# Stardew Valley

> ConcernedApe’s solo-developed farming game passed 50 million sales, its creator reported.

- Owner: Eric Barone (ConcernedApe)
- Kind: Game
- Sector: Gaming
- Seed date: 2016-02-26
- Observed peak date: By end of Mar 2024
- Date basis: Observed peak within the documented measurement window; not an all-time maximum. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 57 (Notable), v1.2
- Mechanics: Underdog, Maker origin, Platform jump, Press loop, Pairing

## Summary

Barone released Stardew Valley after solo development. Publisher previews, player streams and Reddit discussion accompanied its early sales. Switch and mobile ports broadened access. Steam concurrency peaked in March 2024 within the documented monthly series.

## Timeline

- 2016-01-29 — ConcernedApe (YouTube) — ConcernedApe released a trailer announcing the February launch.
- 2016-02-26 — ConcernedApe (Open web) — ConcernedApe released Stardew Valley for Windows after developing it alone.
- 2016-02-26 — PC Gamer (Press) — PC Gamer published its launch-day review of Stardew Valley.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/stardew-valley

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Stardew Valley.” Case HIS-01351. Spread Score v1.2: 57/100. Updated 2026-10-22. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01351