Valheim crossplay server guide

Turn on crossplay in Settings and restart, and players on Xbox, Game Pass, the Microsoft Store, PlayStation 5, Switch 2 and the Mac App Store can join your Valheim server with Steam players. They join with the join code. If the server is asleep, someone opens your wake link first.

Crossplay works through a relay run by Microsoft, so it changes a few things. This guide explains what, and when to leave it off.

Steam-only or crossplay?

If your whole group plays on Steam, Steam-only is the better choice. Turn crossplay on when a friend plays anywhere else.

Turn on crossplay

1. Open Settings and turn on crossplay.
2. Restart the server. Crossplay only changes at start.
3. Open Console and wait for the log line with the join code. That’s your first code.

Under Settings > Advanced you’ll see this as the -crossplay launch option. Without it, Valheim runs on Steam’s network and only Steam players can see and join the server.

Share the join code

The join code is how players outside Steam find your server.

• In game: anyone on the server opens the pause menu. The code is shown there, and tapping it copies it.
• In the panel: Console shows the code on a log line that mentions the join code.

Friends then go to Join Game, choose Add server, type the code and connect. They need the server password too.

Valheim makes a new join code every time the server restarts. After a restart or an update, share the new one. If an old code fails, the game says it couldn’t resolve the join code.

Waking a sleeping server

Your server naps when nobody’s playing. On a Steam-only server, joining wakes it. With crossplay on, it can’t, and here’s why: players connect to Microsoft’s relay, and the relay talks to your server. The join never passes through us, so we never see anyone knocking.

The wake link solves it. Your wake link is play.wilderack.com/w/vikings (with your own server name). It’s on the address card on Overview.

1. Open the wake link and press the wake button.
2. Wait until the page says the server is awake. That usually takes a few seconds.
3. Join with the join code as usual.

Share the wake link to your group’s Discord with the button on the address card, so anyone can wake the server.

The trade-offs

A little more lag

Every message between players and the server takes an extra stop at the relay. Most groups don’t notice. Players far from the relay’s location, or on weak connections, may see more delay and the occasional disconnect. Steam players on a crossplay server go through the relay too.

Outside our DDoS shield

Our gateway filters attacks before they reach your server, and Overview tells you when it blocks one. With crossplay on, players’ traffic flows through Microsoft’s relay instead of our gateway. Your server’s own address stays protected, but we can’t filter traffic that never reaches us, and the shield notices won’t show anything that happens on the relay. Microsoft looks after the relay.

The address isn’t how players find you

On a Steam-only server, the address and port on your address card lead straight to the server. With crossplay, the relay knows your server by the network address it sees, which isn’t always your Wilderack address. Joining by address can fail in crossplay mode, so use the join code or the server list.

Player IDs come from each platform

Admin, ban and allow lists use a player ID with a platform prefix. Xbox, PlayStation and Switch players have their own prefixes. Ask each player to press F2 in game and copy their ID exactly. See finding a player ID.

Mods mostly stay on PC

Players on consoles and the Microsoft Store can’t install mods. A mod that must be on every player’s game keeps them out. Only use server-side mods if console friends play with you. See Valheim mods.

Settings console players need

• Xbox and Game Pass: crossplay must be allowed in the Xbox privacy settings. On a child account, a parent allows it in the family settings. Otherwise the game says your platform privilege settings prevent you from playing.
• PlayStation 5: turn off the game’s PS5 only option.
• Everyone: be on the same Valheim version as the server. Updates sometimes arrive a few days later on some platforms.

Turn crossplay off

1. Open Settings and turn off crossplay.
2. Restart the server.

The join code stops working. Steam players join by address again, and joining wakes the server again. Players on other platforms get a message that the server owner doesn’t allow other platforms.