How to Invite Friends to Your Valheim Server (Steam, Xbox, and Crossplay)

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The fastest way to invite friends to Valheim is to host the world from the game, then have each friend join from Join Game. For a cross-platform group, copy the host’s Join code from the pause menu; each friend chooses Join Game > Add server and pastes it. If the world must remain available when the original host is offline, install Valheim Dedicated Server from Steam’s Tools section and add -crossplay when players outside Steam need access.

Choose the hosting method that fits your group

Valheim offers two practical ways to play with friends. A game-hosted session is a peer-to-peer world started from the normal game client. It takes only a few clicks, but the host must keep Valheim running for the session to continue. A dedicated server runs separately from the game client, so the world can stay available after the person who created it leaves.

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For a one-evening session, start with the game-hosted method. For a shared world that people should be able to visit at different times, use a dedicated server. Decide the backend before configuring networking: the Steam backend uses your forwarded ports, while the crossplay backend relays traffic.

Start a temporary Valheim world and invite Steam friends

Set up the host session

1. Start Valheim and open the character and world selection screens.
2. Create a new world or select the world you want to share.
3. Enable the multiplayer/server option for that world.
4. Choose whether the session is public or private. A public session can be discovered through the server list; a private session limits discovery to people you deliberately invite.
5. Launch the world and keep Valheim running while your friends play.

This is a peer-to-peer session created by the game itself. The world remains tied to the host’s running session, so closing Valheim or leaving the world ends that session for everyone else. The saved world remains on the host’s system and can be started again later by the same host.

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Use Steam’s normal friend and server flow

When everyone is playing through Steam, friends can use the normal Steam friend or server-list flow after you start the multiplayer world. Have them open Valheim’s Join Game screen and look for the session you made available. If the session is private or does not appear, use the cross-platform join-code procedure below; it is also a dependable way to avoid relying on list discovery.

Invite Xbox and other cross-platform players with a join code

Cross-platform invitations use a short code generated for the active server. This works when the host starts a session from the game and also when a dedicated server is configured for crossplay.

Copy the code from the host

1. Start the Valheim world or dedicated server.
2. Open the in-game pause menu while the server is active.
3. Locate the displayed Join code.
4. Use the copy control, or carefully copy the current code, and send it to each friend through your usual message channel.

Generate and send the code after the server is running. If you restart the session or server and receive a different code, send the newly displayed value instead of an earlier one.

Where friends paste the code

1. Each friend starts Valheim on their own platform.
2. From the main menu, open Join Game.
3. Press Add server.
4. Paste the join code into the field provided and confirm.
5. Select the resulting entry to connect.

The important path is Join Game > Add server > paste the code. A player on Xbox or another non-Steam platform should use this route rather than looking for a Steam invitation. The official crossplay guidance specifies that dedicated-server hosts must enable crossplay before non-Steam players can join.

What the host must enable for cross-platform dedicated servers

On a dedicated server, add the -crossplay argument to the launch configuration. Without that argument, the server uses the Steam backend. With it, the server uses the PlayFab crossplay backend, which allows players from different platforms to connect. A game-hosted session can use the in-game join code without you editing a server launch script.

Make the world persistent with Valheim Dedicated Server

A dedicated server is the right choice when friends need to enter the same world while the original host is away. The server application runs separately from the ordinary Valheim client and can be left running on a computer that stays online.

Install the official server application

1. Open Steam and go to your Library.
2. Enable the Tools filter so utility applications are visible.
3. Find and install Valheim Dedicated Server.
4. Open the installation folder and identify the launch script supplied with the application.
5. Copy the launch script before editing it. Keeping a separate copy protects your settings when the server application updates.

Run the copied script rather than editing the original file that an update may replace. The official setup process has you set the server name, world name, password, and visibility in this script. Use names that are easy for friends to recognize and keep the password private.

Choose the server backend

• Steam backend: Leave -crossplay out when every player will connect through Steam. Internet players need the server’s default ports, 2456 and 2457, forwarded through the router and allowed through the machine’s firewall.
• Crossplay backend: Add -crossplay when one or more players are on Xbox or another non-Steam platform. Traffic is relayed, so router port forwarding is not required solely for this backend.

Do not add port-forwarding rules just because an older Steam-focused guide says they are mandatory. First check which backend the server is actually using. Forwarding is part of the Steam-backend setup; it is not required for the crossplay relay.

Set the server’s identity and world

In the copied launch script, configure the server name that friends will see, the world to load, and a password. The world name must match the saved world you intend to run; changing it can make the server start a different world. If you are creating a new shared world, choose a distinctive name so friends do not select a similarly named entry.

Use a password even if the server is not publicly listed. Anyone who obtains the join code or can discover the entry still needs the password when one is configured. Share the password through a private channel and change it if it has been posted publicly.

Control browser visibility

The visibility argument determines whether friends can find the server in the browser:

• -public 1 lists the server in the browser.
• -public 0 hides it from the browser. Friends must connect through Join IP or the server’s join code instead.

A hidden server is useful when you want invitations to be deliberate. A public server is easier for a regular group that does not want to exchange a code each time, but the password should still protect the world from uninvited players.

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• Explore a bright Norse realm: discover dungeons, slay legendary beasts, and build anywhere as you explore formidable, procedurally-generated lands on your quest to take on Ragnarok.
• Face colossal game-changers: protect the speed of Yggdrasil from a nightly invasion of helthings, and work together with your tribe to withstand the ever-looming threat of the jotnar.
• Forge your Viking Legend: choose your class and take the battle into the wilds as you seek resources to craft epic armor and mighty weaponry. Then, unleash powerful abilities and prepare clever village defenses to give your enemies some nasty surprises.
• Rally the tribe: when the giants arrive, it takes a village to bring them down! Adventure through midgard solo, or form a tribe of up to 10 players in online pve co-op.
• Keep up the fight: throughout the year, limited time seasonal events bring bigger challenges and even mightier treasures to the endgame of midgard, including new ways to progress and unlockable rewards for use across every game.

$11.49

Buy on Amazon

Keep the server available

Start the copied launch script and leave the dedicated-server process running. The computer must remain powered on, connected to the internet, and allowed to communicate through its firewall. Friends can then join even when the person who originally created the world is not playing. Stop the server cleanly when you need to shut down the machine so the world has a chance to save.

Port forwarding, firewalls, and connection paths

When forwarding is required

For a dedicated server using the Steam backend, forward ports 2456 and 2457 from the router to the computer running the server. The exact screens differ by router, but the rule must point to the server computer’s local network address and permit the same ports through the computer’s firewall.

If friends still cannot connect after forwarding, verify that the rule targets the correct device. A changed local address can send traffic to another computer. Also check that the server process is running and that the operating system firewall has an allow rule for it.

When forwarding is not required

A dedicated server started with -crossplay uses a relay backend. In that configuration, friends connect through the relay rather than directly to your home router, so adding port-forwarding rules is unnecessary. You may still need to allow the server application through the local firewall, and the server computer must remain online.

Public, private, and hidden access: which setting to use

Public game-hosted session

Choose public when you want the world discoverable through the in-game list. This is convenient for a casual group, but discovery is broader than a direct invitation. Use a password when you want an additional barrier.

Private game-hosted session

Choose private when you want to control invitations from the host session. Friends can still join through the code when the session supports crossplay, but the world will not be presented as an open public game.

Hidden dedicated server

Set -public 0 when the server should not appear in the browser. Give trusted players the current join code or the IP details required by the server’s connection method. This reduces casual discovery; it does not replace a password.

Troubleshoot a friend who cannot join

Work through these checks in order. Change one item at a time so you can tell which correction solved the problem.

1. Confirm patch versions. Every player should run the same Valheim patch version. Iron Gate warns that mismatched versions can prevent a connection. Update the game and server before changing network settings.
2. Identify the backend. If the group includes non-Steam players, the dedicated server must have -crossplay. If everyone is on Steam, confirm whether you intentionally chose the Steam backend and therefore need ports 2456 and 2457 forwarded.
3. Replace the join code. Have the host open the pause menu, copy the currently displayed code again, and send it. The friend should use Join Game > Add server rather than entering it in a different screen.
4. Check the server entry. Verify the server name, world, password, and public/hidden setting. A typo in the password can look like a network failure, while a hidden server will not appear in the browser by design.
5. Check the host session. For a game-hosted world, the host must still be inside the running session. If Valheim was closed, start the world again and issue a fresh code.
6. Check the dedicated-server process. Make sure the copied launch script is running and that it loaded the intended world. An update may have replaced an edited original script, which is why the preserved copy matters.
7. Check firewall and router rules. On the Steam backend, verify forwarding for both 2456 and 2457 and confirm the firewall allows the server. On crossplay, remove assumptions that direct port forwarding is needed; concentrate on the running process, firewall permission, and correct -crossplay argument.
8. Retry after correcting one variable. Restart the client or server only after recording the setting you changed. Then copy the new code if the restart generated one.

Common group setups

Four Steam players for a single evening

One player selects the world, enables multiplayer, chooses public or private, and launches it. The others join through Steam’s normal friend or server-list flow. Keep the host’s game open until everyone is finished. This avoids dedicated-server installation and router configuration.

Steam and Xbox players sharing a world

For a short session, the host starts the multiplayer world, opens the pause menu, and sends the join code. Every friend, including Steam players, can use Join Game > Add server and paste it. For a world that should be available without that host, install the dedicated server, add -crossplay, set a password, and distribute the code shown by the running server.

A group that plays at different times

Install the dedicated server on a machine that can stay powered and connected. Select the backend that matches the group, configure the world and password, and choose browser visibility. Give regular players the connection information once; they can return whenever the server is running, without waiting for the original world owner to launch a game session.

Before you send the invitation

• All players are on the same Valheim patch version.
• You know whether the session is game-hosted or dedicated.
• You have selected Steam or crossplay for the dedicated-server backend.
• The world name and server name are the intended ones.
• A password is set and shared privately when access should be restricted.
• The public/hidden choice matches how friends will connect.
• For cross-platform play, you have copied the current join code after starting the server.
• For Steam-backend internet play, ports 2456 and 2457 are forwarded and permitted by the firewall.
• For crossplay, you have not added port forwarding solely because of an outdated guide.
• The game host or dedicated-server computer will remain online for the planned play period.

Which method should you use?

Use a game-hosted session when setup speed matters and one person can keep Valheim open. Use the join code whenever the group includes Xbox or another non-Steam platform, or whenever list discovery is inconvenient. Install Valheim Dedicated Server when the world must persist independently of a player’s session. Choose the Steam backend only when your group is Steam-only and you are prepared to forward ports 2456 and 2457; choose -crossplay when players use multiple platforms and you want the relay to avoid router port forwarding.

Quick Recap

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