Stardew Valley is one of the ultimate comfort games. Spend day after day (in-game and in real life) tending to your crops and animals, slaying slime monsters in the caves, and fishing. It's been providing good feelings and cheer since it debuted on PC in 2016, and has since spread to other platforms.
There's even a mobile version for phones, iPads, and tablets. Having Stardew Valley available anywhere may be slightly detrimental to your productivity, but that's a risk worth taking, as long as you're aware of the minor differences between mobile and PC.
7 No Co-Op On Mobile
Stardew Valley isn't a huge multiplayer game, but there are plenty of people who enjoy sharing the experience with other people. You won't be sharing it on mobile, however — co-op isn't supported.
There's demand, but the creator, ConcernedApe, says there are "technical barriers" that prevent co-op. ConcernedApe, AKA Eric Barone, is very receptive to fans and usually tries to accommodate reasonable requests. Mobile co-op, despite it being hotly requested, doesn't appear to be on the table.
6 Modding Is PC Only (Mostly)
Stardew Valley has one of the most active modding communities on NexusMods. There are mods that add animals, change buildings, add fashion options, add NPCs, add entirely new towns — if you can think of it, there's probably a mod for it. But you won't get all of that on mobile.
While modding is possible on Android devices, the options are limited, as not all modders create mobile versions of their mods. And if you're on Apple devices, there are no modding options at all. If you're a fan of vanilla Stardew, no fancy bells or whistles, then mobile is fine, but if you want to change it up, maybe take the game to PC.
5 Transferring Saves
If you're tired of playing on mobile, or just want a new experience, you can transfer your mobile save to PC. But once you do that, there's no going back — PC updates tend to be ahead of mobile, and there's no backwards compatibility. If they're on the same version, however, you can move files freely.
It's a great option to keep in your pocket if you need to get your save file off your phone, or if you just want to experience the wonders of Stardew Valley on a bigger screen or change things up a bit with mods.
4 Controls
Stardew Valley was originally a PC game that later ported to consoles and mobile, and sometimes that's obvious in the controls, but for the most part, the game works well with controllers. Mobile devices such as tablets and phones, on the other hand, utilize the touch screen — touch the spot you want to go to, and watch your sprite walk.
You have to be precise, however, or you could end up getting cozy with Pierre when you go to buy seeds. There's also auto-combat, where the sword will swing automatically in enemy range. You also have the option of getting a bluetooth controller for your mobile device, if you really want one. Touchscreens can be finnicky sometimes, and having a controller available is always handy.
3 Portability
Take it anywhere! The beauty of phones is that you have the world - and your farm - in your pocket. Play it while you wait at the doctor, on the bus, during class — no, don't play it during class. But play it any other time, whenever you've got a minute to kill, and you just want to escape the world.
Pelican Town is always waiting for you. It's always waiting for you on your PC as well, but you'll have to wait until you're back at your computer to visit. You don't even need internet once the game is downloaded. Just open the app and go.
2 Mobile Has Autosaves
Playing Stardew Valley requires some time management on the computer and consoles. If you commit to playing one more day, you have to play through that day before you can save again.
On mobile, however, you can switch out of the window whenever, and it will automatically save. This is likely due to the nature of mobile gaming, where you're constantly switching in and out of windows to check other things, or getting phone calls or messages. No matter what interruptions happen, your mobile farm will always be safe. PC and console players will just have to make due with their once-a-day saves.
1 Mobile Is Behind On Updates
Mobile Stardew Valley tends to be a little behind on updates. PC is ConcernedApe's main focus, with everything else coming in second. For example, the latest PC version, 1.5.6, was released in December 2021, and mobile updates came later, in January 2023.
It's not really a bad thing, especially if the updates are minor. If you're playing exclusively on mobile and something new drops, you'll be a little behind the PC players, but good things are worth the wait. And Stardew Valley is always a good thing.