Stardew Valley's Hired Help lets you put the neighbors to work on your farm

Image credit: yadm18 / Nexus Mods A hired neighbor waters crops between two farmers in Stardew Valley.

You know, for a game that's supposed to be about escaping the daily grind and enjoying a peaceful life in the countryside, Stardew Valley can turn into a pretty demanding job. Crops need watering, animals need attention, machines need tending, and before you know it, you're working longer hours than you ever did at JojaMart.

Well, maybe it's time to start delegating some of that work.

Yadm18's Hired Help lets players hire twelve familiar Pelican Town residents to handle more than fifty different farm jobs, from watering crops and tending animals to greenhouse work, machines, and gathering supplies. And these aren't invisible workers magically completing tasks in the background. They actually show up at your farm, walk around, and get to work, which is a pretty nice touch.

You can schedule jobs ahead of time, arrange repeat visits, and even pay overtime when there's more work than daylight. Just remember, you're hiring people who already have lives and responsibilities of their own. Bring Robin or Marnie over to work on your farm, for example, and their shops close while they're busy helping you.

It's still a late beta, with some untested interactions involving modded farms and NPC schedules, and multiplayer functionality currently belongs to the host. But if your humble little farm has gradually turned into a sprawling agricultural operation, hiring a few extra hands sounds like a pretty sensible idea. Just don't become the kind of boss you moved to Pelican Town to get away from. :)