How to Set Up a Valheim Dedicated Server on Linux (1.0 + Crossplay)

Valheim left Early Access on 9 September 2026, and 1.0 changed one thing about dedicated servers that matters more than everything else combined: if you want PlayStation 5, Xbox or Nintendo Switch 2 friends in your world, the server has to be started with the crossplay flag. Everything else — SteamCMD, the launch arguments, the password rules, the port — is the same server people have been running for years, just on a new build. This is the complete Linux setup guide, written from running the 1.0 server in production the day it shipped.

What you need before you start

• A Linux machine (or VPS) with a public IP, 4GB of RAM to spare for the server, and a couple of GB of disk. The 1.0 server files are a little over 2GB installed.
• No copy of Valheim. The dedicated server is a free, separate Steam app (896660) and installs with an anonymous SteamCMD login.
• One open UDP port (2456 by default) forwarded to the machine. If you want the server to show in Steam's own server browser you also need the next port up (2457), but crossplay joins and direct IP joins do not need it.

Step 1: install SteamCMD and the server

On Debian or Ubuntu:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y steamcmd lib32gcc-s1

Then pull the server into a folder of its own:

mkdir -p ~/valheim && cd ~/valheim
steamcmd +force_install_dir ~/valheim +login anonymous +app_update 896660 validate +quit

That downloads valheim_server.x86_64, the linux64/ runtime folder, and Iron Gate's own start_server.sh — which is a good reference but not the script you'll run.

Step 2: write the start script

Create run.sh next to the binary:

#!/bin/bash
export templdpath=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=./linux64:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
export SteamAppId=892970

./valheim_server.x86_64 -nographics -batchmode \
  -name "Odin's Rest" \
  -port 2456 \
  -world "Midgard" \
  -password "changeme1" \
  -public 1 \
  -savedir "$HOME/valheim/saves" \
  -crossplay

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$templdpath

Every setting a Valheim server has is a launch argument; there is no config file. The ones that matter:

Make it executable and run it:

chmod +x run.sh && ./run.sh

Step 3: read the console — the lines that matter

A first boot generates a new world. On a 4GB machine that took us just under 20 seconds from ZNet Start to Loading: Done. The lines to look for, in order:

Valheim version: l-1.0.7 (network version 39)
DungeonDB Start
Load world: Midgard (Midgard)
Game server connected
Opened PlayFab server
Session "Odin's Rest" registered with join code 665832
Session "Odin's Rest" with join code 665832 and IP 203.0.113.10:2456 is active with 0 player(s)

The registered with join code line is the one that tells you crossplay worked. Console players type those six digits from the Join Game screen; PC players can use the code too or connect directly by IP and port. The code changes on every restart — plan for that if you run scheduled restarts.

If the server stops right after the version line with no obvious error, check the password: shorter than five characters, or contained in the world name, are the two silent killers.

Step 4: keep it running

Run it under systemd so it survives reboots and restarts cleanly:

[Unit]
Description=Valheim dedicated server
After=network-online.target

[Service]
User=valheim
WorkingDirectory=/home/valheim/valheim
ExecStart=/home/valheim/valheim/run.sh
Restart=on-failure
KillSignal=SIGINT
TimeoutStopSec=60

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

KillSignal=SIGINT is important: the server saves the world on a clean interrupt. A hard kill skips the save.

Step 5: updates

Iron Gate ships patches after a launch this size. Players update through Steam or their console store automatically; your server does not. Until you re-run the SteamCMD line from Step 1, anyone on the new client gets a version-mismatch error. Script it into your restart:

steamcmd +force_install_dir ~/valheim +login anonymous +app_update 896660 +quit

Console platforms sometimes receive a patch a few hours after Steam. If your group is mixed, hold the server update until everyone has the new version, or the console players are the ones locked out.

Admins, allowed players and bans

Three text files in your -savedir, one ID per line:

• adminlist.txt — who can open the F5 console and use admin commands
• permittedlist.txt — if it has any entries, only listed players can join
• bannedlist.txt — who cannot join

Steam players are identified by SteamID64. Console players have a platform ID instead — read it from the in-game player list (F2) and add that. A SteamID will not match a PlayStation or Switch player.

Bringing an existing world

1.0 keeps pre-1.0 worlds, and the Deep North generates in any part of the map nobody has explored. Copy <World>.db and <World>.fwl from the old location into <savedir>/worlds_local/, set -world to the same name, and start. The default locations on a PC are %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local\ on Windows and ~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local/ on Linux and Mac.

Sizing: how much RAM?

A fresh world idles around 1.3GB on the 1.0 server. Memory grows with what your group builds and explores — every placed object and every visited chunk lives in memory — not with player count. 4GB is comfortable for a new world and a small group; hosts recommend 6GB once a full ten-player crew has a sprawling base, and 8GB for very old worlds or anyone experimenting with mods. Detail in how much RAM a Valheim server needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to own Valheim to run a dedicated server?

No. The dedicated server is a separate free Steam app (896660) and installs with login anonymous.

Can console players join my Linux dedicated server?

Yes, as long as it was started with -crossplay. They join with the six-digit code from the console. See how console players join a Valheim server.

Why won't my server start?

Nine times out of ten it's the password rule: fewer than 5 characters, or the password appears inside the world name. Fix it and restart.

How many players can join?

Ten. That is Valheim's own limit on every server; a bigger machine doesn't raise it.

Do mods work on the 1.0 server?

There's no Steam Workshop, and Iron Gate has said mods may break at 1.0. Run vanilla first; if you add BepInEx later, back up the world and expect breakage after patches. More in why Valheim mods broke after 1.0.

Or skip the whole evening: Valheim server hosting from Connect deploys the same 1.0 dedicated server in about 60 seconds with crossplay already on, a password already set, and the join code waiting in your panel console.