Spawnkeep

Crossplay and dedicated servers: what changes

Source checked 29 Sept 2026; game-version match unverified.OfficialProject docs

A dedicated server runs on one of two backends. Which one you pick decides who can join and whether you must forward ports.

The two backends

Steam backend (default) Crossplay backend (-crossplay)
Who can see and join Only Steam users Users from any platform
Port forwarding Required: the port range needs internet access Not required: the server uses a relay (PlayFab)
How players connect Server list, or Join IP Public IP and port, a join code, or the server list. Not a local or loopback IP
Port number Must match your forwarding Still used to tell apart several servers on one public IP

Sources: official guide for the table; the join code is described in the Crossplay FAQ.

Joining with a code

When you start a server through the game or as a dedicated server, a join code appears in the pause menu. Copy it, and your friend opens Join Game, presses Add server and pastes it (Crossplay FAQ).

Consoles

Mods and crossplay: what is known

Our reading, not a source's claim. Put together, the two statements above mean a player on a console, who cannot install mods, cannot meet a mod's "install it on the client too" requirement. Whether a modded server accepts crossplay connections is not documented in the sources we read, so this site does not claim it works.

Not covered

Latency, relay limits and player-count limits for the Crossplay backend are not in the sources we read. The 1.0 FAQ says Valheim 1.0 is a game for 1-10 players (Valheim 1.0 FAQ).

Sources