Why is Stardew Valley so popular?

Stardew Valley was released in 2016 but still has dedicated players, streamers and content creators today, five years later. Steam reports that the game has around 30 thousand monthly players, so it's still quite popular today.

It's an indie game, and hasn't ever truly entered the mainstream, so its popularity seems to have come out of nowhere.

Furthermore, it's only available on two consoles, so the audience is pretty limited. The fact that it has such a strong player base after quite some time is pretty surprising. Here's why that might be.

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Why Stardew Valley might be so popular

Indie games typically don't have as big of an audience or as long of a shelf life as games from big developers. There are Nintendo games from the early 2000's that are still played. In fact, the original Super Mario Bros. from the 1980's is still played, and indie games don't have nearly that kind of track record.

However, Stardew Valley is here in 2021 competing with Animal Crossing, one of the biggest franchises in gaming. It's an impressive feat, to say the least. Stardew Valley likely remains so popular today for a few reasons.

The game represents an escape from reality, but not in the same way that most games do. All games, no matter the genre, represent an escape from reality. Players can do in the games what they can't do in real life, whether that's fighting a dragon or becoming a star athlete.

But for Stardew Valley, the escape from reality comes by mirroring it.

Stardew Valley players, for the most part (there are some fantastical aspects), aren't doing otherworldly activities. They're tending to a farm, growing relationships, trying to get married and possibly have kids. It's not unlike life for a lot of people, but it's simple, straightforward and enjoyable.

Stardew Valley gives its players the chance to do something many strive for: marriage. Image via Stardew Valley

Life is difficult, but the game really isn't. Finding a spouse and owning a home and land is extremely difficult in real life, so Stardew Valley gives players the chance to do those things with ease.

Life is disappointing, but the game isn't. That's a huge reason why it's still so popular with players today, because it gives them a timeless opportunity to do better than they currently are.