Valheim differs clearly from the other survival games in one respect: in the unmodified game, the limit is ten Vikings at the same time. If you want more, you raise the limit with a server mod - but then all players need the same mod. For the typical vanilla group, the question of the number of slots therefore disappears, and another one moves to the foreground: how big will your world get? Every piece of wall you build, every biome you explore and every stretch of forest you cut down ends up permanently in the world file. A world that has grown over months needs noticeably more memory than a freshly generated map.
The second reason for a rented server is availability. If you host from inside the game, the world sits on one player's computer: if they are offline, the adventure stands still, and everyone else depends on their connection. A dedicated server runs around the clock in the data center - everyone can keep building whenever they want, and the latency is the same for all. Your characters, by the way, always stay locally on your own computer and travel with you from world to world.
Moving an existing world is quickly explained: it consists of two files - the .db with the content and the .fwl with the metadata. You upload both via WebFTP or SFTP, enter the world name and carry on playing. Mods in Valheim practically always run via BepInEx, and the rule is: the server and all players need the same mods in the same version. Crossplay, on the other hand, is a single switch - with it, PC, Xbox, PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 meet on one server, and the group joins via a join code instead of address and port.
The guides below are sorted in the order in which the questions come up: first get onto the server and bring your world along, then shape the rules and mods, then keep things running smoothly with admin rights and backups. At the end, you will find the buying advice for everyone who has not ordered yet - for Valheim, it is the size of the world that decides, not the number of players.
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The first steps after ordering. Which way to join applies depends on a single setting: with crossplay, everyone uses the join code, without it the fixed server address made up of IP and port. Clarify that first, then bring your world over - or let a new one be generated.
Via IP and port or via join code with active crossplay - and why your character always comes along.
The startup parameter that decides between the Steam and the PlayFab backend - and with it, whether consoles can see your server at all.
Bring your existing world made of .db and .fwl along via FTP and enter the world name exactly.
Change the world name, let the world be generated - the old one stays in place and can be brought back at any time.
World & rules
How you set up your Midgard. Built-in world modifiers change the game for everyone without any installation; mods via BepInEx go further, but have to be identical on every PC - and lock consoles out.
Why the old world keeps running, but new biomes only appear at the edge of its map - and when a fresh start is worth it.
Combat, resources, death penalty and the much-discussed ore transport through portals.
Switch the server type to BepInEx or Valheim Plus with a click, fill the plugins folder and bring everyone to the same state.
Password rules, the permitted list as a whitelist and the visibility in the server list.
Administration & backups
What keeps the server running smoothly. Admin rights come from a plain text file, and backups are self-service: you download the two world files yourself - ideally before every larger change.
Add your ID to the admin list, activate the console and moderate with a light touch.
Why the game's own copies are not a backup - and what a real one looks like.
Troubleshooting
It is almost always one of four causes - and they can be ruled out one by one in a few minutes.
The wrong way to join, a version mismatch, different mods or missing permission.
How the fixed server address made up of IP and port is put together.
Before you order
The buying advice - for Valheim, the size of the world decides, not the number of players.
How much does a Valheim server cost?
The four plans with prices, which one fits vanilla, a grown world and mods - with a direct way to the order.
Why two plans are enough for a group of PC and console players and how you get to the join code after ordering.
How much does a game server cost?
Price factors and entry prices of all thirteen games at a glance.
Guideline values compared - in Valheim, the requirements grow with every hour of play.
Why in Valheim only a server mod takes you beyond ten players.
Credit instead of a contract: a good fit for groups that come back for every big update.
When the ready-made game server is enough and when a root server makes more sense.
Frequently asked questions
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Your world runs around the clock, crossplay across all platforms, upload your own world via FTP and mods via BepInEx - prepaid without a contract, located in Frankfurt am Main.
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