To win the Egg Hunt in Stardew Valley, you need to collect 9 eggs in 50 seconds when playing alone; fall short and Abigail wins. The trick is to follow a planned loop through the spots where eggs cluster, instead of chasing whatever egg happens to be on screen.
This guide covers version 1.6.15 on PC and the matching 1.6.15.1 patch on Xbox, PlayStation and Switch. Below we cover when the Egg Festival runs, how many eggs you need in co-op, where the eggs hide in odd and even years, a route that clears the target, and what you win.
When the Egg Festival Happens
The Egg Festival is the first festival of the year, held on the 13th of Spring. You can enter Pelican Town Square between 9am and 2pm; the town is closed before 9am while it is being set up. Everyone gathers in the square to chat, and Pierre runs a booth.
Talking to Mayor Lewis starts the Egg Hunt, and once it ends, so does the festival: you cannot talk to anyone or buy anything afterward. So do your shopping first. Pierre’s booth is the only place to buy Strawberry Seeds (100g each), and planting them on or before Spring 16 gives you two harvests before summer. Our best spring crops guide explains why they are worth it.
How Many Eggs You Need
The target drops as more players join:
| Players | Eggs needed to win |
|---|---|
| 1 | 9 |
| 2 | 6 |
| 3 | 5 |
| 4 or more | 4 |
The “4 or more” row is a 1.6 fix. ConcernedApe’s official 1.6 changelog notes the festival used to require 12 eggs with 5 or more players, and “now applies the four-player requirement to any player count beyond that.”
In co-op, only the player with the most eggs wins, as long as they reach the target. If two or more players tie at the top, all of them win. If you are setting up a farm with friends, our co-op guide covers the rest.
Where the Eggs Are Hidden
The eggs are not in the square. They are scattered across all of Pelican Town, and since 1.6 the festival layout and egg placement change in even-numbered years, per the official changelog’s note that festivals “now have map and dialogue changes every second year.”
Odd years (1, 3, 5 and so on). The densest areas are:
- The graveyard south of the Stardrop Saloon, with several eggs among the headstones and the trees around it.
- Alex’s house (1 River Road) in the northeast, with eggs on three sides of it.
- The west side, by the trees and fence west of the square, next to Jodi’s house (1 Willow Lane) and in front of Emily and Haley’s house (2 Willow Lane).
- The Mayor’s Manor in the southeast, including one in the back of Lewis’s truck and one in his garden.
- The riverbank along the south edge of town, near the sewer grate.
A few stragglers sit up north near Pierre’s booth and the clinic, and one sits on the cliff edge east of Pam’s trailer.
Even years (2, 4, 6 and so on). The even-year layout moves a lot of eggs into the open ground west of the square and along the northern path near Pierre’s booth and the clinic. The graveyard and the area around the Mayor’s Manor still hold several, so the eastern half of the odd-year route still pays off.
A Route That Beats Abigail
There is an odd-year route that collects 18 eggs, double what you need. In short, it:
- Heads west out of the square, grabbing the eggs by the planter and trees on the square’s west side.
- Swings past Jodi’s house, then south past Emily and Haley’s house to the riverbank by the sewer grate.
- Turns back north through the graveyard, picking up the cluster there.
- Runs east past the Mayor’s Manor, taking the garden egg and the one in Lewis’s truck.
- Cuts northeast past Pam’s trailer and finishes around Alex’s house.
Solo, you can stop after the graveyard if your count is already at nine. In even years, start in the western field instead, then sweep east through the graveyard toward the Mayor’s Manor.
A few habits make the difference:
- Never stop moving. Fifty seconds is tight, and every pause to scan the screen costs you an egg.
- Grab eggs as you pass. Collect each egg the moment you reach it instead of planning to circle back. If an egg does not pick up as you reach it, use the action button: right-click on PC, A on Xbox and Switch, Cross on PlayStation.
- See more of town at once. On PC, lowering the Zoom Level in the Options tab (down to 75 percent) shows more of the map around you.
- Commit to your route. Backtracking for one missed egg burns seconds you do not have; the next cluster is usually closer.
What You Win
Your first win earns the Straw Hat. Since 1.6, every repeat win gives a Prize Ticket instead of the 1,000g it used to pay. The official changelog explains that the new prize machine in Lewis’s house takes tickets earned “from repeated egg/ice festival wins,” among other sources.
If you enjoy the festival minigames, the fall Fair has a lot more of them; our guide to winning the Stardew Valley Fair covers the grange display and star tokens. Everything else is on our Stardew Valley hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many eggs do you need to win the Egg Hunt? Nine in single player. With two players it drops to six, with three to five, and with four or more players it is four.
How long does the Egg Hunt last? Fifty seconds of real time, which is why a planned route matters more than sharp eyes.
What do you get for winning the Egg Hunt? A Straw Hat the first time. Every win after that gives a Prize Ticket for the prize machine in Mayor Lewis’s house.
Are the eggs in the same place every year? No. Since the 1.6 update, the festival layout and egg spots differ between odd and even years, then repeat.
Can you buy Strawberry Seeds after the Egg Hunt? No. The festival ends when the hunt does, so buy your Strawberry Seeds from Pierre’s booth before you talk to Lewis.