How to Play Valheim with Friends (Every Way, 2026)

There are three ways to play Valheim with friends: host from your own game by ticking Start server when you load a world, let friends on other platforms join with a crossplay join code, or run a dedicated server that keeps the world online without you. All three hold up to 10 players. Hosting from the game is free and quick, but the world only exists while the host is playing.

What are the ways to play Valheim together?

Every player needs their own copy of Valheim, and characters travel with each player, so you can bring the same character into any of these worlds.

How do you host Valheim from the game?

This is the fastest way in, and Valheim calls it starting a server even though it runs inside your game.

1. Click Start Game and pick your character.
2. Select the world you want to play (or create a new one).
3. Tick Start server.
4. Set a password. It needs at least 5 characters.
5. Optional: tick Community server to list it publicly, or Crossplay if friends are on Xbox, PlayStation 5, Switch 2 or PC Game Pass.
6. Click Start.

Friends join through Steam: right click your name in the Steam friends list and choose Join Game, or find the world in the Join Game tab. They type the password and spawn in.

The catch is that your PC is the server. Valheim runs the world on your machine and sends it to everyone else, so your frame rate and upload speed affect the whole group. When you quit, the world goes with you, because the save lives in your worlds_local folder.

How do console and Game Pass players join?

With crossplay. Since Valheim 1.0 in September 2026, Steam, Xbox, PC Game Pass, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 players can all share a world. Iron Gate's 1.0 FAQ describes the game as built for 1 to 10 players across all of them.

1. The host ticks Crossplay when starting the world (or, on a dedicated server, adds -crossplay to the launch line).
2. The game shows a join code, a short number, in the top left corner of the host's screen. A dedicated server prints it in its console instead.
3. Friends open Join Game, choose to join by code, and type it in.

Two things to know. The code changes every time the world or server starts, so share the new one after each restart. And console players cannot use mods, so crossplay worlds should stay vanilla. Our Valheim dedicated server crossplay guide goes deeper on how the crossplay backend works.

When do you need a dedicated server?

Hosting from the game works until one of these happens:

• People play at different times. The host has to be online for anyone to play. With a dedicated server, anyone can log in at 2 a.m. and the rest find the new longhouse in the morning.
• The host's PC struggles. The host renders the game and runs the world at the same time. Late game bases with hundreds of pieces make that painful.
• The host's internet is slow. Every player's data goes through the host's upload.
• The host goes on holiday. The whole group stops playing.

A dedicated server is a separate, free program from Iron Gate (app 896660 in SteamCMD) that runs the world headless, with no game window. It can run on a spare PC at home, or on a rented server. Our guide to making a Valheim server yourself covers SteamCMD, start scripts and ports.

How do friends join a dedicated server?

1. Launch Valheim, click Start Game and pick your character.
2. Open Join Game and click Add server.
3. Type the address, for example 203.0.113.10:2456, and click Add server again.
4. Select it, click Connect and enter the password.

Console players use the join code instead of the address. A public server also appears in the community list after a few minutes, but adding it by address works right away.

Do you need to port forward to play Valheim with friends?

It depends on the method:

If friends cannot connect to a home hosted world, crossplay mode is a quick workaround even for an all PC group, since it does not rely on your router. Our port forwarding guide covers the router side when you do need it.

Can you move your world between methods?

Yes, and this is what makes starting small safe. A world is just a folder in worlds_local on whoever's PC hosted it. You can start by hosting from the game, then move the world to a dedicated server later and keep everything you built. Characters are stored on each player's device, so nobody loses their gear. The full process is in how to upload a Valheim world to a dedicated server.

The one exception: worlds created on a console cannot be copied to a PC or server, because there is no way to reach the console's save files.

How many players can play Valheim together?

Ten per world, on every method. That cap is part of the game, not a hosting limit. Performance depends more on what you build than how many people are on, because heavy building in one area is what makes Valheim stutter. For how much hardware a group needs, see Valheim server requirements.

Which way should your group pick?

• Two to four friends, always together: host from the game. Free and simple.
• Some friends on console: host with crossplay on, or run a crossplay dedicated server if schedules differ.
• Five or more players, or anyone who plays alone sometimes: a dedicated server. Nobody waits on the host.
• You want mods: a dedicated server with BepInEx, PC players only, everyone on the same mod versions.

FAQ

How do I invite a friend to my Valheim world?

Start the world with Start server ticked and a password set. Your friend right clicks your name in Steam and picks Join Game, or uses the join code if crossplay is on.

Can my friends play my Valheim world when I am offline?

Not when you host from the game, since the world runs on your PC. They need a dedicated server that runs the world on its own.

Is Valheim crossplay between PC and PS5?

Yes. Since 1.0, Steam, Xbox, PC Game Pass, PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 players can play together. The host turns on crossplay and shares the join code.

How many friends can join a Valheim game?

Up to 10 players per world, including the host.

Do my friends need to own Valheim to play with me?

Yes. Every player needs their own copy. A dedicated server itself does not need one.

The easy option

If your group has outgrown hosting from someone's PC, a hosted Valheim server keeps the world online for everyone, with crossplay on by default on the vanilla type and a BepInEx type for mods. Plans start at 4 GB for up to 5 Vikings, new customers get 50% off the first month, and friends can split the bill so each pays their own share. The Valheim hosting quick start walks through the first ten minutes.