Stardew Valley has multiplayer, but not the traditional couch co-op

Stardew Valley is a great game that has gained a large following since its launch. It's typically a single-player game, and while many of the players play this way, it does have multiplayer.

Multiplayer opens players up to many new possibilities and even lets two players get married rather than marry an NPC. Two or more players can indeed play the game, but that's not realistic on a PC, the game's primary platform.

However, since Stardew Valley is available on the Nintendo Switch, it makes sense that with multiple controllers, multiple people can join a game. Is that the case?

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Is there couch co-op in Stardew Valley?

The answer is yes and no at the same time. Multiplayer is an option for all Stardew Valley players. However, with a PC, couch co-op is impossible. The screen is too small to split, and there's only one set of keys needed for the game, so two people couldn't possibly play on a single PC.

Players can join the same world and play together, but not on the same screen. (Image via Stardew Valley)

Nintendo Switch players can use split-screen, though not all of them. The Nintendo Switch console allows players to play most games split-screen, and Stardew Valley is the same. Connecting multiple controllers is possible for Stardew Valley, but only on the Nintendo Switch. Switch Lite players cannot, given that the console is solely handheld and cannot have controllers connected to it.

There is a split-screen available for certain Stardew Valley players, but for those that it is available for, it's usually not the first option. The game is relatively small on-screen, so splitting the screen (unless it's a rather large television) makes it more difficult. On PC, that would be even worse if it was an option. The same goes for the significantly smaller screen of a Nintendo Switch Lite.

Today's second character that causes emotional distress is shane from Stardew Valley 💔 pic.twitter.com/VHcGcTUDwT

— Character that causes emotional distress OTD (@distressCharOTD) September 9, 2021

The Nintendo Switch offers players multiple forms of multiplayer, including couch co-op. It has excellent portability, so players can bring their Switch consoles and games together to play multiplayer in the same room. They can also do so on the same console if they have enough controllers for more players.