'All your save files will be fully intact': Eric Barone confirms that Stardew Valley's 1.6 update isn't out to delete your progress

A picture of a cosy bedroom in Stardew Valley, complete with a plushie who is NOT in bed like they are supposed to be. — (Image credit: ConcernedApe)

We're weeks away from the launch of Stardew Valley's 1.6 update, which is set to add all sorts of stuff to different aspects of the game, like festivals, dialogue, and even a new farm type. But as the clock winds down to March 19, some players are worried about what will happen to their save files.

In response to a fan asking about the best way to experience 1.6, Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, the creator of Stardew Valley, tweeted that you'll be able to see most of the new content if you carry on with your old save file, "but I still might recommend a new file just for fun and to see everything in context."

The mere suggestion of starting a new save file could startle some into querying whether or not they should abandon all previous saves and then even worry if 1.6 would force them to begin again and delete previous files. While I'll definitely be booting up a new save file, especially as 1.6 has so much to offer, I understand why some wouldn't want to say goodbye to hundreds of hours of hard work.

Luckily, this isn't something you need to worry about. Earlier today, Barone tweeted confirming, "No, the update doesn't wipe anything, all your save files will be fully intact." Funnily enough, this was actually intended to be a reply to another player asking if their save would be affected, not something Barone wanted to share with all of his followers for fear of sounding passive-aggressive.

"If I was trying to tweet at everyone, I wouldn't have started the tweet with 'No,' which unfortunately comes across as kind of condescending, which was not my intention at all," Barone admitted in the comments. "Oh well, can't delete it now."

Even though I'm prepared to start my Stardew Valley farm all over again, it's still nice to hear that my other farm, which I've had since day one, won't be affected. I can't just abandon my animals—visiting my pigs or checking on my precious fish ponds is simply a must.

So the choice is yours. If you want to start your journey again and discover everything 1.6 has to offer with a fresh save, then you can, but it's just as easy to enjoy all the new updates with your current farm.

Elie is a news writer with an unhealthy love of horror games—even though their greatest fear is being chased. When they're not screaming or hiding, there's a good chance you'll find them testing their metal in metroidvanias or just admiring their Pokemon TCG collection. Elie has previously worked at TechRadar Gaming as a staff writer and studied at JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs about Smash Bros. or any indie game that crossed their path.