Stardew Valley Arcade Machines and Update 1.7: What We Know

Two pieces of Stardew Valley news landed at once. Official arcade cabinets are coming on 25 October 2026, running a two-player Journey of the Prairie King and a brand new mode called Junimo Kart Race. And ConcernedApe has dropped a fresh cryptic teaser about update 1.7. Here is everything that has actually been confirmed, and what is still guesswork.

Official Stardew Valley arcade machines, confirmed for 25 October

Arcade manufacturer SOHO Live, working directly with ConcernedApe, has revealed real Stardew Valley arcade cabinets. They are built to echo the machines standing in the Stardrop Saloon, with exclusive artwork by MK/RET, dynamic lighting and rumble feedback in the controls.

The debut is 25 October 2026. The cabinets will be on the floor at the grand finale of the Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons concert tour, and they are free to play for anyone attending the show.

What the cabinets actually run

Two games ship on the machines, and both are different from the versions you know from the Saloon.

Junimo Kart Race is the genuinely new thing here. In Stardew Valley itself, Junimo Kart is a single player affair: you steer one Junimo in a minecart that only jumps, across a Progress Mode of six levels or an Endless Mode where a single mistake ends the run. Turning it into a head-to-head race is a mode that does not exist anywhere in the game today.

Journey of the Prairie King getting a second player is the other long-standing wish granted. The minigame is one of the toughest things in Stardew Valley, and until now you could only suffer through it alone.

Where to play them: Red Rocks, 25 October 2026

The machines are part of the fan activity floor at the Symphony of Seasons grand finale, held at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado on Sunday 25 October 2026. The show marks ten years of Stardew Valley and features a 35-piece orchestra performing new arrangements of the soundtrack against in-game visuals.

Alongside the arcade cabinets, the event includes photo zones, an art gallery and merchandise. Tickets are sold through AXS, with VIP packages offering early entry and exclusive merchandise.

Can you buy a Stardew Valley arcade machine?

Not yet, and this is the part that keeps getting misreported. As of now the cabinets have only been confirmed as playable at the Red Rocks event. No retail release, no price and no pre-order have been announced by SOHO Live or ConcernedApe. Treat any figure you see floating around as invented until one of them publishes it.

Stardew Valley update 1.7: what is confirmed

The arcade machines are a physical product, not a patch. The actual game update in the pipeline is 1.7, which ConcernedApe confirmed exists but has repeatedly refused to date. Here is the confirmed list:

• Two new marriage candidates: revealed on the 10th anniversary broadcast of 26 February 2026 as Clint, the Pelican Town blacksmith, and Sandy, who runs the Oasis in the Calico Desert. Both have been in the game since launch without a romance path.
• Children rework: ConcernedApe has said he is trying to make children "a little more interesting". No specifics beyond that.
• A new farm type: teased as the traditional addition for a major update.
• More character and social content in general.

A farm map editor has been floated by ConcernedApe, along with the idea of letting players share their maps, but he has been explicit that he does not know whether it will make it in. That one is a maybe, not a feature.

There is no release date and no estimated window. ConcernedApe has said outright that it will be a while, and that he is splitting time between 1.7 and Haunted Chocolatier.

The cryptic 1.7 clue fans are still decoding

On 23 September 2026, ConcernedApe posted a three-line riddle in the official Stardew Valley Discord:

In 1.7:
Two paths will be extended
Three will become four
The mermaid's fruit will go free

The community consensus on the first line is that the "two paths" are Clint and Sandy, whose relationship routes are being extended into full romances. The other two lines are genuinely unresolved. The leading theories are that "three will become four" points at an existing family group gaining a member, and that "the mermaid's fruit" concerns the Mermaid's Pendant or the Night Market mermaid puzzle. Nobody has confirmed either, ConcernedApe included.

Why this matters for multiplayer farms

Both arcade games are being turned into two-player experiences, and 1.7 is leaning on social content. If you have not touched your farm since 1.6, this is a decent moment to spin one back up with friends before the update lands and everyone restarts at once.

Stardew Valley multiplayer runs best on a dedicated server, so the world keeps ticking whether or not the host is online. You can create a free Stardew Valley server on AxentHost and have friends join in minutes. While you wait for 1.7, our guides on sprinkler layouts and what each villager likes will get a fresh farm up to speed fast.

FAQ

When do the Stardew Valley arcade machines come out?
25 October 2026, at the Symphony of Seasons grand finale at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. They are free to play for attendees.

What games are on the Stardew Valley arcade machine?
A two-player co-op version of Journey of the Prairie King, and Junimo Kart Race, a new two-player competitive mode built on Junimo Kart.

How much does a Stardew Valley arcade machine cost?
No price has been announced. SOHO Live has not confirmed a retail release at all yet.

Is Junimo Kart Race coming to the game itself?
There is no announcement that it is. So far it has only been shown as an arcade cabinet mode.

When is Stardew Valley 1.7 releasing?
There is no release date or estimate. ConcernedApe has confirmed the update is happening and has said it will take a while.

Who are the new marriage candidates in 1.7?
Clint and Sandy, confirmed during the 10th anniversary broadcast on 26 February 2026.