Stardew Valley creator reveals "secret, experimental mobile multiplayer feature" hidden behind the most famous cheat code in video game history

Stardew Valley recently received its highly anticipated 1.6.9 update, which brought jack-o-lanterns, balance changes, and a good amount of new content to the comfy farming sim. The update also resurrected the age-old Konami Code for a “secret” multiplayer mode on mobile.

A not-so-secret guide posted to the Stardew Valley website explains that, to access what developer Eric Barone is describing as an “experimental” feature, players will have to click on the cluster of green leaves that appear on the Stardew Valley logo in the following order: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right. (The directional labels for the leaves are in that guide.)

Anyone who’s either played enough NES games or watched enough YouTube videos promising hidden video game knowledge will recognize these inputs. They’re part of the mythical Konami Code, a cheat code that’s been granting players extra gold and lives since its introduction in 1986, with Konami’s NES port of the space shooter Gradius.

In its mobile Stardew iteration, the code (followed by the question mark on the bottom left of the screen) adds a co-op button to the main menu. From there, players will have the option to host or join a multiplayer session, though the latter is a bit easier; to host a session, you’ll first need to set up a farm with available cabins, while joining only requires you input the host’s IP address.

“Make sure you are on the same version of the game as your friends, or you won’t be able to connect,” the Stardew guide notes. You’ll have to share a Wi-Fi network, too, barring port-forwarding, and, ideally, share an appreciation for ’80s arcade games.

Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone invents new lore after the latest update starts killing chickens: “There is a wild coyote on the farm day 1 rn.”

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