Stardew Valley multiplayer goes into open beta

Stardew Valley’s multiplayer mode is coming along nicely. So well, in fact, that publisher Chucklefish has gone and launched an open beta for the long-awaited feature.

While the beta is for the PC version only (multiplayer will be coming to Switch after it debuts on PC, with other consoles to follow), you can get a good glimpse of what multiplayer will entail as players take to Twitch and YouTube to experiment with group play.

The beta is currently only available to Steam users. Groups of four players can join up in a new group game or join a friend’s existing single-player game. Each player gets their own cabin (a simple home you can build for a modest 100g and 10 Stone) on the farm. Players will work together to garden, fish, and create a thriving co-op barnyard. You’ll even be able to marry fellow players.

The multiplayer version incorporates nifty social features complete with text chat and 200 Stardew Valley-themed emojis. You can sift through all of the sundry details in this blog post by Chucklefish’s Tom Coxon.