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Updated 10 October 2026
Every Valheim world is made to be shared, and a dedicated server is how a group keeps one running while the original host sleeps, works or plays something else. Iron Gate, the studio behind the game, publishes an official guide to its dedicated server program and ships a copy of it with the download. This walkthrough follows that guide step by step for Windows and Linux, adds the SteamCMD route for machines without a desktop, and covers the crossplay switch that lets console players into your world.
The short route: install the free Valheim Dedicated Server from the Tools section of your Steam library, or with SteamCMD as app 896660, then make a copy of the start script, add a server name, world name and password, and start it. Either forward ports 2456 and 2457 on your router, or add the -crossplay argument, which relays traffic and needs no port forwarding. When the window reports “Game server connected”, your friends can join.
Before you start
- A machine that stays on. Windows or Linux both work, and the server runs headless, so no graphics card is needed.
- Linux libraries. Iron Gate lists libatomic1, libpulse0 and libpulse-dev as extra packages, and the server requires at least GLIBC 2.29 together with GLIBCXX 3.4.26; older distributions can use the Docker script described below.
- A Steam account only for the client route. SteamCMD downloads the server with an anonymous login.
- A player limit of ten. Iron Gate caps every Valheim server at 10 players.
Steam backend or crossplay backend?
The first decision shapes everything after it, because Valheim servers run on one of two networking backends:
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| Question | Steam backend (default) | Crossplay backend (-crossplay) |
|---|---|---|
| Who can join? | Only Steam players | Players on any platform |
| Port forwarding | Required for ports 2456–2457 | Not required; traffic goes through a relay |
| Ways to connect | Server list or the Join IP button | Public IP and port, the server list, or a join code |
| Local IP joins | Possible, for example on a LAN | Not possible, nor loopback addresses |
From Iron Gate’s official dedicated server guide, read 10 October 2026.
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If even one friend plays on Xbox, PlayStation 5 or Switch 2, choose crossplay. Otherwise the Steam backend avoids the relay and lets players on your own network join by local address.
Step 1: Install the server program
With the Steam client (Windows): open your Library, use the drop-down at the top left to make sure the Tools checkbox is ticked, scroll to Valheim Dedicated Server and click Install. To find its folder later, right-click the entry and choose Manage, then Browse local files.
With SteamCMD (Windows or Linux): on a VPS or any machine without a desktop, install SteamCMD and run steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/valheim/server +login anonymous +app_update 896660 validate +quit, swapping the folder for one of your own. The same command fetches updates later, so save it somewhere handy.
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Step 2: Make your own start script
The server reads its settings from launch arguments in a script: start_headless_server.bat on Windows and start_server.sh on Linux. Iron Gate recommends editing a copy rather than the original, because Steam resets the original file every time it updates the server, wiping your settings. The trade-off is that Steam’s Play button only launches the original name, so you start your copy yourself.
On Windows, right-click your copy and choose Edit to open it in Notepad. The arguments sit on line 7, the one beginning start valheim_server. On Linux, open the copy of start_server.sh in any editor, then run it from a terminal in the server folder with ./ followed by its name.
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Step 3: Choose your launch arguments
| Argument | What it does |
|---|---|
| -name “Mead Hall” | The name shown in the server list |
| -port 2456 | The port the server uses, together with the next one up; must match your port forwarding |
| -world “Midgard” | Creates a world with that name, or loads an existing one |
| -password “…” | The password players type to join |
| -public 1 | Lists the server in the in-game browser; 0 hides it, leaving only Join IP |
| -crossplay | Switches to the crossplay backend run on PlayFab |
| -savedir [path] | Moves worlds and permission files away from the default save folder |
| -logFile “path” | Writes the server log to a file of your choice |
| -saveinterval 1800 | Seconds between world saves; the default is half an hour |
| -instanceid “1” | Gives each crossplay server a unique PlayFab ID when several share a port and MAC address |
Save the file once the line is complete. Keep the rest of the line exactly as Iron Gate ships it, and wrap any value containing spaces in quotes.
Step 4: Open the ports, or let crossplay skip them
On the Steam backend, forward UDP ports 2456 and 2457 from your router to the machine running the server; Iron Gate leaves router specifics to your router’s manual or your provider, given how many models exist. The first time the server starts on Windows, a firewall pop-up may appear, and Iron Gate’s advice is to tick every checkbox so the server can talk to the internet.
On the crossplay backend, nothing needs forwarding. The port still matters, though, because it tells apart several servers sharing one public IP address. Each server uses its port and the one after it, so a second server should start two numbers higher, at 2458 for example.
Step 5: Start the server and stop it cleanly
Run your copy of the script, either directly in Windows or from a terminal on Linux. Startup is complete when the window prints “Game server connected”; from then on the server accepts players. To shut it down, press Ctrl+C in the command window. Closing the window with its X button may leave the server running in the background, and Iron Gate admits it is not sure what happens then.
Step 6: Name the admins and control access
Three plain text files in the default save folder govern access. adminlist.txt names the admins, bannedlist.txt the banned, and permittedlist.txt the only people allowed in. Every entry is a Platform User ID on its own line, written as [Platform]_[User ID] with matching capitals, and the ID appears both in the server log and in the game’s F2 panel. Treat the permitted list as a whitelist with teeth: the moment it holds a single name, everyone else is turned away.
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Admins press F5 in game to open the console, where Kick, Ban and Unban take a player name and Banned prints the current list.
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Running the server in Docker on older Linux
If your distribution’s libraries are older than the server needs, Iron Gate’s answer is Docker rather than an upgrade. The server ships with docker_start_server.sh next to start_server.sh:
- Check Docker works. The daemon must be running and your user must belong to the docker group; running
docker psshould succeed without a connection or permission error. - Choose where data lives. By default, worlds and the three permission files go into a Docker volume named valheim_server_data. Set DOCKER_DATA_VOLUME inside the script to a folder such as ${HOME}/valheim_storage to keep them in your home directory, creating that folder first.
- Launch it. Pass your start script to the Docker script, as in
./docker_start_server.sh start_server.sh. The first run builds the container environment and takes a few minutes; later runs start straight away.
Stopping works the same way as on the host machine, with Ctrl+C.
World modifiers worth setting at launch
- -preset picks an overall difficulty: Casual, Easy, Normal, Hard, Hardcore, Immersive or Hammer. A preset replaces any modifiers set before it.
- -modifier adjusts one area, written after any preset. Combat accepts veryeasy, easy, hard or veryhard; DeathPenalty casual, veryeasy, easy, hard or hardcore; Resources muchless, less, more, muchmore or most; Raids none, muchless, less, more or muchmore; and Portals casual, hard or veryhard.
- -setkey ticks a checkbox key: nomap, passivemobs, playerevents or nobuildcost.
A relaxed building server might combine -preset casual with -setkey nobuildcost, while a group that wants peace at home could add -modifier raids none.
Saves and automatic backups
Out of the box, the server writes the world every 1,800 seconds and keeps four automatic backups, a short-interval one plus three long-interval ones. Three arguments change that: -backups sets how many are kept, -backupshort the gap before the first (7,200 seconds by default) and -backuplong the gap between the rest (43,200 seconds by default). On Windows the default save folder is %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim, and on Linux ~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim, unless -savedir says otherwise, so copying that folder to another drive or machine is the simplest extra insurance.
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Bringing an existing world
A world travels as two files with the same name, one ending .fwl and one ending .db. Copy both into the server’s worlds folder under its save path, then set -world to that exact name so the server loads it instead of creating a fresh map. Worlds started before 1.0 keep working, but per Iron Gate, new biome terrain only generates properly in unexplored ground, meaning more than about 500 metres from anywhere a player has set foot.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How players connect
- From the server list: with -public 1, the server shows up under its -name in the in-game browser.
- By address: the Join IP button takes the public IP and port, or a local IP on the Steam backend.
- By join code: on crossplay servers, the code shows in the pause menu once you are in the world; friends choose Join Game, press Add server and paste it.
Keeping the server updated
Steam updates the client install of the server program, which is exactly why your edited copy of the start script matters. With SteamCMD, rerun the same app_update command. Do it soon after each game patch, because players who have updated cannot join a server still on the previous version.
Prefer a ready-made server?
Hosted servers remove the router and update chores. Godlike.Host offers a Valheim VPS with the game pre-installed, managed through a VirtFusion panel for reboots, reinstalls and monitoring with no Linux commands, while still giving you full control of the server and its launch arguments. Plans run on KVM virtual machines with AMD EPYC Milan processors, CPU and memory that are not oversold, NVMe storage and at least 16 GB of RAM, with snapshots and restore points and DDoS protection included. Godlike also sells managed Valheim game servers on a separate page, including an automated mod installer plus SFTP access.
Mind the map: every Valheim VPS plan is located in Godlike’s USA-East data center, which means higher latency for players far from the eastern US.
Choosing between hosts? Our ranking of Valheim dedicated server hosts puts six providers side by side.
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Troubleshooting
- “Game server connected” never appears: read the log for errors; on Linux, check the extra packages and the GLIBC version Iron Gate lists, and use the Docker script if the system is too old.
- Nobody can find the server: confirm -public 1, and on the Steam backend check that UDP 2456 and 2457 are forwarded to the right machine.
- A friend on your network cannot connect to a crossplay server: the crossplay backend ignores local addresses; use the public IP, the server list or the join code instead.
- Settings vanished after an update: you edited the original start script, which Steam replaced; move your arguments into a copy.
- Everyone is locked out: someone was added to permittedlist.txt; add the rest of the group or empty the file.
- The server keeps running after you closed it: stop it with Ctrl+C next time, and end the leftover process now.
FAQ
Is the Valheim dedicated server free?
Yes. It is a free tool in Steam’s Tools section, and SteamCMD downloads it anonymously as app 896660; each player still needs their own copy of the game.
Which ports does Valheim use?
The -port value and the one above it, 2456 and 2457 by default. They only need forwarding on the Steam backend.
Can I run two Valheim servers on one machine?
Yes. Give each its own port pair, such as 2456 and 2458, and on crossplay give each a unique -instanceid.
How do I make someone an admin?
Copy their Platform User ID out of the server log or the F2 panel into adminlist.txt in the save folder.
Can an Xbox host a dedicated server?
No. Iron Gate says an Xbox cannot run a dedicated server, but it can join one when both the console and the server have crossplay enabled.
