Having performance issues on Stardew Valley? Remove hats from pets, dev says

After what felt like a lifetime, console and mobile players finally received the long-awaited Stardew Valley 1.6 update a couple of days ago. Well, technically it’s version 1.6.9 to account for the latest patch, but it comes with everything that came before it and that PC fans have been enjoying for months now.

However, there appears to be a small issue when it comes to performance. According to a recent post on X from developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, there is a solution to those playing the latest version of Stardew Valley.

Until a more permanent fix can be sent out, Barone suggests anyone experiencing performance problems should “remove all hats from pets.” No, this is apparently not a joke. Our own Paula kindly confirmed this to be a genuine piece of advice to the issue.

For real

If you’re new to Stardew Valley and not sure what the advice entails, you’re advised to “try putting a different hat on your pet,” which will then “remove the original hat first.” When pressed for further details in an excuse me, what? kind of way, the developer had this to say:

There’s rumors of a strange rash affecting pets’ ears in Zuzu City and we just want to make sure those ears can breath [sic] for a few days.

The 1.6.9 update went live a couple of days ago, bringing with it new features and changes. According to the patch notes, the game now gives you the ability to “place beds and sleep inside any constructed buildings that allow furniture,” adds in new Easter eggs, balances some aspects, and…you know what, there’s too much to list here. Best to read the changelog itself.

The mobile port of Stardew Valley also now comes loaded with a hidden and experimental multiplayer feature. Instructions on how you can access it can be found here.