When single developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone officially released Stardew Valley in 2016, the farm-life sim wasn’t intended to have any voiceovers. That hasn’t stopped a dedicated fan from creating a Stardew Valley mod that adds vocal performances to the game.
Voice actress and software engineer Shannon Hobby released the Stardew Valley voice over mod as a proof of concept in 2024. But this week, Hobby has updated the mod with vocal performances for all of the romanceable characters in the game. Hobby’s intent is give every character in the game a voice, but it’s still a work in progress.
“I’m a voice actor and software engineer and I’ve combine these skills to make something wonderful for a game that I really care about that’s super important to me and I know is important to a lot of people,” said Hobby in her initial announcement video. “I think this was a perfect opportunity to combine those skill sets and make something that I’m proud of for a game that I really care about and give back to the community a little bit.”
Hobby went on to explain that she is not using generative AI for the game’s voices. Instead, all of the voices are provided by real people whom Hobby has paid out of her own pocket. She also shared the cast list below:
Audio Editing Assistance was provided by Victoria Cheng. Hobby also notes that the mod still has some bugs to work through, including audio cues that don’t always play when they should.
Last year, Stardew Valley received a Switch 2 Edition, and Barone announced a 1.7 update that will introduce a new farm type and more features. That update doesn’t currently have a release date, but Barone has warned that it’s going to take “a while.”
