How to Save in Stardew Valley

Fortunately, getting familiar with the game’s save system is a simple task. However, it’s important to remember that there is no auto-save feature in the game. This means that if you want to avoid losing all of your progress, you’re going to need to know how to save in Stardew Valley.

Stardew Valley is one of the most immersive farm life games out there. Are you a rancher or a tiller, fighter or a scout, or do you spend your time milking cows or searching for treasure chests. Just remember, while you’re busy maintaining your farm, it’s important to SAVE your game!

How to Save

The good news is that saving your game in Stardew Valley is the same process across all platforms, and it’s pretty easy, too. To save your progress, all you need to do is sleep in your bed at night.

Here are the exact steps:

1. Wait until evening
2. Head back to your house and go inside
3. Walk to your bed until you’re halfway covered by the sheets
4. A message will pop up asking you if you want to sleep, select yes
5. Wait for the screen to turn black
6. A message will appear telling you that your game has been saved

Other Ways to Save

Outside of installing some mods (which we don’t suggest), there is no other traditional way to save your progress in Stardew Valley.

However, there is a method you can use to force your progress to save, but it’s less than ideal. If your character collapses from exhaustion, then your game will save. This will happen at 2:00 am in the in-game clock, or if your character becomes too exhausted. 

If you collapse from exhaustion, your game will save. However, when you wake up, you will only be able to recharge half of your energy until you’ve eaten enough food to replenish it fully. 

So, while you can technically save your game this way, we wouldn’t suggest it. You’re much better off trekking back to your home base and sleeping in your own bed. Doing so will take some extra time, so be sure to plan accordingly.

Should I Save My Game Every Night?

Yes, we recommend that you save your game progress every night in Stardew Valley. 

Working at night can be very difficult because it’s hard to see what you’re doing. And if you wind out the clock, it can be easy to collapse from exhaustion if you’re not careful.

As soon as you notice it’s starting to get dark, it’s best to head back to your farm and hop into bed for a good night’s rest. Ideally, you’d be home by midnight, but you aren’t truly in trouble until the clock strikes 02:00 AM.

It’s worth noting that if you’re working in the extensive mine levels, it can be very difficult to keep up with time. The mines are dark already, and there’s no way to tell that it’s getting dark outside. 

While the in-game clock is displayed on your screen, it’s easy to forget to check it while you’re exploring the mines. Be sure to bring plenty of snacks with you to keep your stamina up, and try to remember to check the clock every couple of minutes. 

How to Load a Saved Game

After you save your game in Stardew Valley, you’ll be free to close out of it and come back to it later. If you’re booting up the game and want to load a saved file, simply click “Load” on the bottom part of the main menu.

This will open up a screen that will show you your different saved files. Select whichever game save file you’d like and then you’ll be able to pick back up where you left off. 

To save and quit your game safely, you’ll need to head to your farmhouse and sleep in your bed. This will create a fresh save that you can re-load once you’re ready to start playing again.

If you exit out of the game without saving your progress, you will lose it. 

Expert Tip

Get in the habit of saving your game every night and keep track of your time. The in-game clock is fast and you can easily avoid losing precious work.

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