---
title: "How to Install Stardew Valley Expanded (Solo, Co-op and on a Server)"
description: "Install Stardew Valley Expanded 1.15 with SMAPI, Content Patcher and FTM, then run it in co-op on a 24/7 server where every player has the same mods."
url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/stardew-valley/stardew-valley-expanded-server/"
category: "Stardew Valley"
category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/stardew-valley/"
published: "2026-09-28T03:33:04.692Z"
updated: "2026-09-28T04:56:54.127Z"
source_format: "markdown"
site: "GameServerKings"
---

# How to Install Stardew Valley Expanded (Solo, Co-op and on a Server)

Stardew Valley Expanded (SVE) is the biggest mod for the game. Version 1.15.11 adds 28 NPCs, 58 locations, 278 character events, 43 fish and three new farm maps. Installing it for yourself takes a few minutes. Running it in co-op takes a little more care, because SVE changes the world everyone is standing in. **Every player needs it installed, at the same version, and the farm has to be a new one.**

This guide covers both parts: installing Stardew Valley Expanded on your own PC, and running it on a co-op server that stays online without you. The server steps follow the setup GameServerKings installs, so the folder names, the mods already on the server and the SMAPI version are the ones you'll actually see.

> [!NOTE] Versions this page was checked against
> Stardew Valley **1.6.15** · SVE **1.15.11** · Content Patcher **2.9.1** · Farm Type Manager **1.26.1** · SMAPI **4.3.2** on the server (the GSK installer's version) and **4.5.2** (the current release) for players.

## What Stardew Valley Expanded needs

SVE is three mods in one download, and it depends on three others. All of them go in the `Mods` folder.

| Mod | Why it's needed | Minimum SMAPI |
|---|---|---|
| **SMAPI** | The mod loader everything else runs on | n/a |
| **Content Patcher** | SVE's maps, dialogue and events are a Content Patcher pack | 4.1.10 |
| **Farm Type Manager (FTM)** | Spawns SVE's forage, ore and monsters | 4.0.0 |
| **Stardew Valley Expanded** (contains `[CP] Stardew Valley Expanded`, `[FTM] Stardew Valley Expanded` and `StardewValleyExpanded`) | The content, the spawn data, and the code | 4.1.7 |

The three folders inside the SVE download depend on each other. `[CP] Stardew Valley Expanded` lists the FTM pack and the code folder as required, so if one of them is missing, SMAPI won't load SVE at all.

The GSK server ships SMAPI 4.3.2. That is newer than every minimum in the table, so SVE 1.15.11 runs on it as installed.

## Why every co-op player needs SVE

The Stardew Valley wiki's modding guide sorts mods by how they behave in multiplayer, and SVE falls into the strictest groups:

- **New locations:** *"All players should have the same location mods. Entering a custom location that not everyone has installed can cause crashes."*
- **New NPCs:** *"All players should have the same custom NPCs installed to avoid issues."*
- **New items:** *"players missing a custom item mod may see Error Items."*

Content Patcher's own documentation explains the map part. A player without the pack sees the vanilla map, and *"they may see other players walk through walls, but they won't be able to follow."* In practice, one friend missing SVE means broken maps and crashes for them.

**Match versions too.** When SVE updates, update it on the server and every player's PC together.

## Step 1: Install SVE on your own PC

Each player does this once:

1. Install **SMAPI** from smapi.io and launch the game through it once, so it creates the `Mods` folder.
2. Download **Content Patcher**, **Farm Type Manager** and **Stardew Valley Expanded** from Nexus Mods.
3. Unzip each one into `Stardew Valley/Mods/`. You should end up with one folder per mod, each containing a `manifest.json`. A mod left one folder too deep, or still zipped, won't load.
4. Launch through SMAPI. The console lists every loaded mod. If SVE is missing from that list, SMAPI prints the reason under *skipped mods*.

## Step 2: Put SVE on the server

The server already has five mods, which it uses to run the farm unattended. **Leave them in place.** You're adding to the folder, not replacing it.

1. Stop the server and take a [backup](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-create-a-backup/).
2. Connect over [SFTP](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-upload-files-via-sftp/) and open the `Mods` folder in the server root.
3. Upload the same **Content Patcher**, **Farm Type Manager** and **SVE** folders you installed on your PC, at the same versions.

The finished folder looks like this:

```
Mods/
├── Always On Server/                 ← installed by GSK, keep
├── AutoHideHost/                     ← installed by GSK, keep
├── AutoLoadGame/                     ← installed by GSK, keep
├── ConsoleCommands/                  ← bundled with SMAPI, keep
├── SaveBackup/                       ← bundled with SMAPI, keep
├── StardewPortChanger/               ← installed by GSK, keep
├── UnlimitedPlayers/                 ← installed by GSK, keep
├── ContentPatcher/                   ← you add
├── FarmTypeManager/                  ← you add
├── [CP] Stardew Valley Expanded/     ← you add
├── [FTM] Stardew Valley Expanded/    ← you add
└── StardewValleyExpanded/            ← you add
```

Your friends **don't** need the five GSK server mods. Those only run the host. They need SMAPI plus the SVE mods and the two it depends on.

## Step 3: Create a new SVE farm

The SVE mod page is explicit: *"Starting a new save file is required!"* A farm started without SVE won't turn into an SVE farm. You need a fresh co-op farm, created while SVE is loaded:

1. On the server's **Startup** tab, set **Use VNC** to `1`. The **VNC Port** needs its own extra port from the Network tab. If you haven't already, set your own **VNC Password** now, because the installer's default is public. Then start the server.
2. Watch the console. SMAPI should list Content Patcher, Farm Type Manager and all three SVE parts as loaded.
3. Connect with a VNC client to `server-ip:VNC-port`.
4. Choose **Co-op → Host → Host New Farm**. SVE adds three optional farm maps. The mod author recommends **Frontier Farm** for SVE, and describes **Immersive Farm 2 Remastered** as *"optimized for multiplayer"*. Add one cabin per friend.
5. When you're on the farm, restart the server. Auto Load Game will load this new farm on every boot from now on. Then set **Use VNC** back to `0`.

Your old vanilla farm isn't deleted. It stays in the saves folder, and you can load it again later over VNC if you remove SVE.

The full setup, from Steam login to VNC, is in [Stardew Valley Multiplayer: How to Play With Friends (and Keep the Farm Online 24/7)](/knowledge-base/stardew-valley/stardew-valley-multiplayer/).

## Step 4: Get everyone connected

Each friend installs SVE (step 1) and joins through **Co-op → Join LAN Game** with your server's `IP:port`. Before they join the first time, compare mod lists. The simplest way is to send them the exact versions from your server's SMAPI console, or share a zip of the three SVE folders plus Content Patcher and FTM.

## Updating SVE later

1. Check whether the new SVE version needs a newer **SMAPI** than 4.3.2 (the *MinimumApiVersion* in its `manifest.json`), or newer versions of Content Patcher or Farm Type Manager. SMAPI on the server comes from our installer, so if a new SVE needs a newer SMAPI than the server has, contact support before you update and stay on your current SVE version until then.
2. Take a [backup](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-create-a-backup/). Update the server's mod folders and every player's together.
3. Restart and check the SMAPI console for skipped mods before anyone joins.

## Troubleshooting SVE in co-op

| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| A player crashes on entering a new area | That player is missing SVE, or has a different version |
| *Error Item* in chests or shops | Someone is missing SVE or one of the mods it depends on |
| Players walk through walls on someone's screen | That viewer doesn't have SVE's maps (Content Patcher packs only show to players who have them) |
| SVE missing from the server's loaded mods | A folder was uploaded one level too deep, or one of the three SVE parts is missing. The console names the reason under *skipped mods* |
| The farm looks vanilla | The save was created before SVE was installed. Create a new farm |

If players can't reach the server at all, that's a network issue, not SVE. See [Players Can't Connect to My Server](/knowledge-base/general/players-cant-connect/).

## What to Read Next

- [Stardew Valley Multiplayer: How to Play With Friends (and Keep the Farm Online 24/7)](/knowledge-base/stardew-valley/stardew-valley-multiplayer/) — the full server setup: Steam login, VNC, cabins and player limits
- [Stardew Valley Cheats and Console Commands (SMAPI, Debug and Chat)](/knowledge-base/stardew-valley/stardew-valley-cheats-console-commands/) — the SMAPI console on your server, and what it can change
- [How to Mod Stardew Valley](/knowledge-base/stardew-valley/how-to-mod-stardew-valley/) — SMAPI and the Mods folder on Windows, Mac and Linux, for mods beyond SVE
- [How to upload files via SFTP](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-upload-files-via-sftp/) — for uploading mod folders
- [How to create a backup](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-create-a-backup/) — take one before every mod change

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