Summary:
Stardew Valley turning ten isn’t just a “can you believe it’s been that long?” moment. It’s also the perfect excuse for a fresh spark, and update 1.7 sounds like it’s aiming right for the parts of the game we keep returning to: relationships, routine, and that cozy sense that Pelican Town is alive even when we’re simply watering crops. Eric Barone has teased two clear additions that hit those nerves in the best way. First, two new marriage candidates are on the way, and their identities are being saved for the anniversary reveal. That kind of timing is clever because it turns a normal update tease into a shared countdown where everyone gets to speculate together without anyone actually being spoiled.
Second, there’s a popular fan request finally getting attention: the children. If you’ve ever had that feeling where your farm is thriving, your house is upgraded, and your kid is… basically a hat rack with legs, you’re not alone. Barone has said he wants to make the children “a little more interesting,” and even that small phrase is doing a lot of work. It hints at more personality, more interaction, and maybe the kind of small surprises that make daily life on the farm feel less like a checklist and more like a story you’re living inside. Add in the fact that there are also other changes planned that people may not have asked for but will likely appreciate, and we’ve got a simple takeaway: 1.7 is shaping up to focus on making the home life side of Stardew feel richer, funnier, and more worth sticking around for.
Stardew Valley’s 10th anniversary sets the stage for update 1.7
Ten years is a long time for any game to stay in the daily conversation, yet Stardew Valley has managed it by feeling like a place we can return to, not a trend we outgrow. The anniversary energy matters because it changes how we experience announcements. Instead of hearing “an update is coming” and shrugging, we start thinking about our farms, our favorites in town, and the little routines we’ve built over hundreds of in-game days. That’s why the 1.7 tease lands with extra weight: it’s tied to a date that already means something to the community. When a creator says, “I’ll reveal more on the anniversary,” it turns a normal news beat into a moment you can circle on your calendar. And let’s be honest, Stardew fans love a calendar. We live and die by seasons, festivals, and the exact day a crop finishes. So yes, the anniversary framing is more than a celebration. It’s a storytelling tool that makes the wait feel like part of the fun, not just dead time between updates.
Two new marriage candidates and why it matters
Adding two marriage candidates might sound like a small checkbox item if you’ve never fallen into Stardew’s relationship side, but anyone who has knows it changes the whole texture of a save file. Marriage in Stardew isn’t only about getting a cute scene and a room makeover. It’s about choosing a vibe for your farm life. It’s the difference between waking up to a sweet line of dialogue that makes you smile and waking up to the same familiar routine you’ve had for years. New options also do something sneaky and powerful: they tempt veteran players back into a fresh run. Even if your current save is a well-oiled money machine, a new romance route can pull you into starting over, trying different schedules, and seeing town events with new context. Two candidates also means more than two characters. It means new heart events, new bits of dialogue, new reasons to walk through town at odd hours, and new excuses to bring gifts that you definitely did not plan your whole day around. We can pretend we’re above that, but we’re not.
Why romance options stay popular after a decade
Romance stays popular in Stardew because it’s the most human part of a game that’s otherwise about systems. Crops are math. Mining is risk management. Fishing is a tiny test of patience that can make you feel like a hero or a clown in under ten seconds. Relationships, though, are where the game breathes. They give you a reason to slow down, to notice small details, and to care about the town as a community instead of a resource hub. After ten years, players also have strong opinions, and those opinions are basically fuel. People have “best spouse” debates the way sports fans argue about legendary matches, and that passion doesn’t fade because it’s not only about mechanics. It’s about identity. Who we choose says something about how we play, what stories we like, and what kind of farm life fantasy we’re building. Two new candidates are basically two new lenses for seeing Pelican Town, and that is exactly the kind of change that can make an old save feel new again without touching a single crop tile.
How the reveal timing fuels community buzz
Holding back the names until the anniversary is the kind of move that turns speculation into a party. Instead of one quick headline and a shrug, we get weeks of theories, wishlists, jokes, and the occasional “please let me date the person I’ve been gifting for eight years.” It also keeps expectations in a healthier place. When we don’t know the candidates, we can’t nitpick their heart events or argue about whether their spouse room clashes with our carefully designed hardwood floor. We can only imagine possibilities, and imagination is where hype behaves itself. There’s also a nice emotional angle here: an anniversary reveal feels like a gift. Even if you’re the type who avoids spoilers like they’re slimes in the Skull Cavern, you can still enjoy the build-up because the promise is simple and specific. Two candidates, names revealed on the anniversary. No messy “maybe soon” language. It’s a clean hook, and it invites everyone to show up together when the curtain lifts.
Making the children “a little more interesting”
If you’ve ever looked at your in-game kids and thought, “You’re adorable, but you’re also basically furniture,” you’ve already understood the core issue. Children in Stardew have traditionally been more cosmetic than interactive. They’re a symbol of progress, a cute detail in a life sim fantasy, and then… not much else. That’s why it matters that Barone framed this as a popular request. It’s not a random tweak. It’s a response to a long-running feeling that the family part of farm life doesn’t have the same charm and depth as friendships, festivals, or even your horse’s dramatic entrance into every cutscene. The phrase “a little more interesting” is also intriguing because it suggests a focus on day-to-day moments. It doesn’t sound like a huge system overhaul that turns the game into a parenting simulator. It sounds like the kind of subtle upgrades that make the home feel more alive, like adding more conversations, reactions, and small interactions that surprise you when you least expect it. That’s the sweet spot for Stardew: tiny changes that make routines feel fresh.
What feels flat about kids right now
The main problem isn’t that kids exist in Stardew. It’s that they don’t really grow with you. After the initial novelty, they settle into predictable behaviors that rarely connect to the wider world of Pelican Town. They don’t feel like little people learning the rhythms of the farm, reacting to seasons, or having opinions about anything you do. They also don’t meaningfully interact with your spouse, your house upgrades, or your daily choices. That lack of connection can make the “family” part of the game feel like a decorative endgame trophy rather than a living piece of your story. And because Stardew is a game where small details are often the whole point, that absence stands out. When your neighbors have schedules, moods, and evolving dialogue, it’s noticeable when your kids don’t. It’s like hosting a lively dinner party and realizing the guests of honor are silently staring at the wallpaper. Cute wallpaper, sure, but still.
Small interactions that could change the vibe
When we talk about making kids more interesting, it doesn’t have to mean huge features. Small interactions can do most of the heavy lifting if they’re well chosen. Imagine kids reacting to the season with little lines about snow, rain, or the first day of spring. Imagine them commenting on animals, standing near the coop, or cheering when you pet the dog. Even little “help” moments could be charming, like a child bringing you a foraged flower and proudly acting like they discovered a treasure map. Stardew thrives on tiny surprises, so giving kids more varied behavior, more dialogue, and a few special moments tied to festivals could instantly make them feel less like props. It also fits the game’s tone. We don’t need drama. We need warmth, humor, and the occasional unexpectedly sweet line that makes you pause before sprinting back to the mines. If the update leans into that, it could make home life feel like more than a checkbox and more like a place you actually want to return to at the end of the day.
How deeper family moments can support roleplay
One of Stardew’s secret strengths is that it lets us roleplay without forcing us to. We can min-max profits like a spreadsheet wizard, or we can spend three in-game hours arranging a garden path because it “feels right.” Family moments could support that style of play by adding gentle narrative hooks. Maybe kids ask simple questions that reflect your choices, like noticing a new room in the house or reacting to a seasonal decoration. Maybe they have tiny preferences that make gift-giving feel meaningful in a new way. Even the idea of kids being more present in the house, moving around more naturally, or interacting with objects could turn the farmhouse into a lived-in space rather than a storage facility for kegs and mayonnaise machines. Roleplay in Stardew is often built from small details we stitch together in our heads. If 1.7 adds more family details, it gives us more thread to work with. And honestly, after ten years, more thread is exactly what keeps long-time players happily sewing new stories.
Keeping surprises without keeping players in the dark
There’s a balancing act here, and Barone seems very aware of it. On one hand, surprises are part of Stardew’s charm. Discovering a new event, stumbling into a funny line of dialogue, or finding a hidden detail makes the game feel intimate, like it’s winking at you. On the other hand, players also want clarity about what’s actually coming, especially when updates shape how we plan save files. The current approach is a smart compromise: confirm a few headline changes, keep the specifics hidden, and promise a clear moment when more will be revealed. That avoids two problems at once. It avoids overhyping features that might change during development, and it avoids leaving the community with nothing but vague “soon” statements. The result is a conversation that feels grounded but still exciting. We know two marriage candidates are coming. We know kids are getting attention. We also know there’s more, but we’re not being handed a full checklist that kills the mystery. It’s like getting invited to a festival and being told there will be a special surprise. You show up curious, not exhausted.
What Barone actually confirmed and what he didn’t
The confirmed pieces are straightforward: two new marriage candidates are planned, and the identities will be revealed on the anniversary day. He’s also acknowledged a popular request related to children and said he’s working on making them more interesting. Beyond that, the key point is that there are additional changes planned that people may not have specifically asked for, but should still enjoy. What’s not confirmed is just as important. We don’t have a detailed feature list for 1.7. We don’t have a locked launch date for the update itself. We also don’t have specifics on what “more interesting” means for kids, whether it’s new dialogue, new behaviors, growth stages, or something else entirely. That’s good to keep in mind because it helps us stay excited without turning guesses into “promises” that were never made. Stardew fans are creative, and creativity is great, but it can also run away like a chicken you forgot to pet. Keeping the line between confirmed and imagined is how we enjoy the wait without setting ourselves up for disappointment.
Setting expectations for “other things people will appreciate”
That phrase, “other things people will appreciate,” is the kind of tease that makes you lean closer without realizing it. It suggests additions that might not be on the standard wishlists, but will feel good once they’re in your hands. In Stardew terms, that could mean quality-of-life tweaks, small new interactions, or little improvements that make daily play smoother. The best part of Stardew updates has often been that they don’t only add flashy features. They also polish the experience in ways that make you think, “Wait, how did I live without this?” So when we hear there are surprises planned, it’s reasonable to expect a mix of charming additions and practical adjustments. The important part is keeping our mental shopping cart under control. We can hope for nice things, but we shouldn’t treat hope like an order confirmation email. If we do that, we’ll enjoy whatever arrives instead of judging it against a fantasy checklist we invented at 2 AM while reorganizing our shed for the third time.
A quick reality check on timelines
It’s tempting to assume that an anniversary reveal means the update itself is right around the corner, but those are two separate ideas. A reveal can be a celebration moment even if the update needs more time in the oven. Stardew updates are famous for being worth the wait because they tend to land with care and a lot of detail, and that kind of work doesn’t always fit neatly into a calendar. So the healthiest approach is simple: treat the anniversary as the moment we learn more, not necessarily the moment everything releases. That still gives us something real to look forward to, and it keeps us from spiraling into “where is it?” frustration. If you want a metaphor that fits Stardew, think of it like planting a crop. The seed is the announcement. The anniversary is the first visible sprout. Harvest comes later, and rushing it only makes you stare at dirt and feel impatient. Better to water, do your rounds, and let the season play out.
How to get ready for the anniversary reveal
Preparation in Stardew doesn’t need to be stressful, and it definitely shouldn’t feel like homework. The best way to get ready is to make sure your save file is in a comfortable place so you can enjoy new relationship options when they arrive, whether that means starting fresh or continuing a long-running farm. If you’re the type who likes a clean slate, the anniversary reveal can be the perfect trigger to plan a new run. If you prefer staying with your current save, you can still do small things that keep your options open. That might mean getting your farm organized, clearing space in your home if you enjoy redecorating, or simply checking in on friendships around town so you feel connected when new social moments arrive. The goal is to be ready to enjoy the surprise, not to optimize every second. Stardew is at its best when we let ourselves breathe and wander a bit. Preparation should feel like tidying up before guests arrive, not like preparing for a final exam.
Save file prep and relationship housekeeping
If new marriage candidates are coming, it’s worth thinking about how you like to handle relationships. Some players enjoy committing early and building a long story with one partner. Others like exploring heart events and learning everyone’s personality before deciding. Either way, having a little “relationship housekeeping” done can make the transition smoother. You might want to ensure you’ve got gift routines that work, a stash of universal likes, and a daily loop that includes town visits. If you’re already married in your main save, you don’t need to panic. You can treat new candidates as a reason to start a new file, or you can simply enjoy the new characters as part of the town’s broader social life. The key is avoiding regret-driven play. Don’t rush choices because you fear missing out. Stardew is generous with time. The seasons always come back around, and so will your chance to explore new heart events when the moment arrives.
Switch, PC, and the question of where you play
Where you play Stardew changes how you experience updates, mostly because of timing and how you prefer to settle in. Some players love the portability of Switch, where you can do a quick day on the farm from the couch, the train, or anywhere your real-life calendar dumps you. Others prefer PC for convenience, controls, and the way it can feel like the “home base” version. The important thing is to focus on the experience you actually enjoy, not the one you think you should enjoy. Updates are fun on every platform, and the magic of Stardew isn’t locked behind a specific device. If you’re planning a new file for the anniversary news, choose the place where you’ll realistically spend time. The best farm isn’t the one with the perfect layout. It’s the one you actually return to. And when the reveal hits, that’s the vibe you want: a place where you can smile, read the news, and immediately think, “Alright, time to head into town and see what’s changed.”
Why Stardew Valley updates keep landing so well
Stardew updates work because they respect the player’s relationship with the game. They don’t treat the world like a product that needs constant reinvention. They treat it like a town that grows. That’s a big difference. When new features arrive, they usually feel like they belong, not like they were bolted on to chase trends. The teased changes for 1.7 fit that tradition perfectly. Romance options deepen the social side without breaking the calm pace. Improvements to children focus on making the farmhouse feel more alive, which supports the life sim fantasy that players build in their heads. And the decision to reveal key details on an anniversary gives the community a shared moment, which is basically the Stardew way. We show up for festivals together, even if we’re all on separate farms. This is the same idea, just in real life: a date, a reveal, and a bunch of players smiling at their screens while they argue about who the new candidates will be. That’s not just an update tease. That’s community glue, and Stardew has always been unusually good at it.
Conclusion
Update 1.7 is shaping up to touch the parts of Stardew Valley that feel most personal: who we love, what our home life feels like, and how alive the farmhouse is once the big goals are achieved. Two new marriage candidates are a big deal because they don’t only add romance. They add fresh reasons to replay, new scenes to discover, and new ways to see the town. The push to make children more interesting is equally exciting because it hints at a farmhouse that feels less like a trophy room and more like a lived-in home. With the reveal planned for the anniversary day, the next few weeks have that festive, speculation-heavy energy that Stardew fans thrive on. The best move now is simple: enjoy the countdown, keep expectations grounded, and get ready to smile when the curtain finally lifts.
FAQs
- What is confirmed for Stardew Valley 1.7 so far?
- Two new marriage candidates are planned, and the creator has also said children will be made “a little more interesting.” The names of the new marriage candidates are being saved for the anniversary reveal.
- When will the two new marriage candidates be revealed?
- The plan is to reveal who they are on the game’s anniversary day, which falls on February 26, 2026.
- Does “more interesting children” mean a full parenting system?
- Nothing suggests a heavy, complex system. The wording points more toward improved interaction, personality, or small behaviors that make the farmhouse feel more alive.
- Should we start a new farm for the new romance options?
- If you love a fresh start, it can be a fun excuse. If you prefer your current save, you can still enjoy new social additions without restarting. The best choice is the one that fits how you actually like to play.
- Is the anniversary reveal the same thing as the update release?
- Not necessarily. A reveal can happen before an update is ready to launch. Treat the anniversary as the moment we learn more, not a guaranteed release day.
Sources
- Good news, Stardew Valley enthusiasts: the 1.7 update will make children ‘a little more interesting’ and add two new marriage candidates, PC Gamer, February 4, 2026
- Stardew Valley 1.7 update will add “2 more marriage candidates,” and fans theorize they could be anyone from the farming sim’s past villagers like Sandy to entirely new NPCs, GamesRadar+, February 4, 2026
- Stardew Valley Creator Teases Two More Marriage Candidates For Update 1.7, Nintendo Life, February 2026
- Stardew Valley 1.7 will add two new marriage candidates, Shacknews, February 4, 2026
