“You absolute legend”: Stardew Valley is now Steam’s top-rated game, surpassing Portal
Stardew Valley has beaten out Portal 2 as Steam’s highest-rated game, nearly a decade after its initial release.
Eric Barone, better known by his online alias ConcernedApe, created Stardew Valley entirely on his own as an indie game. From code to art to music, every element came from his hands. When the cozy farming simulator launched in 2016, it won over fans with its charming visuals, heartfelt characters, and unexpectedly deep gameplay systems.
Since then, Stardew Valley has become a modern classic. With consistent updates, Barone added multiplayer, new crops, NPCs, and locations, all while keeping the spirit of the original game intact. The title has maintained an extremely active community, which likely helped push it past a major milestone this month.
As of July 2025, Stardew Valley now holds the top spot on Steam’s user-rated charts, surpassing Valve’s beloved Portal 2. According to Steam250, which aggregates scores from user reviews, Stardew boasts a rating of 8.87 across over 900K votes. Portal 2, by comparison, has a still-impressive 8.85 rating from just over 437K reviews.
That 0.02 difference may sound small, but it’s enough to mark a shift in Steam’s history. Portal 2 had remained the top-rated game on the platform for 14 years, ever since its 2011 release.
Other games rounding out the top 10 include community darlings like Terraria, People Playground, and Left 4 Dead 2. The presence of Stardew Valley at the top on Steam is particularly impressive given that the Steam250 ranking relies entirely on player reviews, making it a direct reflection of community sentiment.
A dedicated fanbase, and what’s next
Online, the response has been celebratory as social media and gaming forums are buzzing with appreciation. The Stardew Valley fandom continues to thrive, from an actively maintained Wiki to global concert tours celebrating its soundtrack.
"Stardew Valley just outscored Portal 2 on Steam. Farmers > Aperture Science engineers," tweeted @CritHitCrusader. "Turns out, planting parsnips is harder than portal physics.????????????????"
Of course, not all video game players are happy with the news.
Meanwhile, players are still discovering new things in the game nearly a decade after launch. That staying power speaks volumes about its quality and emotional resonance.
Looking ahead, fans eager for more from ConcernedApe don’t have to wait too long… kind of. His next game, Haunted Chocolatier, was announced in 2021 and is still in development. Described as more combat-focused but equally uplifting, it promises to offer something new while preserving the magic of Stardew. However, since Barone is again developing the entire game solo, no release date has been confirmed.
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