Breakdown
- Stardew Valley is March's most-played Steam Deck game
- The farming sim's 1.6 update added a lot of new content
- Updates for Stardew Valley will seemingly never stop
Stardew Valley is one of those games that will never stop getting updates, which is why the farming sim gets a ton of playtime to this day. The game’s recent 1.6 update added a ton of new content, with players enjoying it so much that it became March’s most-played Steam Deck game.
On the official Steam Deck Twitter, the handheld PC’s monthly most-played games list was released, with Stardew Valley taking the top spot this month. It’s a huge change compared to last month, where the most-played Steam Deck game was 2023’s Game of the Year Baldur’s Gate 3.
Considering how update 1.6 added new items, events, NPC dialogue, multiple pets, and so much more, we can see why farming fanatics returned. Developer ConcernedApe teased the massive changes coming to 1.6 by highlighting the weirder elements, which got fans curious about this. Say what you will about their tactics, but it got fans playing the game again.
It helps that Stardew Valley is Steam Deck Verified, which means users can easily play this on Valve’s handheld without adjusting the settings. While most Deck owners don’t care about the “Verified” rating, often finding ways to play “Unsupported” games, the green check usually means smooth gaming out of the box.
For those curious, the other games in March’s top 20 include indie hit Balatro, Helldivers 2, Elden Ring, Baldur’s Gate 3, and other acclaimed games. Palworld also managed to hit the top 10, despite losing a good number of players recently, since that’s what happens with ongoing games. Old favorites like Skyrim and Persona 5 Royal also managed to remain relevant, showing the quality of these long RPGs.
Only time will tell if the updates to Stardew Valley will ever stop, though it doesn’t seem likely as of this writing. Fans can pick the immersive farming sim up on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC.