Stardew Valley is set to get two new marriage candidates when update 1.7 launches, as well as new features to make children and family more interesting for gameplay. The news was revealed to IGN by developer Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone, who also spoke of more surprises to come, to celebrate the game’s 10th anniversary.
‘I’m trying to not reveal too much because I like for it to be a surprise,’ Barone said. ‘What I will say, without maybe being too specific, is that with this update, one of the things we’re trying to do is… well, there is a popular fan request, which has to do with the children, trying to make the children a little more interesting.’
‘I’m trying to do something with that, but there’s a lot of other things in the update as well that no one’s really asked for, but I think people will appreciate it … I’m going to be adding two more marriage candidates, but I’ll reveal who it is on the anniversary day.’
The grand reveal of who the new marriage candidates are will take place on 26 February.
Stardew Valley update 1.7 details – quick links
Who could the new Stardew Valley marriage candidates be?
There are ample possibilities for the new marriage candidates, even without Barone detailing exactly who might be eligible.
Currently, there are an array of characters in Stardew Valley that aren’t marriageable, and aren’t already in relationships, that fans would more than likely relish becoming closer to. That includes fan-favourites like shadow person Krobus or the mysterious Dwarf. There’s also woodsman Linus, or even the Wizard.
We can likely discount characters already in relationships, as splitting up partners would seem an odd direction to go, and it would likely change the game too much – so folks like Robin, Demetrius, Caroline, Pierre, Jodi and Kent are probably unlikely.
While Pam has a daughter and is an older character, she is single, and could be a possible marriage candidate for the intrepid player.
Barone could also introduce new characters to be married, but given the amount of time and effort required to make this happen, it might make more sense to add new social interactions for existing characters.
What else do we know about the new Stardew Valley update?
As Barone explained, he wants the vast majority of Stardew Valley‘s 1.7 update to be a surprise, as a gift to fans for supporting the game over a decade. That said, he has let slip some major details, including improvements to marriage and family gameplay.
Per a post in late 2025, the new update will feature more ‘character/social’ interactions, as well as a new farm type.
It’s likely the new update will also feature an array of other additions, as Barone continues to work on updates for the game, while also working on his new standalone project, Haunted Chocolatier.
Speaking on this project recently, Barone confirmed ideas for Stardew Valley and Haunted Chocolatier are being developed entirely separately, and that he continues to work on Stardew Valley for a simple reason, namely that ‘it’s a very popular game with a large, ever-growing player base’.
We’ll likely hear much more about Stardew Valley‘s incoming 1.7 update later in February, so stay tuned for more details.
