Stardew Valley Mods Not Showing Up or Not Working (Solved)

When it comes to the farming simulation in pixelated format, Stardew Valley has had no competition since 2016 and that’s why there are a huge number of active players added consistently. As ConcernedApe is pushing patch updates for a better gaming experience, more players are joining this title. Exploring, farming, and making a livelihood can be a cosy experience for so many players. However, external mods to the game can also enhance many things that we can’t expect in a vanilla version. But the Stardew Valley Mods Not Showing Up or Not Working issue has become a major concern.

It seems that the modding community in Stardew Valley is doing a pretty great job for interested players to apply cheat mods to get the best out of this game. Well, this is also one of the main USPs of this title so far because these days players want more customizations and more diversity rather than sticking to a stock & limited gaming features. There are plenty of new NPCs, maps, fish, objects, crops, farming lands, festivals, and more that can’t be possible to delivered by the game developers.

These modifications have become a new life for the Stardew Valley game and that’s why players are getting attracted to it. This not only brings a whole new gaming experience for mod lovers but also opens up so many hidden potentials for the game which can be unlocked shortly. At the time of writing this article, the latest Stardew Valley 1.6 patch update has been released that fixes so many bugs and issues. Meanwhile, more new cheat mods now can be accessed in this title with the new patch.

Fix Stardew Valley Mods Not Showing Up or Not Working

It can be frustrating to realize that you’ve installed or planned a bunch of mods to use in a game but they don’t work as expected. As you’re now reading this guide, we can assume that you’re experiencing issues with the in-game mods where either the cheat mods aren’t showing properly or they just don’t work. Well, this is a pretty common issue and may happen due to multiple possible reasons. The chances are high that your system needs a reboot, the game version becomes outdated, game files are broken, not using a dedicated graphics card, etc can cause mods not working.

Additionally, an outdated SMAPI version, not unzipping mods into the right directory, not running the correct executable application, lack of system admin access, incompatible mods, load order conflicts, mod installation problems, issues with the Visual C++ Redistributables, opted for the 32-bit beta by mistake, corrupted game installation, and more can trigger in-game mods not showing issues. Luckily, we’ve mentioned potential workarounds that should help you. So, without further ado, let’s jump into it.

1. Force Restart the Game

You should restart the game forcefully on your PC to terminate any kind of potential application conflicts or game glitches up to some extent. As this specific task did help a lot of PC gamers, you can try it once. To do so, check the steps below.

• Just quit the game and exit from the launcher.
• Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open Task Manager.
• Go to the Processes tab.
• Right-click on the Stardew Valley task.
• Click on End Task.
• Launch the client and run Stardew Valley again.

2. Power Cycle Your Computer

Before jumping into any other workarounds, you should power cycle the PC to refresh system glitches most of the time. It’s a better way to clear temporary cache from the system instead of rebooting the PC to some extent. To do so, check the steps below:

• Go to the Start menu > Click on Power.
• Click on Shut Down to power off the system.
• Unplug the power cable from the source.
• Now, wait for at least a minute.
• Reconnect the power cable to the source.
• Power On the PC and run the game.

3. Run the Stardew Valley Package as an Administrator

It’s also recommended to always run the Stardew Valley game application as administrator on the Windows PC. This will allow the User Account Control (UAC) to grant the system admin access properly.

• Head over to the game installation directory on your PC.
• Right-click on the StardewValley.exe app.
• Select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.

• Enable the Run this program as an administrator checkbox.
• Click on Apply > Select OK to save changes.

Please Note: As you’re using mods, do the same steps for the StardewModdingAPI.exe app too.

4. Set the High-Performance Graphics for StardewModdingAPI

Another thing you can set the high-performance graphics option for the StardewModdingAPI executable application on your computer by following the steps below. It will allow the game to use the dedicated graphics card properly.

• Go to the Start menu on your PC.
• Search for Graphics Settings and open it.
• Click on ‘Browse’ at the top.
• Choose StardewModdingAPI.exe in your game folder.
• From the app list, click on ‘Options’ under StardewModdingAPI.
• Now, change the Graphics Preference to ‘High performance’.
• Save the changes and reboot the PC.

5. Update Stardew Valley

The chances are high that you’re using an outdated game patch version for a while and developers have already released a new patch to bring more stability. In that case, you should check for the game updates and install the same at your end.

Make sure you have installed the Stardew Valley 1.6 or later version at the time of writing this article. You can click on the ‘?’ button on the title screen and the installed version will be shown in the bottom-left. To do so, check the steps below.

For Steam:

• Open your Steam client.
• Go to the Library.
• Right-click on Stardew Valley.
• Click on Properties.
• Go to the Updates tab.
• Enable the automatic updates option.
• If a new update is available, Steam will automatically install it.

For GOG Galaxy:

• Launch GOG GALAXY on the PC.
• Now, make sure to log in with your valid GOG account.
• Go to Library > Click on the Stardew Valley game.
• Click on the Customize button (next to the Play button).
• Select Check for updates from the list.
• If the new update is available, proceed to it.
• Once done, reboot the PC to apply changes.

For Xbox App:

• Open the Xbox app for Windows.
• In My Library, select the Stardew Valley game.
• Click on the More options (…) button.
• Choose Manage.
• Select Files > Click on Check for updates.
• If an update is available, install it.
• Once done, restart the PC to apply changes.

6. Scan and Repair the Game Files

Sometimes missing or corrupted game files on the PC may cause some issues with the in-game mod detection or not working. So, scanning and repairing the game files might be helpful enough. You can follow the steps below to verify the integrity of the game files.

For Steam:

• Launch the Steam client > Click on Library.
• Right-click on Stardew Valley from the list.
• Now, click on Properties > Go to the Local Files tab.

• Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
• You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
• Once done, restart your computer to apply changes.

For GOG Galaxy:

• Launch GOG GALAXY on the PC.
• Now, log in with your valid GOG account.
• Go to Library > Click on the Stardew Valley game.
• Click on the Customize button (next to the Play button).
• Select Manage Installation > Click on Verify / Repair.
• Wait for a while to complete the repair process.
• Once done, relaunch the client & run the game.

For Xbox App:

• Open the Xbox app for Windows.
• In My Library, select the Stardew Valley game.
• Select the More options (…) button.
• Choose Manage.
• Click on Files > Click on Verify and Repair.
• Wait for it to complete.
• Then reboot the PC.

7. Update SMAPI to the Latest Version

SMAPI (Stardew Modding API) is an open-source mod loader tool for the Stardew Valley game that works on Windows, Mac, Linux, etc. This is important for most mods for the game and is also compatible with Steam and GOG.

• Head over to the official SMAPI website.
• You can download and install the latest version of SMAPI.
• The SMAPI version will be shown at the top of the SMAPI console window.

8. Try Using the Mod Update Menu in the Log File

The chances are high that you’re not using the updated mod on your computer. It’s recommended to use the Mod Update Menu in the Stardew Valley Log File by following the steps below.

• Upload the Stardew Valley game log to the Log Parser.
• Follow the on-page instructions to check where the log file is stored.
• It’ll help you to diagnose potential mod errors.
• In case, the log file is too big, you can use a text editor to open it. (like Notepad or Notepad++)
• The very top of your log will show a list of all your mods that need to be updated.
• You can also use Mod Update Menu to keep track of your updates from the in-game menu.
• The first thing to try when you’re having issues with mods is to update everything shown there, even if some of the mods seem to be working fine right now.

9. Use Deploy Mods in the game Mods Folder

You should also try using Deploy Mods in the Stardew Valley game Mods folder by following the steps below if all installed mods aren’t visible in the folder.

• Go to the Mods tab > Click on Open.
• Head over to the Game Mods folder.
• Confirm the mods that are correctly showing in the folder.
• If not, click on the ‘Deploy Mods’ option on the same toolbar.

10. Check for Mod Updates

Well, having an outdated mod in Stardew Valley can also cause several issues with the in-game mods not working or not showing. So, updating your mods in the first place can help a lot to fix mods not working issues, Modders usually push the latest updates to their mods which can improve the gaming experience.

• You should check the mod’s page on the Nexus Mods website or the Stardew Valley Modding forum.
• Find the latest version of the mod.
• Make sure to save it to your computer.
• You can use a Mod Manager such as Vortex or Mod Organizer to check for available updates and install the latest automatically.

11. Ensure Mods or Add-ons aren’t Incompatible

In Stardew Valley, there may be some mod issues or conflicts that can trouble you with gameplay. You should check if the mods or add-ons aren’t incompatible with your Stardew Valley game. In case, any installed mod is incompatible with the game and somehow the mod is conflicting with game files or game mechanics, the mod won’t work.

You should try disabling all of your mods that are installed for the Stardew Valley game. then enable them one at a time to check for any mods that are not compatible with each other. Once you activate all mods, the game system will check for all functions whether everything works or not. So, it’s better to remove all problematic mods and folders & then try performing a clean reinstall of the mods. To do that, you can check the mod page instructions.

12. Check Your Load Order

Conflicts with the load order of Stardew Valley mods can trouble you a lot. This can affect the game mods not working or not showing issues. You can check for the ‘load order’ for the sequence where the individual mods can be loaded into a game. Any kind of load order failure can lead to mod operation issues in the game.

The chances are high that you should use a mod manager like Vortex or Mod Organizer to cross-check the load order for Stardew Valley mods. Just drag and drop the load order of your mods within the mod manager interface.

13. Check if Your Mod Installation is Correct

Issues with the Stardew Valley mod installation process may also corrupted when it comes to the incorrect location. You should cross-check if the mod installation is correct or not. In case, the mod installation adds a corrupted archive then you’ll face problems with the mod not working. So, install the mods in the correct game folder location by using the website instructions.

14. Install Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables

You’ll need to grab the latest Visual C++ Redistributables on the PC that will allow the Windows system to run the required programs quite smoothly. It’s recommended to uninstall the previously installed Visual C++ Redistributable before installing the new one. To do so:

• Open Settings by pressing the Win+I keys.
• Click on Apps > Search for existing VCRedist and uninstall it.
• Once done, reboot the PC.
• Go to the official MS website link.
• Download the X86/X64 versions of Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022.
• Install both programs and then reboot the system.

15. Opt out of the 32-bit Beta of Stardew Valley

It’s also recommended to opt out of the 32-bit beta version of Stardew Valley by following the steps below. In case, you are enrolled on the 32-bit beta of Stardew Valley, you should leave the 32-bit beta.

For Steam:

• Open Steam > Go to Library.
• Right-click on Stardew Valley.
• Select Properties > Click on the Betas tab.
• Click on the drop-down menu.
• Select Compatibility > Your game may receive an update.
• Now, you can play Stardew Valley to check for the issue.

For GOG Galaxy:

• Open GOG Galaxy > Go to your Games list.
• Right-click on Stardew Valley.
• Go to Manage Installation > Select Configure.
• Click on the ‘Beta Channels’ drop-down menu.
• Select Compatability.
• Your game may receive an update.
• Now, you can play Stardew Valley to check for the issue.

16. Reinstall Stardew Valley

As a last workaround, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling the Stardew Valley game on your PC to ensure no issue with the game installation directory. Well, we know that uninstalling a game can be tough due to game progress losing or wasting time. Some affected players did find this method useful. So, you should try it out.

For Steam:

• Launch the Steam client on your computer.
• Now, go to Library > Right-click on Stardew Valley.
• Head over to Manage > Select Uninstall.
• If prompted, click Uninstall again.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to complete it.
• Once done, restart the PC to apply changes.
• Finally, launch Steam, and Reinstall Stardew Valley on a different drive.

For GOG Galaxy:

• Open the GOG Galaxy client.
• Select Stardew Valley from the Installed list.
• Click on the Customization button next to the Play option.
• Now, select Manage Installation.
• Click on Uninstall.
• Go through the on-screen prompts to complete uninstallation.
• Once done, make sure to reboot the PC.
• To reinstall the game, open the GOG Galaxy client.
• Go to the Games list on the left side.
• Next, click on the Stardew Valley game.
• Click on the Install button at the top of the page.
• Select the directory where you want to install your game. (set a different drive)
• Click on Continue > Wait for the installation progress to complete.

For Xbox App:

• Sign in to your Microsoft account on your Windows PC.
• Go to the Start menu > Go to Settings.
• Select Apps > Click on Apps & features.
• Choose the Stardew Valley game that you want to uninstall.
• Click on Uninstall and then hit Uninstall again. [Go to More actions …]
• Now, reboot the computer to apply changes.
• Finally, open the Xbox app & reinstall the Stardew Valley game.
• You’re done. Enjoy!

That’s it, guys. We hope this guide was helpful. For further queries, you can comment below.