Valheim

Self-hosted
Description
Hardware
Install
Settings
Valheim See on Steam

Valheim is an open-world survival and exploration game developed by Iron Gate Studio, inspired by Norse mythology. Rejected at the gates of Valhalla, the player must prove their worth by exploring and taming the ten realms that make up Valheim.

The game combines resource gathering, crafting, modular base building, sailing (rafts, longships) and combat against creatures and bosses inspired by Viking legends. The procedurally generated world gradually reveals itself as the player explores new biomes.

Released in Early Access in 2021, Valheim became one of Steam's biggest hits in its category, driven by demanding co-op gameplay and a distinctive low-poly art direction. Its 1.0 release in 2026 brought crossplay: PC, Xbox, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 players can meet on the same server.

Server OSWindows / Linux
Server RAM2 to 4 GB
Server storage~2 GB

Customer requirements

Minimal:

Operating systemWindows 7/8/10 (64-Bit)
ProcessorDual core 3.0 GHz
RAM4 GB of memory
Graphics cardGeForce GTX 950, Radeon R7 265 or equivalent performance
Disk space1 GB of available disk space

Recommended:

Operating systemWindows 10 (64-Bit)
ProcessorQuad core 3.5 GHz
RAM8 GB of memory
Graphics cardGeForce GTX 970, Radeon R9 290 or equivalent performance
Disk space1 GB of available disk space
View the list of recommended gaming PCs (regularly updated)

Deploying a server

Prerequisites : Have a Windows or Linux host with the Drooft Game Hosting service installed.
If you haven't already, please follow the installation guide for the Drooft Game Hosting service.
Important : Valheim requires a non-empty password to start — "Public" access (no password) is therefore not available for this game, unlike the others. Choose "Private" or "Friends" when creating it.

Installing a Valheim game server is quick, as the game is significantly lighter to download than most other supported games.

Steps:

1 Go to the page adding game server and fill in: host, game (Valheim), server name, game port (2456 by default) and access type. A "Friends" server appears in the in-game server list, a "Private" server does not (connect by IP address and port).
2 Open the game port in UDP on your router/firewall, as well as the next port (game port + 1, Steam query), used automatically by the game and not configurable separately.
3 Wait a few minutes for the server to switch to the "Game server turned off" , then adjust the difficulty, world rules or crossplay at the bottom of your server page if needed (see the Settings tab).
4 Start your server (button "to start up") : all that's left is to play and invite your friends !
Valheim

Tips:

Check that both server ports are open to the internet (UDP). You can test whether your ports are open directly from your game server's page, using the icon .

Customizing Server Settings

A number of game server settings can be changed directly from the website, whether the server is stopped or running. They apply on the next start.

Server customization (basic)

Server name Shown in the in-game server list, can be changed without losing the world
Password Required to join the server (Valheim always requires a password)
Visibility Follows the access type: "Friends" lists the server in game, "Private" hides it (connect by IP address and port)
Maximum number of players 10 simultaneous players, a limit set by the game

Difficulty

Difficulty preset Normal, Casual, Easy, Hard, Hardcore, Immersive or Hammer. The settings below left on "Default" follow the preset
Combat Enemy strength, from very easy to very hard
Death penalty What players lose when dying (skills, inventory), from casual to hardcore
Resources Amount of resources gathered, from much less to maximum
Raids Frequency of base attacks, from none to much more
Portals Allow ores and metals through portals, block portals during boss fights, or remove them

World rules

No map The map and minimap are disabled for all players.
Free building Building does not consume any materials.
Passive enemies Enemies only attack when attacked.
Raids based on each player's progress Raids depend on the bosses defeated by the targeted player, not on those defeated on the server.

Crossplay

Crossplay Opens the server to Xbox, PlayStation 5, Switch 2 and Game Pass players

Admins & access

Administrators Access to in-game admin commands (kick, ban...).
Whitelist If not empty, only these players can connect.
Banned players These players can no longer connect.
Player ID The one players see in game with the F2 key, e.g. V_76561198000000000
In-game bans Bans made in game are automatically synced to the site

Game backups

Saves and backups World save frequency, number and frequency of automatic backups

Other options may be added in the future, depending on needs.