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Seasons are points of the Don't Starve year in which the environment changes, changing the gameplay.

In Sandbox Mode, if you don't customize your world, the first Winter will begin on day 21 and end on day 36 (16 days total). The seasons should then keep alternating between 20 day Summers and 16 day Winters (next winter on day 57, etc.).

Season Start (in Days) [w/ Default]
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10
Summer 1 37 73 109 145 181 217 253 289 325
Winter 21 57 93 129 165 201 237 273 309 345

For customization:

  • A long season lasts around 50 days
  • A short season lasts around 10 days

During Summer, the days are longer, crops grow, and Food is easier to find.

In Winter, Nights are longer and the player must stay warm to avoid Freezing to death. Plants stop growing and many creatures stop being active, while other creatures can only be encountered during Winter.

Winter can be a challenge and should not be taken lightly. Players should prepare for Winter during the Summer by stocking up on resources and making sure they will have sources of heat, Food, and Health, as well as the means to defend themselves from Monsters.

Reign of Giants iconReign of Giants

In the Reign of Giants DLC, there are four seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Winter is largely the same, albeit with changes to Deerclops that make survival more difficult. Autumn, for the most part, is the old Summer, making it the safest season of the year. A new Summer has been added, in which the player is susceptible to Overheating (the opposite of "Freezing" in the Winter). During Spring, there is no Freezing or Overheating, but rainfall is excessive and can cause Wetness, which will lead to Freezing after prolonged exposure. Rabbit holes will close, forcing the player to switch food sources in the Winter and Bees will turn red (hostile), increasing the challenge during Spring.

Spring and Autumn are considered "safe" seasons, while Summer and Winter are considered "dangerous." Because of this, when starting a new game, the default starting season will be either Spring or Autumn. The safe seasons last for 20 days each, whereas the dangerous seasons are only 16 days. A full year in the game is 72 days long.

Season Length Settings (Days)
Very Short Short Default Long Very Long

Spring

5 12 20 31 50
Summer 5 11 16 23 40
Autumn 5 12 20 31 50
Winter 5 11 16 23 40

Each season now has its own "Giant", or boss mob, that spawns sometime during the respective season. Winter retains the Deerclops, but now there is the Bearger in Autumn, the Dragonfly in Summer, and the Moose/Goose in Spring. Each giant will drop a material needed to craft an item that can be used to better survive the hazards of the following season, with the exception of the Dragonfly, as being before Autumn (the season with no special hazard), will instead drop a material to craft an item used for combat.

Season Start (in Days) [Spring Start w/ Default]
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

Spring

1  72 144 216 288
Summer 20 92 164 236 308
Autumn 36 108 180 252 324
Winter 56 128 200 272 344


Season Start (in Days) [Autumn Start w/ Default]
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

Autumn

1  72 144 216 288
Winter 20 92 164 236 308
Spring 36 108 180 252 324
Summer 56 128 200 272 344
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