Valheim is the latest survival creation game that snatches the Steam player base, largely thanks to the game’s multiplayer and PvP functionality. If you want to get in on the action with your friends, follow our guide how to set up your own dedicated Valheim server!
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How to set up a dedicated Valheim server
Follow these steps exactly to quickly and easily set up your own custom Valheim dedicated server:
Outside Valheim, open your Steam Library and search “Valheim Dedicated Server”. If you own Valheim, you also have this little tool that comes with it.
Download and install the Valheim Dedicated Server tool, as you would any Steam game. But don’t run yet! First, right-click the tool in your Steam library and go to “Manage -> Search for local files”.
In the window that appears, find the file called “start_headless_server”, make a copy of it and save it elsewhere for backup in case something goes wrong.
Then, go back to the first version of the file, right-click and click “Edit”. In the file, find the line that starts with “valheim_server” and change the following parts:
- -name “My server”
- Name your server in quotes.
- -port 2456
- Change the port number to the number you are using for port forwarding. To check what this number is, log in to the router and select “Port forwarding”.
- -world “dedicated”
- Name your world. It cannot contain any words used in the server name.
- – password “Secret”
- Give your server a password to make it private or leave it blank to make it public.
Now save the file, close it and run the Valheim Dedicated Server tool on Steam. Wait for the window to finish loading and printing the lines. After seeing the line “Connected game server”, you can go back to Valheim and watch the world appear on your list of worlds for you to join and start playing!
If you want to stop your Valheim dedicated serverand then check for a server window that just tells you to press any key to stop the server. If there is one, focus on the window and press any key to close the server. If this window does not exist, click on the “X” in the main server window or go to the Valheim Dedicated Server tool page on Steam and click “Stop”.
And yes, you can run the dedicated server tool in the background and play Valheim on the same PC. You don’t have to run them on separate machines.
How to find and join a dedicated Valheim server
If you are having trouble finding the dedicated Valheim server you want to join and recheck the server settings to make sure everything is correct and working correctly, try the following fix:
- Open Steam. Click “View” in the upper left corner, then click “Servers”.
- Click the “Favorites” tab and click “Add a server”.
- Enter the server’s IP address, end with a colon, then add the port number.
- For example: 999.999.999.999:0000 – where 9s are the IP address and 0s are the port number.
- Click on “Add this address to favorites, and you should see your server appear as a new item on your list of favorite servers.
- From now on you can join the server by selecting it from this list and clicking “Connect”. If the server requires a password, you will need to enter it first, but then you will be sent to a Valheim game with your friends!
If you or your friends are new to Valheim, it’s best to learn the basics with our guides on how to use and update the Workbench and how to fix broken tools and weapons!
How to play Valheim multiplayer without a dedicated server
A dedicated server is lovely, but you should know that it is not necessary to do this to start playing a multiplayer game in Valheim. All you need to do to join a game with a friend is to select the world you want to make multiplayer in the game, click the Start Server button, enter the game and invite your friends via Steam (“Shift + Tab” to open the overlay Steam, right click on your friend and click “Invite to game”).
So, why bother with all that dedicated server stuff? The main reason is that a dedicated server works on its own, without anyone having to be in the game. Without a dedicated server, a player is always the host, which means he must remain in the game for the server to continue to function. The moment they leave, everyone is expelled. With dedicated servers, this will not happen!
That’s all you need to know about creating and joining a dedicated server. There is no need to rent a server when Valheim developers made it so easy to create your own server with the Valheim Dedicated Server tool!
While you’re here, you may want to check out our Valheim console cheats and commands guide, because it will teach you how to use commands to control your server, issue kicks and bans and more.
Elsewhere, there’s our Valheim construction guide, who guides you through things like construction deterioration, structural integrity, chimney construction, and more.