Dedicated servers
How to run your own Valheim server, following Iron Gate's official guide, with the mod frameworks covered separately. Every step names its source, and gaps are stated instead of filled in.
The official server guide is dated April 11, 2024, before Valheim 1.0. We read the sources on 2026-09-29 but did not run the steps against a specific 1.0.x build, so pages say "game-version match unverified".
Which one do you need?
- Windows, Steam version
- Windows, Microsoft Store version
- Linux
- Linux with old system libraries (Docker)
- Players on several platforms
- Adding mods (BepInEx)
- Adding Valheim Plus
Guides
Set up a Valheim dedicated server on Windows
Install, configure, start and stop the Valheim dedicated server on Windows (Steam and Microsoft Store), following Iron Gate's official guide, with every step linked to its source.
Set up a Valheim dedicated server on Linux
Run the Valheim dedicated server on Linux, directly or in Docker, following Iron Gate's official guide, with every step linked to its source and the gaps stated.
Valheim dedicated server launch options
Every dedicated-server launch argument in Iron Gate's official guide, with its meaning, default and valid values, plus admin lists and console commands.
Crossplay and dedicated servers: what changes
How the Crossplay backend differs from the Steam backend on a Valheim dedicated server, who can join, what needs port forwarding, and what is (and is not) known about mods and consoles.
Valheim dedicated server backups, saves and updates
Where a Valheim server keeps its worlds, how automatic backups are configured, what an update overwrites and what the 1.0 save conversion means, from official sources.
Valheim dedicated server troubleshooting
Problems that Iron Gate's official guide and the mod projects' own documentation actually describe for dedicated servers, each with the documented fix and its source.
BepInEx on a Valheim dedicated server
What the Valheim BepInEx pack is, its current version and maintenance status, how it is installed on a server, and what is and is not known about compatibility with current Valheim builds.
Valheim Plus on a dedicated server
Which Valheim Plus you can actually use today, its maintenance status, the tested Valheim versions, how to install it on a server and how version enforcement works.
Server hosting: comparison framework
Verifiable criteria for comparing Valheim server hosts. Each cell is a sourced claim with its date, or "not checked".
What we could not verify
- SteamCMD commands and the server's Steam app id: Valve's documentation was behind bot protection when checked, so they are not published here.
- Hardware requirements: the official server guide does not give any.
- The network protocol of the server ports: the official guide names the ports (default 2456-2457) but not the protocol.
- Whether client and server versions must match to connect: not stated in the sources we read.
- Which mods work with which Valheim builds, and whether modded servers accept crossplay connections: no official statement exists; see the compatibility notes on the mod pages.