You generally have to work pretty hard to unlock rewards in Stardew Valley, but the Prize Machine you can spend Prize Tickets at grants you items for the tasks you’re already completing. This system is incredibly helpful once you know how to actually use it.
This rewarding feature is easy to overlook when you don’t know about it, but any free loot you can get your hands on is useful which means you need to know how to get Prize Tickets and use the Prize Machine in Stardew Valley.
How to unlock the Prize Machine in Stardew Valley
The Prize Machine unlocks automatically when you visit Mayor Lewis’s house while it’s open. You can visit the Mayor’s Manor anytime between the hours of 8:30am to 10pm at which point he will show you the machine for the first time in a cutscene. This machine is located in the top left corner of the house.
Both the Prize Machine and the Prize Tickets were introduced following the 1.6 update, so if you were playing prior to this, neither was available. You have to visit the Mayor’s house anytime you want to use the machine, although you can start collecting tickets before you are introduced to it.
How to get Prize Tickets in Stardew Valley
Prize Tickets can be earned in a couple of different ways, including:
- Completing quests from the Help Wanted board.
- Completing special orders from the Special Order board.
- Opening the chest at the end of the maze during the Spirit’s Eve Festival.
- Winning the Egg Festival again after your initial win.
- Winning the Festival of Ice again after your first win.
- Buying them for 1,000 star tokens at the Stardew Valley Fair.
- Opening a box sitting near the Bookseller.
For the most part, you earn Prize Tickets while you’re working through other tasks or completing events you’ve previously tackled. They’re not super common, but they are decently easy to find when you specifically seek them out.
How to use the Prize Machine in Stardew Valley
To use the Prize Machine, you need at least one ticket in your inventory, at which point you should visit the machine and press the massive button that appears. You then receive whichever reward is next in line.
If you have more than one Prize Ticket, you can keep pressing the button to claim additional rewards. You can only spend one Prize Ticket at a time, so it might take you a bit to get all the rewards you’re after if you have a couple of tickets to redeem.
The Prize Machine is helpful for unlocking otherwise tough-to-get items like Carrot Seeds, Powdermelon Seeds, Diamonds, Mystery Boxes, Kegs, Fruit Trees, Skill Books, and Stardrop Tea. You can always see exactly what reward you’re getting by looking at the first item in the lineup.
