Stardew Valley 1.7 is officially bringing new marriage candidates to Pelican Town, and yes, one of them is Clint.

These two can be married in 1.7 pic.twitter.com/W7gFHEGdKJ

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) February 26, 2026

To mark the game’s 10-year anniversary, creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone released a retrospective video looking back at Stardew Valley’s development, while also confirming that Clint and Sandy will become romanceable in the upcoming 1.7 update. It’s the first time in years that new marriage candidates have been added, making this a pretty significant shift for long-time players.

Clint And Sandy Confirmed For Stardew Valley 1.7

At the very end of the anniversary video, Barone revealed the two new spouses in classic low-key fashion, pulling their names from an envelope. The picks are Clint, Pelican Town’s blacksmith, and Sandy, the mysterious shopkeeper who runs the Oasis in the Calico Desert.

Clint is easily the more controversial choice. He’s often mocked by the community for his awkward personality, and some players have openly disliked how he behaves around Emily, especially if the farmer marries her. Giving him full romance events could be Barone’s way of expanding his character depth, much like previous updates fleshed out other villagers.

Sandy, on the other hand, has long been requested by fans. The main catch is that she lives in the desert, which players only unlock later in the game. That could make romancing her a more mid-to-late-game pursuit, potentially opening the door to new challenge runs and different pacing for relationships.

Barone had previously confirmed earlier this month that two new marriage candidates were coming in 1.7, which sparked plenty of speculation. Some players hoped for entirely new characters, others expected the Wizard, and a few even theorised about a divorce storyline making a married villager eligible. In the end, it’s Clint and Sandy stepping into the spotlight.

A Look Back At Stardew Valley’s Development

The anniversary video wasn’t just about romance. Barone walked through early builds of the game, including its 2012 prototype known as Sprout Valley. The footage shows a version heavily inspired by the Super Nintendo era Harvest Moon, with rough pixel art and a much more basic structure.

By 2013, Stardew Valley had started to resemble what we know today, though Barone described it as a strange transitional period where the game “hit puberty.” Early versions included features that were eventually scrapped, such as procedurally generated mines inspired by Terraria and even an underground goblin village that never made it into the final canon.

He also shared how close the project came to uncertainty before launch. After four and a half years of solo development, Stardew Valley launched on February 26, 2016, selling just under 40,000 copies on its first day. That early success confirmed to Barone that he could continue as a full-time developer, though he spent the following days rapidly patching bugs.

The retrospective highlights how much the game evolved post-launch, from adding Shane and Emily as marriage candidates in 1.1 after a community poll, to multiplayer in 1.3, Ginger Island in 1.5, and the more system-focused additions of 1.6.

What We Know About The 1.7 Update So Far

Beyond Clint and Sandy, Barone hasn’t shared detailed patch notes for Stardew Valley 1.7 yet. There’s currently no release window.

Given the pattern of previous updates, players can likely expect a mix of quality-of-life changes, new content, and system tweaks rather than a small patch. Every major 1.x update has meaningfully expanded the game in some way, whether through new farm types, endgame areas, or fresh relationship content.

For players who haven’t returned to the farm in a while, now might be the perfect time to start planning a new save file. And if you’ve ever wanted to give Clint a second chance, well, 1.7 might be your moment.

As Stardew Valley moves into its second decade, it’s clear that even without being a live service game, it’s still growing in ways that keep the community guessing.

The post Stardew Valley 1.7 Update Adds Clint And Sandy As New Marriage Candidates appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Stardew Valley’s next major update is shaping up to be a meaningful expansion of the game’s social systems. Creator Eric Barone has confirmed that the upcoming 1.7 update will introduce two brand new marriage candidates and make long requested changes to how in-game children behave.

The details were shared during a new interview with IGN, published as part of Stardew Valley’s 10th anniversary coverage.

Two New Marriage Candidates Coming In Stardew Valley 1.7

During the interview, Eric Barone confirmed that two additional romance options will be added in version 1.7. While he declined to reveal their identities for now, he did say the announcement will be made on the game’s anniversary.

“I’m going to be adding two more marriage candidates, but I’ll reveal who it is on the anniversary day,” Barone said.

This marks the first time Stardew Valley has added new marriage candidates since Shane and Emily were made romanceable in the 1.1 update. Since then, the roster of bachelors and bachelorettes has remained unchanged, despite years of community requests for expansion.

Speculation is already building around who the new candidates could be. Some players believe they may be entirely new characters, while others hope that long standing favourites like Sandy or the Wizard will finally become romanceable. Barone did not confirm either direction.

Children Set For Long Requested Changes

Alongside the romance expansion, Barone also addressed another frequent point of feedback from players: children.

Currently, children in Stardew Valley have very limited behaviour, remaining permanently young and largely inactive around the farmhouse. Barone acknowledged this directly, confirming that a “popular fan request” related to children is being addressed in 1.7.

“What I will say without maybe being too specific is that with this update, one of the things we’re trying to do is… there is a popular fan request, which has to do with the children, trying to make the children a little more interesting,” he said.

He stopped short of explaining exactly how the system will change, but confirmed that work is actively underway. This suggests children may gain more interactions, routines, or personality elements, something the community has asked for over many years.

More Unannounced Features Also Planned

Barone also hinted that the update includes additional features beyond what players have been asking for.

“There’s a lot of other things in the update as well that no one’s really asked for, but I think people will appreciate it,” he said.

In a separate part of the interview, Barone floated the idea of a potential farm map editor that could allow players to create and share custom farm layouts. While he stressed that this feature is not guaranteed to ship in 1.7, he described it as something he is actively interested in exploring.

Traditionally, each major Stardew Valley update has introduced a new farm type, and Barone suggested that opening farm creation to the community could dramatically increase replayability.

Anniversary Reveal Expected On 26 February

Stardew Valley’s anniversary falls on 26 February, meaning players may not have to wait long to learn who the new marriage candidates are. However, Barone has not attached any release window to the 1.7 update itself.

For now, the update remains without a launch date, continuing the developer’s long standing approach of revealing details gradually rather than committing to timelines.

Haunted Chocolatier Still In Development

During the anniversary discussions, Barone also touched briefly on Haunted Chocolatier, his next game project, which has faced ongoing speculation about its status. He has already addressed those concerns directly in a separate statement, confirming the game is still progressing and has not been abandoned.

You can read more about that clarification in our full report, Stardew Valley Creator Shuts Down Haunted Chocolatier Abandonment Rumours, Says Game Is Still Progressing.

As Stardew Valley enters its second decade, the scale of the 1.7 update suggests Barone is still deeply invested in evolving the game’s world, characters, and long term replay value.

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