How to install SMAPI and mods on Stardew Valley in 2024?

A guide for those who are too lazy or are comfortable reading guides in text format <3

How to install Mods in Stardew Valley – SMAPI (2024) (Steam)

Installing SMAPI

Let’s move on to the stage that we can’t do without.
As you can understand, here some of us part ways, because someone (the author of the manual) does not know what to do on other operating systems except for Windows. If you have Linux or macOS, then everything written below will most likely not give you anything, but here are links to manuals for your OS:

1 way. Not manual installation of SMAPI

So let’s run the “install windows” file. You will be presented with a command prompt where you have two options:
1. Standard path to the root folder of the game
2. Entering your chosen path to the game folder during installation
If you did not change anything in the installation path when installing Stardew, then write “1” and press Enter. But if you changed the path of the game and you don’t know where the folder is, then here’s a way to find it:
Go to the steam library ->
Right-click on Stardew Valley in the part where the list of your games / programs is located -> Management ->
View Local Data ->
click on folder address ->
copy ->
Paste it into the command line and press Enter.
Then to install SMAPI you just need to write “1” and press enter. When the green text appears, you can close the window.

2 way. Manual installation

If you have any problems installing using the console, then this section is for you. Everything that happens next was done on Windows 7 and 10. If you have a different operating system, then in the “Installing SMAPI” section, I have provided links to guides for Linux and macOS in English. language.

In the folder with the Smapi installers that we downloaded on NexusMod, there is an “internal” folder. This folder contains files that will help us with the manual installation. We are specifically interested in the “windows-install.dat” file. This file needs to be formatted from “.dat” to “.zip”
When these steps are completed, we will have a zip archive with SMAPI files. These files need to be transferred to the root folder of the game. In case of conflicts with files in the very root folder of the game, you need to click “replace”.

If suddenly you have a pirate or it’s just convenient for you to launch the game directly not through steam, then you need to run the “StardewModdingAPI.exe” file, but keep in mind that you may not have achievements and the steam overlay may not be shown.

If it is convenient for you to run the mod immediately through Steam. version of the game, then the next section is for you.
Additionally. Let’s start the mod. version of the game directly through steam

It’s not exactly convenient to constantly go to the game folder and look for this funny chicken shortcut, so there is a way to immediately launch a modified version of the game through the Steam library.
Right click on Stardew Valley in your games/programs list ->
Properties ->
In the line “launch options” we insert this text (MANDATORY WITH BRACKETS AT THE BEGINNING AND END):

“C: Program Files (x86) SteamsteamappscommonStardew ValleyStardewModdingAPI.exe”%command%

If you have a different path to the game folder, then here is a list of actions for you:
1. Find and copy the path to the game folder where “StardewModdingAPI” is located (that is, just find the folder where you downloaded Stardew)
2. Paste in the line “Launch Options” in the properties of Stardew in Steam, attributing to the end (where it ends with /Stardew Valley) /StardewModdingAPI.exe” %command%

To check if everything works, run the game through Steam. If a command line appears where all your installed mods will be written, then everything is working.
Installing mods

After all the steps in the last section, we have slightly updated the root folder of the game. The most we need is the mods folder where we will throw all the mods.
So, let’s move on to the installation of mods. We go to Nexusmods and choose the mod that we like. I’ll take The Daily Newspaper mod as an example.
First of all, we need to go to the mod page. Ub

We hope that the mod is suitable for the latest version of the game and start our witchcraft under the name “Jump”
Press the “manual”, “slow download” button and wait 5 seconds. We are downloading a ZIP file and we need to extract from it ONLY the folder with the name of the downloaded mod. This folder needs to be copied / cut or simply moved to that Mods folder. And that’s all.
This will need to be done with each downloaded mod.

To start the game with mods, you need to run the “StardewModdingAPI” file and that’s it. All achievements and the time you spend in the game will be displayed in Steam if you play with Steam turned on in the background.

Will mods work in multiplayer?

There is one answer to this question: “It depends on what mods”
If this is a mod that simply replaces textures, like a mod that changes clothes for characters every season (RIP mod, by the way), then it will only be visible to the person who has it installed.
If this is a mod for example for a large number of worms, then it will be visible to everyone if it is installed on the host. If he does not have it, then you will not see a large number of worms.
Many mods are only shown to the player who has them installed. But if you want to play with some specific mods, then it is better to download all the players who are going to play with it together, in order to avoid possible errors and bugs.

Conclusion

If you have any questions, you can ask them in the comments. Also, if you notice errors (you don’t have to write about grammatical ones, I gradually correct them as soon as I find them) in the installation, then write there too.
If you want to support me (although probably not), then you better support the Stardew Valley developer, because without him, then this whole thing would not exist.

Have a good summer holidays, farms and successful completion of this amazing game!