Don't get me wrong, I'm a Fashion Sense girlie. I use plenty of mods that add new outfits and decorations to the game. But I think the BEST part of being able to mod Stardew Valley is adding entirely new content to the game.
There are plenty of lovingly crafted Stardew Valley mods that add new locations in the game, new NPCs, and new quests. Adding Stardew Valley mods that add nearly a hundred new NPCs, hundreds of new events, new crops, and new quests makes the game feel entirely new!
The mods listed below are all offered through Vortex mods and are compatible with the Steam Deck!
Here are the best Stardew Valley mods that add entirely new areas to the game:
Stardew Valley Expanded
Besides the two mod loaders needed to run many of the mods offered on Vortex, Stardew Valley Expanded is the most downloaded Stardew Valley mod at 14.9 million downloads. If you're just getting started with modding, Stardew Valley Expanded is the perfect way to dip your toes in and experience some amazing new content in the game.
Stardew Valley Expanded adds 28 new NPCs complete with their own heart events, 58 locations, 43 fish, updated vanilla areas in the game, three farm maps, new music, new questlines, and new crops, objects, and festivals.
Ridgeside Village
Ridgeside Village is another massive content mod similar to Stardew Valley Expanded, adding a ski lift and an entire ski resort and village to the north of Stardew Valley. Ridgeside Village is one of the best mods for Stardew Valley, adding over 50 new NPCs, 22 marriage candidates, hundreds of events, new main storyline quests and new side quests, and another job board.
Ridgeside Village also features a huge new combat area with over 50 new weapons and new monsters that make Skull Cavern feel like a joke. If you've played a lot of Stardew Valley and wished there was more endgame content that was actually difficult, Ridgeside Village is the mod for you!
East Scarp
East Scarp is a charming coastal town located to the east of Pelican Town. East Scarp is a mysterious little town where new characters will be unlocked as you progress through the mod's quests. This Stardew Valley mod adds over 20 new NPCs, over 50 new events, new crops, an additional farm map, and new locations called the Deep Dark and the Deep Mountains!
DeepWoods
DeepWoods is a Stardew Valley mod that adds an infinite dungeon in the forest! This mod was just recently updated for Stardew Valley 1.6. You can explore an infinite procedurally generated forest that has difficult enemies and treasure to discover.
Central Station
Central Station adds a new train terminal that helps you navigate to other modded locations quickly. One of the downsides of having so many mods installed is that it takes valuable time out of your day to ride your horse to East Scarp or Downtown Zuzu. This mod fixes that!
After adding Central Station, you can take the bus to the train station even if you haven't technically unlocked the bus through the community center. You can use Central Station to travel to vanilla locations like the Desert and Ginger Island and use it to travel to these mod locations: Downtown Zuzu, East Scarp, Lumisteria Visit Mount Vapius, Nature in the Valley, Red Panda Bazaar, Return to Mineral Town, and Stardew Aquarium.
Downtown Zuzu
Throughout vanilla Stardew Valley, the mysterious city of Zuzu is mentioned several times. A modder decided to make it! Take a break from the farm life and explore a bustling city with shops, arcades, and eateries. There are new romance options and tons of quests added to the game.
Players can explore the dangerous caves in Zuzu Oasis or use Zuzu International Airport to take a vacation to Kahuna Resort! The Downtown Zuzu mod also adds 20 new original songs to the game.
Lumisteria Visit Mount Vapius
Visit Mount Vapius adds an entirely new region to Stardew Valley, complete with its own quests and special bundles to complete! Glimsap is a small town at the base of the mountain that hosts special markets and new NPCs to get to know. In this Stardew Valley mod, there's a second adventurer's guild with new quests and new dungeons to explore!
Visit Mount Vapius is a Stardew Valley mod that adds events, NPCs, items, secrets, recipes, flowers, and more in the classic Vanilla art style!
Nature in the Valley
Nature in the Valley is a Stardew Valley mod inspired by Animal Crossing that adds a creature catching system to the game! There are 84 animals that will now spawn throughout the world and an Insectarium to donate them to. The Insectarium is a special new location accessed through the bus stop or Central Station mod.
Purchase the net from Pierre's to catch critters and add some to your home in terrariums!
Red Panda Bazaar
The Red Panda Bazaar is a small Stardew Valley mod that adds 3 new NPCs, a couple new locations, a new festival, and new shops! This location is accessed via the bus stop or the Central Station mod. Visit the Bazaar with your favorite Stardew Valley NPCs and purchase special items with Star Tokens.
Return to Mineral Town
Return to Mineral Town is a Stardew Valley mod inspired by the Mineral Town games. This Stardew Valley mod adds not only a new town, but plenty of other new locations like Mineral Beach, Goddess Spring, Kappa Lake, Flower Hill, Sacred Forest, and more! This mod adds 30 new NPCs, including 13 romanceable characters.
Return to Mineral Town also adds 20 new fish, 15 new forage items, and over 20 new recipes to craft!
Stardew Aquarium
Stardew Aquarium adds an Aquarium to Stardew Valley where you can donate fish to animated tanks for rewards! Donate each species of fish to the Aquarium like you would donate to the museum. The Aquarium mod also adds a large new beach location and new shops!
The Stardew Aquarium and beach are both new maps that can be accessed from the bus stop or the Central Station mod.
Dwarven Expansion
If you live in the mines, the Dwarven Expansion mod is perfect for you! This mod adds a ton of new ways to customize your farm in Stardew Valley. This mod adds new machines to use on your farm like the Rock Polisher and the Alchemy Bench, and adds new buildings and new animals for your farm!
Add caves to your farm to raise animals like different kinds of crabs, the Giant Naked Molerat, the Giant Pale Salamander, and Badgers. There are 5 new events, over 30 new recipes to cook, and new artisan goods you can create! Instead of just randomly finding jewelry, you can use the gems you find in the mines to craft jewelry to sell.
Passerby Cemetery
Passerby Cemetary is a Stardew Valley mod that overhauls the tiny cemetery north of Pelican Town. The Cemetary now has a Grave keeper, a Beekeeper, and more NPCs and secrets to discover. This mod also adds other custom content like a new animal building and new farm animals like dodos, bison, and boars!
Stoffton
Stoffton is a mill town located north of Pelican Town and can be accessed by the bus. This large town adds 39 new locations and 48 new NPCs, including 14 marriage candidates with their own heart events. Stoffton is a sister mod to Fostoria, another mod that adds new locations to Stardew Valley!
Fostoria
Fostoria is a nearly abandoned mining community that's connected to Stoffton. While the abandoned mining town has only 3 NPCs, the new locations offer bountifal foraging, new fish, new quests, and a shortcut to the desert! In this Stardew Valley mod, you can fix the decrepit buildings and get to know the NPCs that have remained in Fostoria.
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