Valheim 1.0 launched on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 with full crossplay, and a dedicated server is the only way a mixed PC-and-console group shares one persistent world. Here is exactly how console players get onto your Connect server.
If you do not have a server yet, every Valheim server hosting plan here starts with crossplay already enabled, so there is nothing to switch on first.
Crossplay is already on
Every Connect Valheim server starts with crossplay enabled. You can see it on the Server Settings tab as Enable Crossplay = 1. Leave it on unless you specifically want a Steam-only server.
With crossplay on, the server registers itself with Valheim's crossplay backend on every boot. The console confirms it with two lines:
Opened PlayFab server
Session "Your Server Name" registered with join code 123456
If you don't see the second line, the server hasn't finished starting — wait for it before sharing anything.
How each platform joins
| Platform | How to join |
|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | Join Game → Join Code → enter the six digits |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | Join Game → Join Code → enter the six digits |
| Xbox | Join Game → Join Code → enter the six digits |
| PC (Steam / Microsoft Store / Mac) | Join Code works too, or Join IP with the host:port from your connection card |
Console players join with the code — the console builds are described by every host guide as join-code only — which is why crossplay must stay on for them.
Everyone enters the same server password after connecting. It's on your Server Settings tab.
The join code changes on every restart
This is the part that catches most groups: the six-digit code is issued fresh each time the server boots, including scheduled restarts and update restarts. When a console friend says "the code doesn't work", the answer is nearly always that the server restarted since you last shared it.
Read the current code from the console on your Overview tab — search for join code — and post the new one. The server's IP and port never change, so PC players who use Join IP are unaffected.
Things console players need on their side
- Console settings that allow crossplay. Privacy and parental controls must permit online play with other platforms. On Xbox that is the "allow play with people outside Xbox" setting. On PS5, host support pages report a "PlayStation Network Only" toggle on the join screen that hides join-code servers until it is turned off.
- The same game version as the server. The server updates itself on restart; consoles update through their store, sometimes a little later than Steam. If one platform can't join right after a patch, that's the gap.
- A friends list isn't required. Join codes work between complete strangers, so treat the code like the password: only share it with people you want in.
Admins and console players
Admin, permitted and banned lists live in the saves/ folder on your server (adminlist.txt, permittedlist.txt, bannedlist.txt). For Steam players you add a SteamID64. For console players, press F2 in-game (or open the player list on console) to read the platform user ID and add that instead — a SteamID won't match a PlayStation or Switch player.
If a console player still can't join
- Confirm the console shows
registered with join codeand read the newest code. - Confirm Enable Crossplay is
1on the Server Settings tab (a restart is needed after changing it). - Confirm they're on the current game version — an "Incompatible version" message means one side hasn't patched — and that their console's crossplay settings are on.
- Have them try again a minute later — the crossplay backend occasionally takes a moment to publish a fresh session.
Still stuck? Open a ticket with the exact message the player sees and the join-code line from your console, and we'll take it from there.