Stardew Valley fans are debating whether update 1.6 will introduce an island filled with raccoons, and I hope they're right

Stardew Valley pig-farming money strat — (Image credit: ConcernedApe)

Stardew Valley players are currently trying to figure out whether update 1.6 will let us finally visit an island filled with raccoons, and I really hope they're right.

Earlier this week, Stardew Valley fans finally got the news they've been waiting for - the highly anticipated 1.6 update is arriving next month. The farming sim's latest content overhaul is expected to introduce several new features including a New Year’s event, a new storage solution, and maybe even the ability to put hats on your pets.

Not long after developer ConcernedApe's announcement, fans began speculating about the image the developer shared to announce 1.6's release date. The image itself is pretty simple: It features the Stardew Valley logo alongside the words '1.6 update.' What's interesting is that the logo in the image features a little raccoon balancing on the E in Stardew.

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1.6 Will Most Likely Be Adding Prairie Island
from r/StardewValley

If you've never visited the Movies in Stardew Valley, this might not mean much to you. As several fans have pointed out, there actually is an inaccessible location in the farming sim called Prairie Island, which is "home to a diverse array of natural biomes and an abundant population of raccoons" - according to the 'Natural Wonders: Exploring Our Vibrant World' movie that shows in the in-game theatre.

This small raccoon has got Stardew Valley fans suspecting that ConcernedApe has made Prairie Island accessible in the upcoming update. "If we don't get raccoon friends we can eat trash with I'm demanding someone make a mod for that!" one Reddit user has commented under the post above. "I absolutely need raccoons in Stardew Valley now. I really hope this ends up being correct," another adds.

My favorite reactions so far have got to be the following comments that have got me questioning what everyone gets up to in the wholesome life sim: "Perfect! Now when I'm looting the trash behind the Saloon, I can blame a raccoon," one fan says. "I mean I eat trash regardless might as well have a friend," another has bravely shared.

Just in case raccoons don't make it into the game, here's our list of the best Stardew Valley mods to get you started.

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training. My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.