Modding:Player Guide/Troubleshooting
Did something go wrong with your game? This is the page for you. (This page isn't only for players who use mods!)
Common fixes
The basics
- Try restarting your computer.
- Make sure you have Stardew Valley 1.6 or later.
Click the "?" button on the title screen, and the version will appear in the bottom-left. - If you use SMAPI, make sure you have the latest version of that.
The SMAPI version is shown at the top of the SMAPI console window.
Reset your content files
Many problems are caused by broken game files (especially if you use XNB mods). You can reset your game files to fix that. SMAPI mods won't be affected.
- See instructions for Steam or for GOG Galaxy.
- If you use SMAPI on Linux/Mac, reinstall SMAPI to fix the launcher.
more options |
---|
If you don't want to reset all files, you have some other options.
|
Fix common problems
Game doesn't launch
The game doesn't open when you try to launch it. (If you use Steam, it might show 'running' for a few seconds.) Here are some common fixes:
- Restart your computer.
- Make sure you have speakers or headphones plugged in. (They can be muted, but the game needs a working audio device.)
- If you play on Windows:
- Install (or reinstall) .NET Framework 4.5.2 and XNA Framework 4.0.
- Restart your computer.
- Launch the game.
- If you play on Linux:
- Your default terminal might not be compatible. Try installing the xterm terminal.
- If that doesn't fix it:
- Install SMAPI (if you don't already have it).
- Launch the game.
- Ask for help and attach your SMAPI log.
Game freezes or crashes while opening
The game tries to open, but crashes before the title screen. Here are some common fixes:
- Try everything in the list above first.
- Delete your
startup_preferences
, found in%appdata%/StardewValley
on Windows. - Disable antivirus if using SMAPI.
- Disable any programs that intercept the game (like MSI AfterBurner or RivaTuner).
- If that doesn't fix it, follow the steps to ask for help.
Save disappeared or doesn't load
Can't connect to another player in multiplayer
- Check that Stardew Valley is up to date and your save is loaded in co-op mode.
- Make sure you have enough cabins built for the number of players.
- Make sure the server is set to online in the game options.
- Turn firewalls and antivirus off for all players.
- Make sure everyone is logged onto Steam/GoG Galaxy.
- Do a content reset for all players.
- Delete your
startup_preferences
, found in%appdata%/StardewValley
on Windows or~/.config/StardewValley
on Linux/Mac. - Restart all players' PCs.
- Restart all players' routers, and check for any updates for your router.
- Try reinstalling .NET Framework 4.5.2 and XNA Framework 4.0
- If you're playing modded and are getting a "version mismatch" error check your log files for a line like
[19:49:26 TRACE game] Starting server. Protocol version: 1.4.0.1
and check whether the protocol version matches.
For console players, please try as many of the steps as you can (particularly the first three) and try power cycling your console. Please note that all consoles require their paid online service to play over the internet.
SMAPI files disappear or antivirus complains
Your antivirus might remove or complain about some SMAPI files. This is based on heuristic detection (for example, SMAPI rewrites mods so they work on your computer, and rewriting files is something malware also does, so your antivirus got suspicious). Antiviruses learn to allow SMAPI after enough users download it, but this resets for each release. SMAPI doesn't have a trojan — you can check by reading the code, decompiling the download, or uploading it to VirusTotal.
If this happens, here's how to fix it:
- Temporarily disable your antivirus.
- Redownload and install SMAPI.
- Add an exception to your antivirus for the Stardew Valley folder (search online for your antivirus name with the words add folder exception for instructions).
SMAPI doesn't recognize controller (Steam only)
Common fixes:
- Launch the game through Steam.
- Windows only: make sure you set the launch options (see part 2 in the Windows install guide), don't add SMAPI as a non-Steam game.
- If all else fails, you can use third-party software to add controller support. Suggested software:
- Linux: SC Controller.
- Mac: 360Controller. When using a non-Xbox controller, you should enable 'pretend to be an Xbox 360 controller'.
- Windows: InputMapper.
last resort on Linux/Mac |
---|
As a last resort on Linux or Mac, you can disable the SMAPI console window to fix this. You won't see update/error alerts unless you check the log, and your game won't launch after a crash until you delete the smapi-internal/StardewModdingAPI.crash.marker file. You should periodically check the log to make sure everything is working correctly. If you really want to do this:
You'll need to repeat this after updating SMAPI. |
Fix specific errors
"SMAPI can't find the game"
- Make sure you're running
StardewModdingAPI.exe
in your game folder (see the install instructions). - Did you install SMAPI manually (not using the installer)? Make sure you copied the right files:
internal/Windows
for Windows, orinternal/Mono
for Linux/Mac.
"Skipped '...' because it doesn't have a manifest.json"
SMAPI couldn't find the manifest.json
file for the mod in that folder. That usually means it's not a SMAPI mod, so it won't work from the Mods
folder. See that mod's documentation for install instructions.
"missing executable" (Steam only)
Steam can't find the game launcher, usually because your Steam launch options are incorrect. Common fixes:
- If you want to use SMAPI:
make sure it's installed and your launch options are correct (see install guide). - If you're uninstalling SMAPI:
- In Steam, right-click Stardew Valley and choose Properties.
- Click the Set Launch Options button.
- Make sure the textbox is completely empty.
"looks like Mono isn't installed" (Linux/Mac only)
Mono is a framework needed by the installer and SMAPI to work correctly. Installing Mono and restarting your computer usually fixes this error.
On Mac, it might not work after installing Mono. If so:
- Enter this command:
ln -s /Library/Frameworks/Mono.framework/Versions/Current/bin/mono /usr/local/bin/mono
- If that shows an error or it still doesn't work, you can install Homebrew and run
brew install mono mono-libgdiplus
in the Terminal app.
Could not load file or assembly
If the 'file or assembly' starts with Microsoft or System (like "FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'System.[...]' or one of its dependencies"), something is wrong with the core frameworks used by the game.
- Common fixes:
platform reinstall frameworks Windows reinstall .NET Framework 4.5.2 and XNA Framework 4.0 (those exact versions). Linux reinstall mono-complete. Mac reinstall Mono (either channel is fine). - On Windows only, in rare cases that won't fix the issue. Unfortunately that's hard to fix since .NET Framework is part of Windows itself. In those cases you may need to perform a Windows reset (you can keep your files), or perform a clean reinstall of Windows. This is drastic, but should fix the issue.
Game freezes when loading a save (Mac only)
On Mac only, the game may freeze when you create or load a save; reinstalling Mono (either version) usually fixes that. If it doesn't, ask for help!
Fix other problems
Run the game without SMAPI by launching Stardew Valley.exe
(on Windows) or StardewValley-original
(on Linux/Mac) in your game folder.
- If it still happens without SMAPI: see this guide to fixing your game. If you still need help, ask for help.
- If it only happens with SMAPI, ask for help.
Ask for help
See Modding:Help for how to get help!