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Pick your game, choose a plan, and start playing in under 60 seconds. No lag, no excuses.
Woof! Let's go!
Since Valheim 1.0, one Valheim crossplay server can host PC, Xbox, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 players together. The dedicated server has to run with crossplay on, and then everyone joins with its join code, which changes on every restart. Consoles cannot run mods, so a mixed group plays vanilla.
The catch is that "crossplay works" does not mean "everyone joins the way they used to". This guide covers how to set up a crossplay server, how each platform joins, why it vanishes from the Steam list, and the mod problem that catches mixed groups off guard.
Crossplay is not new to Valheim. Iron Gate added it in September 2022 so Steam and Microsoft Store players could share a server, and Xbox joined that pool when the console version launched on 14 March 2023. Valheim 1.0, released on 9 September 2026, added PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2. Our Valheim 1.0 and Deep North guide covers the rest of the update.
For a dedicated server this is simpler than it sounds. You do not configure anything per platform or run one server per storefront. You run one server with crossplay on, and every platform connects to it. The work is in how you tell people to join.
A Valheim dedicated server only accepts crossplay players when it starts with the -crossplay launch argument. That switches its networking from Steamworks to PlayFab, the backend every platform can reach. Without it the server is Steam-only, and Microsoft Store, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch 2 players cannot join.
Self-hosting, add -crossplay to your launch line next to -name, -port, -world and -password. On BruceNode there is nothing to do: crossplay is on by default on every Valheim server.
Once a crossplay server has started, it prints a join code in its console. Players already in the world can also find the code in the pause menu.
Every platform, Steam included: open Join Game, choose to add a server, enter the join code, then the server password. The steps are the same on PC, Xbox, PlayStation 5 and Switch 2, which makes it the easiest instruction to give a mixed group.
The code changes every restart, whether that is after a crash, a scheduled restart or an update. A code that "does not work" almost always means the server restarted since someone shared it.
The most common crossplay support question is not technical, it is "what is the code again". Put the password and the current join code in one pinned place, like a pinned Discord message or a channel topic, and update it right after each restart. Scatter them across a group chat and someone will ask again next week.
This is the trade-off nobody mentions until it bites. Valheim has no official mod support, no Steam Workshop integration, and no mod support on consoles at all.
So if your group includes even one player on PlayStation, Xbox or Switch 2, plan on a vanilla server. Most gameplay mods have to be installed on the server and on every player's game at the same version, and a console has no way to install them.
Decide this before you build a mod list. A group that has spent a month on a heavily modded server and then buys the game for a friend on Switch 2 has an awkward conversation ahead. If your group is all-PC and wants mods, our Valheim dedicated server setup guide covers installing BepInEx and matching versions across clients.
Check these in order. It is almost never a firewall.
Self-hosting with crossplay off, Valheim uses your game port plus the port above it for the Steam query, so the usual advice is to forward UDP 2456 to 2458.
Iron Gate roll each patch out to every platform over a few days and keep the builds crossplay-compatible while they do, so friends on different platforms can keep playing mid-rollout. Your server still needs the current build, so restart it after every Valheim update. On BruceNode a restart from the Console tab pulls the update automatically.
Start a Valheim crossplay server and use code BRUCE20 for 20% off your first month. Get the whole group in tonight, whatever they play on.
Yes. Since 1.0 on 9 September 2026, Valheim supports crossplay between every platform it ships on, including PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox, Mac, Linux and PC.
The server prints it in its console when it starts, and players in the world can see it in the pause menu. It changes on every restart, so share the new one each time.
Crossplay servers run on PlayFab instead of Steamworks, so Steam's list does not see them. Join with the code, or turn crossplay off if everyone is on Steam.
No. Valheim has no mod support on consoles, so a server with console players should run vanilla.
Up to 10, the same as any Valheim world. Those 10 can be on any mix of platforms, so the whole crew fits on one server.
