Stardew Valley

2.92
Good
Price: $4.99
Ads: No
In App Purchases: No

iOS App Store
Google Play App Store

Temporal Dark PatternsTemporal Dark Patterns

This game has 22 reported Temporal Dark Patterns. There are 125 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

2.57

10 votes
11 votes
Grinding -
10 / 11 votes
Being required to perform repetitive and tedious tasks to advance.

8 votes
13 votes
Infinite Treadmill -
8 / 13 votes
Impossible to win or complete the game.

4 votes
18 votes
Can't Pause or Save -
4 / 18 votes
The game does not allow you to stop playing whenever you want.

21 votes
Playing by Appointment -
0 / 21 votes
Being forced to play according to the game's schedule instead of yours.

21 votes
Daily Rewards -
0 / 21 votes
Encourages return visits every day and punishes you for missing a day.

21 votes
Advertisements -
0 / 21 votes
Forced to watch ads or given rewards for watching ads.

20 votes
Wait To Play -
0 / 20 votes
In-game timers that make you arbitrarily wait for something.

Monetary Dark PatternsMonetary Dark Patterns

This game has 0 reported Monetary Dark Patterns. There are 220 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

5

20 votes
Premium Currency -
0 / 20 votes
Exchange rate between real money and in-game currency disguises the real price of items.

20 votes
Pay to Win -
0 / 20 votes
A player can spend real money to purchase something that gives them an advantage in the game.

20 votes
Artificial Scarcity -
0 / 20 votes
Limited time offers with unnecessary urgency.

20 votes
Pay to Skip -
0 / 20 votes
Spend money to avoid waiting for a timer to expire.

20 votes
Accidental Purchases -
0 / 20 votes
Making it easy to accidentally spend money with no confirmation or ability to undo or refund the action.

20 votes
Recurring Fee -
0 / 20 votes
Encourages players to play as much as possible to get their money's worth.

20 votes
Gambling / Loot Boxes -
0 / 20 votes
Spending real money to play a game of chance for a reward.

20 votes
Power Creep -
0 / 20 votes
A permanently purchased item in the game becomes less valuable over time.

20 votes
Pay Wall -
0 / 20 votes
The game becomes impossible to continue playing without payment.

20 votes
Waste Aversion -
0 / 20 votes
Capped inventory forces you to destroy items or upgrade inventory. Also, having small amounts of left over premium currency.

20 votes
Anchoring Tricks -
0 / 20 votes
Placing a cheap item next to an expensive item to make it look more affordable.

Social Dark PatternsSocial Dark Patterns

This game has 3 reported Social Dark Patterns. There are 137 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

4.66

3 votes
17 votes
Reciprocity -
3 / 17 votes
Feeling obligated to return a favor, share resources, trade an item, etc.

20 votes
Social Pyramid Scheme -
0 / 20 votes
You get a bonus for inviting your friends and then they have to invite their friends.

20 votes
Social Obligation / Guilds -
0 / 20 votes
To avoid letting down your friends, you are obligated to play when you don't want to.

20 votes
Friend Spam / Impersonation -
0 / 20 votes
The game sends spam to your contact list or social media account.

20 votes
Encourages Anti-Social Behavior -
0 / 20 votes
The game incentivizes players to lie, cheat, or backstab other players to get ahead.

20 votes
Fear of Missing Out -
0 / 20 votes
If you stop playing you'll miss out on something or be left behind and unable to catch up.

20 votes
Competition -
0 / 20 votes
The game makes you compete against other players.

Psychological Dark PatternsPsychological Dark Patterns

This game has 43 reported Psychological Dark Patterns. There are 102 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

0.19

16 votes
6 votes
Complete the Collection -
16 / 6 votes
The urge to collect all the items, achievements or secrets in a game.

11 votes
9 votes
Badges / Endowed Progress -
11 / 9 votes
Reluctancy to abandon a partially completed goal, even one forced upon the player.

9 votes
12 votes
Invested / Endowed Value -
9 / 12 votes
Having already spent time and money to improve your status in the game, it's difficult to throw it away.

5 votes
15 votes
Aesthetic Manipulations -
5 / 15 votes
Trick questions or toying with emotions or our subconscious desires.

2 votes
19 votes
Variable Rewards -
2 / 19 votes
Unpredictable or random rewards are more addictive than a predictable schedule.

21 votes
Illusion of Control -
0 / 21 votes
The game cheats or hides information to make you think you're better than you actually are.

20 votes
Optimism and Frequency Biases -
0 / 20 votes
Overestimating the frequency of something because we’ve seen it recently or memorably.

App Store Ratings

iOS:  (4.50) with 10,966 votes.
Google Play:  (4.68) with 18,041 votes.



Recent Dark Pattern Reviews

Invested / Endowed Value reported on Aug 27, 2023
A farm with many amenities and cooler animals takes time investment to build
Infinite Treadmill reported on Aug 19, 2023
It has a contained story, technically you could play forever but why would you?? I'm putting Yes but mean Yes (No). Like would you consider minecraft to be an infinite treadmill? thats like Stardew
Grinding reported on Jul 29, 2023
Skills, quests, earning money, caring for animals/farm/npc relationship gauges, etc. You are always chasing a half dozen things and even if you like some of them you almost certainly will not enjoy or be good at all of them, making some degree of the game a frustrating slog.
Infinite Treadmill reported on Jul 29, 2023
Technically speaking most if not all of the major questlines and town storyline can be finished, but the game does not end and the basic gameplay loop always remains.
Can't Pause or Save reported on Jul 29, 2023
There is technically an ability to save mid-day instead of when the in-game day ends, but the state you return to is not entirely accurate to what you did before leaving, encouraging finishing out the remainder of the day cycle rather than utilize quicksaves.
Complete the Collection reported on Jul 29, 2023
In more recent updates there are special items and quests you can only access by increasing your 'Perfection' rating aka moving closer to 100% complete.
Can't Pause or Save reported on Apr 2, 2023
the only way to save your progress in this game is by going to sleep at any time and progressing to the next day. 6am-12am in game lasts about 12 minutes, so you can only really save your progress every 12 minutes
Reciprocity reported on Mar 22, 2023
in a way? you can have a multiplayer world with others, but you can't join anyone else's world without communicating between yourselves first


Report a Dark Pattern

Screenshot Settle down and start a new life in the countryside with the bachelors and bachelorettes of ConcernedApe's Stardew Valley, now on sale until July 13th!

Move to the countryside, and cultivate a new life in this award-winning open-ended farming RPG! With over 50+ hours of gameplay content and new Mobile-specific features, such as auto-save and multiple controls options.

**Winner of the Golden Joysticks' Breakthrough Award**
**Nominee of Game of the Year 2017 - BAFTA Games Awards**

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BUILD THE FARM OF YOUR DREAMS:

Turn your overgrown fields into a lively and bountiful farm

Raise and breed happy animals, grow a variety of seasonal crops and design your farm, your way

Customize your farmer and home! With hundreds of options to choose from

Settle down and start a family with 12 potential marriage candidates

Become part of the community by taking part in seasonal festivals and villager quests

Explore vast, mysterious caves, encountering dangerous monsters and valuable treasure

Spend a relaxing afternoon at one of the local fishing spots or go crabbing by the seaside

Forage, grow crops and produce artisan goods to cook up as a delicious meal

Rebuilt for touch-screen gameplay on Android with mobile-specific features, such as auto-select to toggle quickly between your farming tools and auto-attack to swiftly take down fiendish monsters in the mines

Play the game your way with multiple controls options, such as touch-screen, virtual joystick, and external controller support.

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The best version of Stardew Valley is the one you have with you This game is absolutely incredible, and will not disappoint. - TouchArcade

"Stardew Valley beautifully combines farm simulation with RPG elements to create an intriguing, absorbing rural world." - IGN

Far more than just a farming game... filled with seemingly endless content and heart. Giant Bomb

"Village life has never been so accessible and satisfying" - The Telegraph

Stardew Valley has been the most rich and heartwarming experience Ive had in a game in years. CG Magazine

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Note: Features new 1.3 update story content, multiplayer functionality not supported. No in-app purchases.