those skill bars.
Tick off the key first-week tasks to build a solid foundation for the rest of the year. -
Step 2: Work through the Community Center bundles
The Community Center is the backbone of the main storyline. Inside, you will find six rooms — the Crafts Room, Pantry, Fish Tank, Boiler Room, Vault, and Bulletin Board — each divided into bundles that ask you to donate specific crops, fish, minerals, artisan goods, or gold. Completing each room unlocks a reward: the Pantry, for example, restores the Greenhouse so you can grow crops year-round. Plan your farming and fishing around the bundles that need seasonal items — Spring crops like Strawberries (available from the Egg Festival on Spring 13) are essential for the Pantry, while Summer and Fall fish fill the Fish Tank. Keep a bundle checklist open in another window so you never accidentally sell something you need to donate.
Complete all six Community Center rooms to restore Pelican Town and unlock the Greenhouse. -
Step 3: Explore the mines and build your combat skills
The Mines, north of the farm, are your main source of metal ores, gems, and monster drops — all of which you need to upgrade tools and craft equipment. Floors 1–40 contain Copper Ore, floors 41–80 yield Iron Ore, and floors 81–120 hide Gold Ore. Reaching floor 120 breaks the seal on the Skull Cavern in the desert, where you can mine Iridium Ore for the game's best tools. A few essentials: always bring food to restore HP, carry a stack of Stone Stairs to skip difficult floors, and upgrade your Pickaxe at the Blacksmith whenever you have enough ore and gold. At floor 80, you will find a Dwarf merchant by blasting the rock wall with a Cherry Bomb — stock up on a Dwarvish translation guide from the library first.
The Mines have four distinct ore zones, each requiring a better pickaxe to clear efficiently. -
Step 4: Maximize your farm with crops, animals, and artisan goods
Gold comes primarily from farming, and the biggest multiplier is choosing high-value crops and processing them into artisan goods. Starfruit (Summer) turned into Wine in a Keg sells for around 3,150 gold — several times the raw crop price. Blueberries produce three fruits per harvest and are an excellent Summer staple. In Fall, Cranberries and Pumpkins are top earners. Build a Barn and Coop as soon as you have the wood and stone, and keep animals happy for the Large Egg, Large Milk, and Truffle products you can jam or press into oil. When you reach Farming Level 10, choose the Artisan profession for a 40% bonus on all artisan goods. Fill your farm with Kegs and Preserve Jars to keep processing crops even on rainy days when you have nothing else to do.
Process high-value crops through Kegs and Preserve Jars to multiply your earnings several times over. -
Step 5: Fish to earn gold and fill the Community Center bundles
Fishing is one of the fastest ways to earn early-game gold and is essential for completing the Fish Tank bundles. The mini-game asks you to keep a green catch-zone aligned with a moving fish icon by clicking or holding the mouse button — it feels difficult at first but becomes second nature once your Fishing skill climbs. Each location has its own fish list: the River running through town and past your farm holds Catfish, Shad, and Salmon; the Mountain Lake holds Largemouth Bass; and the Beach supplies ocean fish like Tuna and Pufferfish. Get the Iridium Rod from Willy's shop once you hit Fishing Level 6, because it lets you attach Bait (faster bites) and Tackle (easier mini-game) for a significant productivity boost. Eating food with a Fishing buff before casting also makes the green zone larger.
Different locations hold different fish — explore the river, lake, and ocean for a complete collection. -
Step 6: Earn Grandpa's four-star rating
At the start of Year 3, Grandpa's ghost evaluates your farm against a list of achievements and awards up to four candles on his shrine — four candles being the maximum, requiring at least 21 out of a possible 23 points. Points come from total earnings (up to 3 pts for over 1 million gold), completing the Community Center (3 pts), maxing skills (2 pts each for Farming, Fishing, Mining, Foraging, and Combat), having a spouse and children, and fully upgrading your farmhouse. The good news is that you do not need a perfect score: 21 points is enough, so you can skip a skill or two and still get four candles. If you missed the cutoff, place a Diamond in the shrine and Grandpa will re-evaluate you the following night.
Score 21 or more Grandpa points by end of Year 2 to light all four candles on the shrine.
Handy tips for every season
- Water crops last. Hoe, plant, then water — that order keeps your energy efficient and makes it easy to spot untended plots.
- Befriend the Wizard early. His tower becomes accessible once you meet him through a story event. Later upgrades to the farm layout require his help.
- Rainy days are mining days. Your crops water themselves in the rain, so spend the whole day in the Mines without worrying about the farm.
- Keep the Traveling Merchant on your radar. She visits on Fridays and Sundays south of the farm and sometimes sells rare seeds, furniture, and bundle items you cannot find elsewhere.
- Use the Shipping Bin wisely. Items placed in the Bin sell at end of day. If you are not sure whether something is needed for a bundle, hold on to it for one day before shipping.
- Spring Year 1 is your fastest cash window. Plant Strawberries after the Egg Festival on Spring 13 — they regrow every four days, giving you multiple harvests before Summer.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to complete Stardew Valley?
A casual first playthrough to Grandpa's evaluation typically runs 50–80 hours. Completionists who aim for the Perfection tracker — which requires every item shipped, every friendship at max, every building built, and every fish caught — can spend 200 hours or more.
What is the best farm layout for beginners?
The Standard farm is the best choice for beginners because it gives you the most tillable land and a straightforward layout. Other maps like Riverland or Hill-top are fun but impose trade-offs that make early-game farming slower. Stick with Standard for your first run.
Can you fail Stardew Valley?
No — there is no game-over state. If you run out of energy or HP in the mines and pass out, you wake up at home having lost a small amount of gold and, rarely, some items. The game is designed to be forgiving so you can experiment freely.
Do you need to complete the Community Center?
The Community Center is the canonical ending, but Stardew Valley also offers a JojaMart route where you pay for upgrades instead of donating items. The Community Center route is free and more rewarding narratively, but neither is mandatory — the game continues past Year 2 indefinitely.
What is the fastest way to make money early?
Fishing in Spring Year 1 is the single fastest source of early gold, especially if you find a good fishing spot on a sunny day. Pufferfish sell for 200 gold raw; Catfish sell for 200 and are needed for the Fish Tank bundle. Combine fishing income with a full row of Parsnips (or Cauliflower after the General Store opens) for a strong first-spring economy.
Ready to start farming
Stardew Valley is a game best enjoyed at a relaxed pace, but having a clear direction makes each season feel purposeful. Focus your first year on the Community Center bundles, level up your mining and farming skills, and keep a regular fishing habit. By the time Grandpa evaluates you at the start of Year 3, a four-candle rating will be well within reach. For the official game and future updates, visit the Stardew Valley official website.
