Stardew ValleyRated

Important: photosensitivity / seizure warning

Flashing or strobe effects (Mines and combat): Bomb flashes. The 'Show Flash Effects' toggle should cover them (Stardew Wiki), but on the Stardew forum a player with epilepsy reported bomb flashes, and the developer's reply asked whether bombs were affected by the setting. Still checking: Make sure the toggle really suppresses bomb flashes on every platform. Seizure risk. Source

If your child has epilepsy or is sensitive to flashing lights, please talk to your doctor and preview this part of the game yourself. See also general photosensitivity information.

At a glance

Platforms	Linux, Macintosh, Nintendo Switch, PS Vita, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, Xbox One (src: ESRB); also iOS, Android (src: FGD)
ESRB rating	E10+ (ESRB record)
Ways to play	Single-player; local & online co-op (verify)

First 10 minutes

Before playing, go to Options > Graphics and untick 'Show Flash Effects' (Stardew Wiki). Treat the mines as optional (Steady Strides). Remember the game only saves when you go to bed, so plan to stop at the end of an in-game day (Stardew Wiki). Nobody on our team has played the opening yet.

Good to know: A community mod ('A Less Flashy Stardew', PC only) can remove more animations: https://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley/mods/10531

Sensory scale

Each item is scored from 0 to 3: 0 = None; 1 = Mild, or can be turned off; 2 = Frequent; 3 = Intense and can’t be avoided. “Not enough info yet” means we couldn’t find good evidence, so we didn’t guess. For “Ease of stopping”, a higher score means it’s harder to stop.

Mode: Farming and town life

Sensory scores for Stardew Valley, Farming and town life
What we check	Score	Why
Flashing or strobe effects	1 of 3 Mild, or can be turned off	Lightning flashes, but the 'Show Flash Effects' toggle (Options > Graphics) turns them off. Source for Flashing or strobe effects, Farming and town life
Sudden loud sounds	Not enough info yet	No source on sudden loud sounds. FGD lists Balance Audio Levels. Source for Sudden loud sounds, Farming and town life
Timers or time pressure	1 of 3 Mild, or can be turned off	An in-game clock runs every day and you pass out at 2:00 AM (Stardew Wiki: Saves). FGD lists Low Pressure (no time-limited tasks). Source for Timers or time pressure, Farming and town life Still checking: Check what passing out costs.
Failure and losing	Not enough info yet	No source on failure states in farming. Source for Failure and losing, Farming and town life
Difficulty spikes	Not enough info yet	No source. FGD documents no difficulty features. Source for Difficulty spikes, Farming and town life
Scary content and jump scares	Not enough info yet	No source on scary content outside the mines. Source for Scary content and jump scares, Farming and town life
Screen motion and camera speed	1 of 3 Mild, or can be turned off	Screen shake has its own intensity slider (teemo.dev). FGD lists No Screen Shake as an option. Source for Screen motion and camera speed, Farming and town life
Competition and online strangers	1 of 3 Mild, or can be turned off	Online co-op is optional (FGD: up to 4 online). ESRB: Users Interact (Switch). Source for Competition and online strangers, Farming and town life
Ease of stopping	2 of 3 Frequent	Saves only at the end of an in-game day. Quitting earlier loses that day's progress (Stardew Wiki: Saves). Source for Ease of stopping, Farming and town life
Reading load and text speed	1 of 3 Mild, or can be turned off	FGD: Moderate Reading. Subtitles are good but much other text is very small. Source for Reading load and text speed, Farming and town life Still checking: We mapped FGD's 'Moderate Reading' to 1. Please confirm.

Mode: Mines and combat

Sensory scores for Stardew Valley, Mines and combat
What we check	Score	Why
Flashing or strobe effects	1 of 3 Mild, or can be turned off	Bomb flashes. The 'Show Flash Effects' toggle should cover them (Stardew Wiki), but on the Stardew forum a player with epilepsy reported bomb flashes, and the developer's reply asked whether bombs were affected by the setting. Source for Flashing or strobe effects, Mines and combat Still checking: Make sure the toggle really suppresses bomb flashes on every platform. Seizure risk.
Sudden loud sounds	Not enough info yet	No source on sudden loud sounds. FGD lists Balance Audio Levels. Source for Sudden loud sounds, Mines and combat
Timers or time pressure	1 of 3 Mild, or can be turned off	An in-game clock runs every day and you pass out at 2:00 AM (Stardew Wiki: Saves). FGD lists Low Pressure (no time-limited tasks). Source for Timers or time pressure, Mines and combat Still checking: Check what passing out costs.
Failure and losing	Not enough info yet	No source on what happens when you pass out in the mines. Source for Failure and losing, Mines and combat
Difficulty spikes	Not enough info yet	No source. Source for Difficulty spikes, Mines and combat
Scary content and jump scares	2 of 3 Frequent	You fight monsters with weapons (Common Sense Media). Steady Strides: the mines and combat can be too intense for some kids. Source for Scary content and jump scares, Mines and combat Still checking: Combat intensity is filed under 'scary'. Please confirm the score.
Screen motion and camera speed	1 of 3 Mild, or can be turned off	Screen shake has its own intensity slider (teemo.dev). FGD lists No Screen Shake as an option. Source for Screen motion and camera speed, Mines and combat
Competition and online strangers	1 of 3 Mild, or can be turned off	Online co-op is optional (FGD: up to 4 online). ESRB: Users Interact (Switch). Source for Competition and online strangers, Mines and combat
Ease of stopping	2 of 3 Frequent	Saves only at the end of an in-game day. Quitting earlier loses that day's progress (Stardew Wiki: Saves). Source for Ease of stopping, Mines and combat
Reading load and text speed	1 of 3 Mild, or can be turned off	FGD: Moderate Reading. Subtitles are good but much other text is very small. Source for Reading load and text speed, Mines and combat Still checking: We mapped FGD's 'Moderate Reading' to 1. Please confirm.

Concerns to check

Mines/combat can be too intense for some kids (per source); day timer

Combat or enemiesTimers or time pressure

These are early research notes, not scores.

Where to buy

Nintendo eShop / Amazon: buy link coming soon.

PC store (e.g. Green Man Gaming, Fanatical, Humble): buy link coming soon.

Other stores: buy link coming soon.

Sources

Each score above also links to its own source.

Spotted something wrong? A way to report corrections is coming soon.