Stardew Valley (2012–present)
Barone began working on Stardew Valley in 2012 and released it in 2016. He created the game entirely on his own as its sole designer, programmer, animator, artist, composer, and writer. To complete the game, Barone worked an average of 10 hours a day, seven days a week for four and a half years.
Barone initially released Stardew Valley on the PC before later porting it to other consoles, and has been assisted in its development by a small team since 2019. As of February 2026, the game has sold over 50 million copies.
In 2016, Barone released Stardew Valley: Original Soundtrack, which contains the game's official soundtrack. He followed this on August 15, 2020, with the orchestral album Symphonic Tale: The Place I Truly Belong (Music from Stardew Valley), directed by Kentaro Sato and performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, which includes 15 tracks from the game's original soundtrack.
In February 2021, Barone and board game designer Cole Medeiros released Stardew Valley: The Board Game, a cooperative board game adaptation of Stardew Valley. After the first printing of the game went on sale, it quickly sold out. Sales were later reopened with several changes.
Barone collaborated with Norihiko Hibino on Prescription for Sleep, an album series that remixes video game soundtracks with piano and saxophone; the Stardew Valley installment was released in May 2021 and includes 10 tracks from the game's original soundtrack alongside one new track, "Beauty in the Seasons". He then announced two concert tours: Stardew Valley: Festival of Seasons in October 2023, featuring a selection of the game's music performed live by a chamber orchestra, and Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons in November 2024, featuring new arrangements of the game's music performed by a 35-piece orchestra.
Barone was the co-author of The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook, released on May 14, 2024, which includes more than 50 recipes adapted from the in-game recipes featured in Stardew Valley. In July 2026, Barone announced a follow-up title, The Official Stardew Valley Crochet Book, co-written with Ryan Novak and crochet designer Megan Lapp and scheduled for release by Random House Worlds on January 26, 2027; the book contains 25 crochet patterns that can be used to create more than 45 amigurumi projects. His musical compositions from Stardew Valley have also been featured multiple times on Northwest Public Broadcasting's video game music radio program, Press A to Play, beginning with the program's second episode, Pacific Northwest Independent Games, and continuing in later episodes Indie Darlings and Games We Played in 2020.
In July 2026, Wizards of the Coast announced a crossover between Stardew Valley and its collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, unveiled at MagicCon Amsterdam as the Secret Lair series Superdrop of the Moonlight Jellies. The crossover comprises three card sets, Welcome to Stardew Valley, Life in Pelican Town, and A Flicker in the Deep, for which Barone created original pixel art, including a new land card themed around the game. The sets were released on July 27, 2026.
