Valheim 1.0 dedicated server setup: install the Steam tool, edit the start script, and choose crossplay or Steam ports.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7083,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[883],"tags":[],"blog_tag":[],"class_list":["post-7082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-valheim"],"acf":{"redactor":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"
Setting up a Valheim<\/a> dedicated server comes down to four things: install the free Valheim Dedicated Server tool from the Tools section of your Steam Library, edit a copy of its start script, pick either the crossplay backend (join code, no port forwarding) or the Steam backend (forward ports 2456 \u2013 2457), and, if needed, configure admin rights, bans or a whitelist in the appropriate permission file. This guide goes through all of it for Valheim 1.0, which Iron Gate released on 9 September 2026, with the current patch being 1.0.15 from 18 September 2026. It also covers the launch arguments listed in Iron Gate’s guide, how old worlds get converted to the new 1.0 save format, Linux and Docker, and the gaps Iron Gate's documents leave open.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" TL;DR<\/p> You need the Valheim Dedicated Server<\/strong> tool. It's a free download listed under Tools in the Steam Library, separate from the game. Iron Gate's guide covers Windows and Linux, and gives Docker as an option on Linux distros whose system libraries are too old. Xbox players can't set up a dedicated server, but they can join one if both the Xbox and the server have crossplay turned on.<\/p>\n Iron Gate's 1.0 FAQ<\/a> describes Valheim as \u201ca game for 1-10 players\u201d. Game8's secondary guide<\/a> reports that dedicated hosting does not increase that cap. Our reading is that the real benefit is persistence: the world stays up when the person who normally hosts goes offline. Iron Gate's own guide says running one takes \"some cursory scripting knowledge\". Depending on your setup, you may also need to configure your router, and the guide leaves that to your router manual or ISP.<\/p> These steps come from Iron Gate's official dedicated server guide<\/a>. It's dated 11 April 2024, before 1.0, and it's still the current official guide.<\/p> Warning<\/p> Keep your settings in a copy of the script. Iron Gate says the original start_headless_server.bat \/ start_server.sh is reset every time Steam updates the tool, so anything you type into it is lost on the next update.<\/p><\/div> Here's what the job actually involves. Iron Gate doesn't give a time estimate, but the list is one free download, one edited line, one firewall prompt, and a router port forward if you use the Steam backend. If you go the Docker route, the first boot builds the container, which the guide says \"takes a few minutes\". Our reading: if you use crossplay and your world is new, it's a short evening. Importing an old world, setting up admin files and changing the backup schedule each add a bit more time.<\/p>\n<\/span> "},{"acf_fc_layout":"steps","intro":"Follow this sequence to get it done fast.","steps":[{"title":"Show Tools in your library","description":"open the dropdown at the top left of the Steam Library and make sure the 'Tools' checkbox is ticked. ","image":null},{"title":"Install the server tool","description":"scroll down to 'Valheim Dedicated Server' and click 'Install'. ","image":null},{"title":"Copy the start script","description":"right-click the entry, choose 'Manage\/Browse local files', and make a copy of start_headless_server.bat (Windows) or start_server.sh (Linux). ","image":null},{"title":"Edit the start line in the copy","description":"open the copy in a text editor. Iron Gate says to edit line 7, the one that starts with start valheim_server. Keep everything on that line before -name exactly as it is, replace everything from -name to the end of the line with your own values (ready-made examples below), and save.","image":null},{"title":"Launch and allow the firewall","description":"run your copy, not the original: on Windows double-click it in the server folder and tick every checkbox if Windows Firewall asks; on Linux make it executable once with chmod +x and start it from a terminal in the server folder, for example .\/start_mine.sh.","image":null},{"title":"Wait for the ready message","description":"once the console shows 'Game server connected', the server is accepting connections. ","image":null}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" Everything below comes from the arguments in Iron Gate’s guide. Swap in your own server name, world name and password, and keep the quotes.<\/p>\n Crossplay (players on any platform, no port forwarding):<\/strong><\/p>\n Steam backend (Steam players only, forward ports 2456 – 2457 on your router):<\/strong><\/p>\n Check it worked:<\/strong> when the server window reports “Game server connected”, start Valheim, open Join Game and find the server by its name (with The launch options listed below are supplied on the server's start-script command line; permissions are configured separately in text files. The table below follows Iron Gate's list. These arguments and defaults are documented in Iron Gate's April 2024 guide, before 1.0; they have not been re-checked here for 1.0.15.<\/p> The listed defaults retain four automatic backups, with a short interval of 7,200 seconds (2 hours) and a long interval of 43,200 seconds (12 hours). The DeathPenalty modifier changes how much skill you lose when you die. Our guide to Valheim skills and the death penalty<\/a> explains what each setting costs your group.<\/p> "},{"acf_fc_layout":"table","headers":[{"header_text":"Argument"},{"header_text":"What it does"},{"header_text":"Default \/ example"}],"rows":[{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-name"},{"cell_text":"Server name shown in the server list "},{"cell_text":"Example: \"My server\" "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-port"},{"cell_text":"Port the server communicates on; Valheim uses that port and port+1, and with crossplay the port still tells apart several servers on one public IP "},{"cell_text":"2456 (range 2456 \u2013 2457) "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-world"},{"cell_text":"Creates a world with this name, or loads an existing one with the same name "},{"cell_text":"Example: \"Dedicated\" "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-password"},{"cell_text":"Sets the server password "},{"cell_text":"Example: \"Secret\" "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-public"},{"cell_text":"1 shows the server in the browser; 0 hides it and makes it joinable only through 'Join IP' (suits a LAN server) "},{"cell_text":"1 "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-savedir"},{"cell_text":"Overrides where worlds and permission files are saved "},{"cell_text":"OS default path (see below) "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-saveinterval"},{"cell_text":"How often the world saves, in seconds "},{"cell_text":"1800 (30 min) "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-backups"},{"cell_text":"How many automatic backups are kept: the first on the short interval, the rest on the long one "},{"cell_text":"4 "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-backupshort"},{"cell_text":"Interval before the first automatic backup "},{"cell_text":"7200 (2 h) "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-backuplong"},{"cell_text":"Interval between the later automatic backups "},{"cell_text":"43200 (12 h) "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-crossplay"},{"cell_text":"Runs on the PlayFab crossplay backend; without it the server uses the Steam backend "},{"cell_text":"Off unless added "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-instanceid"},{"cell_text":"Unique value per server when running several servers on the same port from one MAC address, so each gets its own PlayFab ID "},{"cell_text":"Example: \"1\" "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-preset"},{"cell_text":"World modifier preset that overwrites earlier modifiers: Normal, Casual, Easy, Hard, Hardcore, Immersive, Hammer "},{"cell_text":"Example: hard "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-modifier"},{"cell_text":"One modifier with a value (Combat, DeathPenalty, Resources, Raids, Portals); put it after any preset "},{"cell_text":"Example: raids none "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-setkey"},{"cell_text":"Checkbox modifier: nobuildcost, playerevents, passivemobs, nomap "},{"cell_text":"Example: nomap "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"-logFile"},{"cell_text":"Where the log file is saved "},{"cell_text":"Example: \"d:\\log.txt\" "}]}],"size":"default"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Crossplay vs Steam Backend: Which Ports You Need","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\n This is the one real decision in the setup. With To get a friend into a crossplay game, copy the join code from the pause menu and send it to them. They go to 'Join Game', press 'Add server' and paste the code. Switch 2 needed its own patch for crossplay after launch; Iron Gate’s Hotfix 1.0.10 & 1.0.12 post<\/a> (11 September 2026) says all platforms should be compatible for crossplay again. For the full breakdown of Iron Gate's crossplay rules, see the official Crossplay FAQ<\/a>.<\/p> "},{"acf_fc_layout":"table","headers":[{"header_text":"Question"},{"header_text":"With -crossplay (PlayFab)"},{"header_text":"Without it (Steam backend)"}],"rows":[{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Who can join"},{"cell_text":"Players across platforms, subject to any version-specific restrictions. Switch 2 availability after 1.0.15 has not been re-checked here. "},{"cell_text":"Steam users only "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Port forwarding"},{"cell_text":"Not needed; traffic goes through a relay "},{"cell_text":"Forward 2456 \u2013 2457 (or your -port and port+1) "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"How friends connect"},{"cell_text":"Public IP and port, join code, or server list; not a local or loopback IP "},{"cell_text":"Server list if -public 1; 'Join IP' if -public 0 "}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"Local LAN play"},{"cell_text":"Local IP connection not possible "},{"cell_text":"-public 0 plus the server's local IP is the official LAN suggestion "}]}],"size":"small"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Bringing an Existing World Onto the Server (and 1.0 Save Conversion)","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\n Stop the server (Ctrl+C) and make a backup copy of the world files outside the Valheim folders before you copy anything.<\/strong> That copy is your way back if the name doesn’t match or the conversion goes wrong.<\/p>\n Since patch 0.209.5 (June 2022)<\/a>, local worlds live in Into Copy both files, for example Copy everything in Join once and look for your base. If you spawn into an untouched world, the name did not match and the server created a new one: stop it with Ctrl+C, correct Warning<\/p> According to the 1.0.15 notes<\/a>, items on item stands or armour stands lost their level and variant if the world was converted before the 1.0.12 fix. Recovery needs the conversion backup, and reverting the whole world to it wipes all progress made since. The other option is to copy the backup, take the affected items out of it on your character, and swap them into your main world.<\/p><\/div> "},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Admins, Bans and Whitelist on a Valheim Server","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\n Permissions are set in three text files in the save directory. Each line holds one Platform User ID in the format Add IDs here to give players admin rights. Admins use the in-game console, opened with F5: Each ID on this list is banned. Since 1.0, IDs also come in a new platform-neutral format ( Once you add anyone to this file, everyone who isn't on it is banned from the server. If you want a private group, put every member's ID in before you save the file, including your own.<\/p> "},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Running the Server on Linux and in Docker","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\n On Linux, Iron Gate lists three extra packages you need: For Docker, run the bundled script and pass it the start script you want to use, for example Steam updates the server tool, and each update resets the original start script. Launch from your copy and your settings stay put. Patch 1.0.14 (17 September 2026) fixed characters not saving properly when you pressed Save on a server someone else hosts. It also turned off biome-data caching, which could get into a state where remote servers couldn't be joined. According to the 1.0.14 post<\/a>, Iron Gate said the patch would take a few days to reach all platforms because of internal restrictions, while crossplay would remain functional during the rollout.<\/p>\n To shut the server down, press Iron Gate's server guide, Crossplay FAQ, 1.0 FAQ and patch notes up to 1.0.15 don't set any password rules. They also don't say whether the server and clients have to be on exactly the same patch, or give any instructions for rented hosts. The server guide doesn't list a player limit either, though the 1.0 FAQ gives the 1 \u2013 10 cap. Whether PS5 or Switch 2 can run the server tool isn't stated. Iron Gate has no official mod support.<\/p> "},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Our Take: Is a Valheim Dedicated Server Worth It?","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\n Our Take<\/p> Yes, if your group plays at different times. Use crossplay unless you have a specific reason to run the Steam backend.<\/p> Crossplay skips the router, which is the one step Iron Gate won't document. It also lets console friends join, so for most groups it's the easier setup. The traps are small but they cost you: editing the original script, closing the window with the X, and a whitelist that locks out everyone you forgot to add. Make your script copy and your world backup before the first boot, and the rest is routine.<\/p><\/div> "},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" This table separates what the studio has confirmed from what comes out of press previews, and what is still just circulating. Each claim below is tied to the post and the game version it describes.<\/p>\n-name<\/code> and set the rest, for example -name \"Neon Vikings\" -port 2456 -world \"Midgard\" -password \"your-own-long-password\" -public 1 -crossplay<\/code>.<\/li>-crossplay<\/code> and anyone on any platform can join with a code, with no port forwarding. Leave it out and you get the Steam backend, which needs 2456 \u2013 2457 forwarded.<\/li>Ready-made start line: what to put after -name<\/h3>\n
-name \"Neon Vikings\" -port 2456 -world \"Midgard\" -password \"your-own-long-password\" -public 1 -crossplay<\/code><\/pre>\n-name \"Neon Vikings\" -port 2456 -world \"Midgard\" -password \"your-own-long-password\" -public 1<\/code><\/pre>\n\n
-name<\/code> is what players see in the server list.<\/li>\n-world<\/code> is the world’s file name without extension. For an existing world it must match exactly; otherwise the server creates a new, empty world with that name.<\/li>\n-password<\/code>: use a long password you don’t use anywhere else. It sits in the script copy in plain text, so don’t share that file.<\/li>\n-public 1<\/code> lists the server; use -public 0<\/code> if only people you invite should find it.<\/li>\n-crossplay<\/code> goes at the end of the line; leave it out for the Steam backend.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n-public 1<\/code>) or add it with Add server. Join once yourself: if you brought an existing world, your base should be there before anyone else logs in.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Launch Arguments in Iron Gate’s Official Guide","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\n-crossplay<\/code>, the server runs on PlayFab and players on any platform can join. Without it, the server uses the Steam backend, and only Steam users can see it and join. Crossplay sends traffic through a relay server, so you don't need to forward ports. The Steam backend needs the port range forwarded on your router.<\/p> Where your world is now<\/h3>\n
worlds_local<\/code>: %USERPROFILE%\/AppData\/LocalLow\/IronGate\/Valheim\/worlds_local<\/code> on Windows, ~\/.config\/unity3d\/IronGate\/Valheim\/worlds_local<\/code> on Linux. Cloud worlds are not there: Steam keeps them in its own folder (Steam\/userdata\/[your Steam ID]\/892970<\/code>). Take the world from wherever it actually is.<\/p>\nWhere it goes on the server<\/h3>\n
worlds_local<\/code> inside the server’s save directory: the default path above on the server machine, or the folder you set with -savedir<\/code>.<\/p>\nScenario 1: a pre-1.0 world (.db + .fwl)<\/h3>\n
Midgard.db<\/code> and Midgard.fwl<\/code>, and set -world \"Midgard\"<\/code>. On its first start a 1.0 server converts the world to the new chunked save format; per the Patch 1.0.15 notes<\/a>, the game keeps a backup of the world from before that first load. Third-party hosting guides describe the conversion as one-way, so keep your own copy as well.<\/p>\nScenario 2: a world you already played on 1.0<\/h3>\n
worlds_local<\/code> whose name starts with the world’s name, files and any folder with that name, and set -world<\/code> to that name.<\/p>\nCheck, and roll back if needed<\/h3>\n
-world<\/code> to the exact file name, remove only the new world files the server just created, and start again. If the converted world is broken, restore your own copy. For moving worlds between PC, console and hosts, see our Valheim 1.0 servers and saves guide<\/a>.<\/p> [Platform]_[User ID]<\/code>, and the format is case sensitive.<\/p>\nadminlist.txt: who can run admin commands<\/h3>\n
Kick PLAYERNAME<\/code>, Ban PLAYERNAME<\/code>, Unban PLAYERNAME<\/code> and Banned<\/code> (lists banned players). Admin commands aren't the same as devcommands. See our devcommands cheat-flag explainer<\/a> for how those affect achievements.<\/p>\nbannedlist.txt: who is kept out<\/h3>\n
V_123456789<\/code>) next to the older Steam_123456789<\/code> style. At launch, the ban list and whitelist only matched the new format. Hotfix 1.0.12<\/a> (11 September 2026) fixed that on Steam, and Iron Gate said the fix would reach the other platforms in an upcoming hotfix. If bans or the whitelist ignore an old-style ID, add the player’s V_ ID as well.<\/p>\npermittedlist.txt: whitelist that bans everyone else<\/h3>\n
libatomic1<\/code>, libpulse-dev<\/code> and libpulse0<\/code>. The server needs at least GLIBC_2.29<\/code> and GLIBCXX_3.4.26<\/code>. If your distro ships older versions, running it in Docker is one way around upgrading.<\/p>\n.\/docker_start_server.sh start_server.sh<\/code> or your copy. Game data goes into the volume named by DOCKER_DATA_VOLUME<\/code> in that script, which defaults to valheim_server_data<\/code>. Your worlds and the three permission files live there.<\/p> "},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Keeping the Server Up After 1.0 Patches","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\nCtrl+C<\/code> in its command window. Iron Gate warns that closing the window with the X may leave the server running in the background. A Docker server stops the same way.<\/p> "},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"What Iron Gate's Documents Don't Cover","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"\nSources and Confidence<\/h2>\n
Claim<\/th> Where it comes from<\/th> Status<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Tools checkbox install, start script copy, launch arguments and defaults<\/td> Iron Gate, A Guide to Dedicated Servers (valheim.com support)<\/a><\/td> Official<\/td><\/tr> Crossplay uses a relay and needs no port forwarding; Steam backend needs 2456 \u2013 2457<\/td> Iron Gate, A Guide to Dedicated Servers (valheim.com support)<\/a><\/td> Official<\/td><\/tr> Xbox cannot host a dedicated server; join code via Join Game and Add server<\/td> Iron Gate, Crossplay FAQ (valheim.com support)<\/td> Official<\/td><\/tr> Backup made on first load in the 1.0 save format; full revert loses later progress<\/td> Iron Gate, Patch 1.0.15 (valheim.com news)<\/a><\/td> Official<\/td><\/tr> 1.0.14 fixed biome cache blocking remote joins and Save on others' servers<\/td> Iron Gate, Patch 1.0.14 (Steam announcement)<\/td> Official<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"faq","items":[{"question":"What should the start line look like?","answer":"Keep line 7 of your script copy up to -name, then use: -name \"Neon Vikings\" -port 2456 -world \"Midgard\" -password \"your-own-long-password\" -public 1 -crossplay. Drop -crossplay for the Steam backend and forward ports 2456 - 2457."},{"question":"Do I need port forwarding for a Valheim dedicated server?","answer":"Only on the Steam backend, where you forward ports 2456 \u2013 2457 (or your -port and port+1). With -crossplay, traffic goes through a relay and you don't need port forwarding. "},{"question":"Can I host a dedicated server on Xbox or PlayStation?","answer":"No for Xbox: Iron Gate says Xbox players can't set one up, though they can join a crossplay server. Whether PS5 or Switch 2 can run the server tool isn't stated in the official guide or Crossplay FAQ. "},{"question":"How many players can join a dedicated server?","answer":"Iron Gate's 1.0 FAQ describes Valheim as a game for 1 \u2013 10 players. The dedicated server guide doesn't give a separate limit. "},{"question":"How do I make someone an admin?","answer":"Add their Platform User ID to adminlist.txt in the save directory, one per line, in the case-sensitive [Platform]_[User ID] format. They can then use Kick, Ban, Unban and Banned from the F5 console. "},{"question":"Will my pre-1.0 world work on a 1.0 server?","answer":"Yes. A 1.0 server converts it to the new chunked save format the first time it loads it; third-party hosting guides describe the conversion as one-way. Per Iron Gate's Patch 1.0.15 notes, the game makes a backup on that first load."}]}],"bottom":[{"acf_fc_layout":"more_articles","heading":"","posts":[],"count":10},{"acf_fc_layout":"chat","heading":""}],"meta_description":"Valheim 1.0 dedicated server setup: install the Steam tool, edit the start script, and choose crossplay or Steam ports."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7082"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7085,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7082\/revisions\/7085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7082"},{"taxonomy":"blog_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_tag?post=7082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}