Is Stardew Valley Cross Platform Between PC, Console, and Mobile?

Which Stardew Valley platforms can play together?

Desktop players on Windows, macOS, and Linux can share farms through the PC multiplayer system, provided everyone is running the same game version. The PC release supports online co-op, LAN co-op, and shared or split-screen co-op, so friends can choose between remote play, a local network, or one screen.

PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch multiplayer stays inside each console ecosystem. A PlayStation player cannot join an Xbox, Switch, or PC farm, and the same separation applies in the other direction.

How mobile-to-PC multiplayer works

Stardew Valley 1.6 introduced a hidden experimental multiplayer feature on Android and iOS. After unlocking the Co-op button, a mobile player can enter the host’s IP address and join a PC-hosted farm; the mobile version does not discover farms automatically.

The official mobile guidance recommends using a high-performance device on the same local Wi-Fi network as the PC host. Remote connections require the host to forward UDP port 24642, while cellular networks, interruptions from calls, and lower-performance phones can make the session unreliable. Back up an important save before using this experimental feature because bugs could affect the farm.

Stardew Valley+ is excluded from this exception. The Apple Arcade edition does not provide the hidden multiplayer option as of October 13, 2026.

What friends should check before starting a farm

Every player must run the same Stardew Valley version. The version number appears in the lower-left corner after opening the “?” menu from the title screen, and a mismatch can prevent an otherwise compatible group from connecting.

The host also needs to load the farm through Co-op, not the normal single-player path. In the Options menu, the Multiplayer section should be visible and Server Mode should be set to Online where that setting exists.

Each farmhand needs a cabin. A two-player farm needs one cabin, a three-player farm needs two, and a four-player farm needs three; when converting an existing farm, Robin can build additional cabins. Once everyone connects, routine farm work is shared, including livestock care covered in the Stardew Valley chicken-feeding guide and resource gathering covered in the hardwood guide.

Why a compatible multiplayer session may still fail

On desktop, missing invite-code options can mean Stardew Valley cannot access the platform account used for online multiplayer. The host should verify that the relevant desktop client is open and signed in, then check whether a firewall, antivirus tool, router, or operating-system network rule is blocking the game.

Console hosts can be blocked by a restrictive NAT type even when every player uses the same console family. Restarting the console, computer, router, and modem is a sensible first step before changing network settings; port forwarding or a DMZ changes network exposure and should only be configured with the router or internet provider’s documentation.

Mobile multiplayer has a separate failure point: iOS asks for permission to find devices on the local network. After permission is granted, the first connection attempt may fail, so the official instructions recommend trying the IP connection again.

Does Stardew Valley have cross-progression?

Stardew Valley does not provide a universal cross-progression system that keeps one farm synchronized across PC, consoles, and mobile. Crossplay controls who can join the same live farm, while cross-progression concerns moving or synchronizing the save itself; neither feature exists across every version.

For a co-op group, the practical choice is to select the compatible platform setup before investing in a shared farm. The host stores the multiplayer world, so farmhands depend on that host opening the save when they want to continue activities such as seasonal fishing described in the eel-catching guide.