Is Valheim Crossplay? PC, Xbox, PS5 & Switch 2 Explained

Short answer: yes. Valheim has had full crossplay since 2022, and at the 1.0 release on 9 September 2026 it extended to six platforms — PC, Linux, Mac, Xbox, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2. A delayed Switch 2 patch briefly got in the way in launch week; Iron Gate's 11 September hotfix post now says all platforms are compatible for crossplay again. Here is the platform matrix, how join codes work, and the one setting a dedicated server needs before console players can get in.

Yes — Valheim supports crossplay

Since patch 0.211.7 (27 September 2022) Valheim has supported crossplay between every platform it ships on. Iron Gate's own words at the time: "you will be able to play with any other Valheim player, no matter where they're playing from." At 1.0 the roster grew to PC (Steam, Microsoft Store, Humble), Linux, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 — and Iron Gate's 1.0 FAQ confirms crossplay covers all of them. What does not travel between platforms is your save file.

If that answers your question, you have it. The rest of this guide covers which platforms pair with which, the difference between hosting in-game and running a dedicated server (the practical route for a mixed-platform group), how console players actually join, the join code system that crossplay introduced, and the one place Valheim is still limited: cross-progression.

Is Valheim Crossplay?

Yes. A Steam player, an Xbox player and — since the 1.0 release on 9 September 2026 — a PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch 2 player can all be in the same world at the same time, chopping the same trees and fighting the same bosses.

This was not always true. At the February 2021 early-access launch Valheim was Steam-only and there was nothing to cross-play with. Crossplay arrived with patch 0.211.7 in September 2022, built on a new backend (PlayFab) that sits alongside the original Steam networking, and every platform added since has shipped with crossplay support from day one — Xbox in March 2023, Mac in June 2024, and PS5 and Switch 2 at 1.0 on 9 September 2026.

Quick facts

Crossplay: Yes, since patch 0.211.7 (September 2022). 1.0 release: 9 September 2026, with the Deep North biome. Platforms at 1.0: PC (Steam / Microsoft Store / Humble), Linux, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2. Cross-save between storefronts: No, apart from Xbox console ↔ PC Microsoft Store. Players per world: 1–10. Best way to mix platforms: a dedicated server with crossplay enabled.

Which Platforms Can Play Together

The PS5 and Switch 2 versions have been on sale since the 1.0 release on 9 September 2026.

Switch 2 crossplay was restored after launch week

Iron Gate's Hotfix 1.0.10 & 1.0.12 announcement (11 September 2026) now reads: "We apologise for the delay with the patch for Switch 2, but now all platforms should be compatible for crossplay again!" Later patches reach the different platforms a few days apart, and Iron Gate says crossplay "will still remain functional" while they do.

If you pinned your server's Beta Branch field to an older branch as a launch-week workaround, clear it and restart. A pinned server stays behind the build your players are on — Valheim version mismatch and update problems covers the errors that follow.

• PC (Steam) — the original release. The Steam build covers Windows, Mac and Linux from one purchase.
• PC (Microsoft Store) — a separate purchase from Steam. Buying here also gets you the Xbox version, and vice versa; Iron Gate confirms the two are the same entitlement.
• Mac — available both through Steam and as its own Mac App Store release, which arrived in June 2024 with crossplay included.
• Linux — a native Steam build, and the platform the dedicated server itself usually runs on.
• Xbox — Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, released 14 March 2023 with full crossplay.
• PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 — both were released alongside 1.0 on 9 September 2026, per Iron Gate's release announcement.

PS5 and Switch 2 need a subscription to play online

Iron Gate revealed the PlayStation version in September 2025 and the Switch 2 version in February 2026, and both went on sale on 9 September 2026. The PlayStation Store listing states "PS Plus required for online play", and Nintendo's listing requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership for online play — so a console friend who can see your server but cannot join may simply be missing that membership.

How to Play Cross-Platform

There are two ways to play together, and which you want depends on group size and how much you care about the world being there when you are not. How to Play Valheim With Friends compares them alongside public community servers if you are still deciding.

Option A — Host from inside the game

One player starts a world from their own game and shares it. Fine for two or three friends playing at the same time. The catch is that the world only exists while that person is in the game — everyone else is locked out when they log off, and their machine carries the whole session.

Option B — Join a dedicated server (best for mixed platforms)

A managed Valheim server runs the world independently, stays up when you are not, and is the reliable way to mix platforms. One caveat if you mod it: ValheimPlus enables enforceMod by default, which admits only clients running the same version — and consoles cannot run mods at all, so it closes the door crossplay opened. See ValheimPlus on a dedicated server. It is also the only way for some of them: Iron Gate's crossplay FAQ states you cannot set up a dedicated server on an Xbox, and consoles do not run server software in general. Console players join servers; they do not host them.

Setting one up

New to this? Getting started with your Valheim server covers first boot and connecting, and Valheim Server Settings and Launch Arguments is the full reference for the Startup tab.

Crossplay on a Dedicated Server

This is the part people get wrong, and it is a single setting.

A Valheim dedicated server runs on one of two backends. By default it uses the Steam backend, and Iron Gate is blunt about what that means: "only Steam users can see and join the Server." Adding the -crossplay launch argument switches it to the crossplay backend (PlayFab), which lets players from any platform in.

On a hosted server this is the Crossplay field in the Startup tab. Set it, restart, and the server is reachable from every platform.

Switching backends changes three practical things:

1. No port forwarding. The crossplay backend relays traffic, so the server does not need ports opened to be reachable from outside its network. (On a hosted server this is handled for you either way.)
2. A join code appears. Crossplay servers get a short code players can use instead of an address — see the next section.
3. Local addresses stop working. Iron Gate notes you can connect to a crossplay server by public IP and port, by join code, or from the server list, but not by a local network or loopback address. If you were testing over LAN, that is why it suddenly fails.

Console players search by name — make yours findable

Console players generally browse the in-game server list rather than typing an address. Set Public to 1, give the server a distinctive name, and tell people the exact spelling. Since patch 0.211.7 the Join Game tab also shows whether each listed server supports crossplay, so a server without it simply will not be joinable for them.

Everything else about the server is unchanged: still 1–10 players, still the same adminlist.txt, still the same world files.

Join Codes Explained

Crossplay introduced join codes, and they trip people up.

• Where to find it. Open the pause menu while on a crossplay server and the Join code is displayed there. Click it to copy.
• How someone uses it. In the main menu they pick Join Game, then Add server, and paste the code.
• It changes on every restart. Iron Gate regenerates the join code whenever the server restarts — including your nightly scheduled restart. The IP address and port do not change, so for anything permanent share the address, and treat the code as a convenience for right now.

A stale join code looks exactly like a broken server

"The code doesn't work" almost always means the server has restarted since the code was shared. Get a fresh one from the pause menu, or have them connect by IP instead.

Cross-Save & Cross-Progression

Here we will be straight rather than optimistic: Valheim does not offer cross-progression between storefronts. Crossplay lets you play together; it does not move your save between platforms.

Iron Gate's 1.0 FAQ puts it precisely: if you play on an Xbox you will be able to access your saves from a PC provided you launch the game from the Microsoft Store — and beyond that, there is no cross-platform sync for save files.

Two things follow from that:

• Your characters and worlds are tied to the platform you play on. Buy on Steam and on PS5 and you have two separate sets.
• A dedicated server sidesteps the world half of the problem entirely. The world lives on the server, so whichever platform you connect from, you arrive in the same world with the same buildings and the same progress. Your character also travels with you — Valheim stores characters on each player's own machine, separately from worlds — but only within a platform.

Don't confuse crossplay with cross-save

Crossplay = players on different platforms in the same session — yes, Valheim has this. Cross-save = your own progress following you between platforms — no, except Xbox console to the PC Microsoft Store version. A lot of "does Valheim have crossplay" confusion is really a cross-save question.

History: Launch vs Now

Crossplay came a year and a half into early access, which is why older guides and forum threads still say Valheim does not have it.

Troubleshooting Cross-Platform Join

Most "my friend can't join" problems in a mixed group are not crossplay being broken. Work through these in order:

• Console friend cannot see the server at all → the server is not on the crossplay backend. Enable Crossplay in the Startup tab and restart. Without it the server is invisible to everyone who is not on Steam.
• The server is not in the list → set Public to 1, and have them search the exact server name. A newly started server can take several minutes to appear.
• One Xbox player cannot join, everyone else can → their account, not your server. Iron Gate's crossplay FAQ notes that a player who cannot find the option to enable crossplay may need to adjust their parental control settings, and patch 0.213.4 spells out that Xbox network users without the crossplay privilege can only host and join servers that do not support crossplay.
• The join code is rejected → the server has restarted and the code has changed. Fetch a new one from the pause menu.
• It worked yesterday and now nobody can connect → a game patch. Iron Gate's guidance is to make sure your game is on the same patch version as everyone else's; the version number is in the bottom-right of the main menu. Restart the server so it updates too.
• You can reach it from your own network but nobody else can → on the crossplay backend, local and loopback addresses are not valid connection routes. Use the public address.
• Console players cannot use your mods → they cannot. Mods are a PC-side BepInEx thing, and Iron Gate has confirmed there is no console mod support at 1.0. Stick to server-side mods in a mixed group — see installing mods.

Related Valheim Guides

• How to Play Valheim With Friends — the three ways to play together, join codes and what carries over.
• Getting started with your Valheim server — first boot, connecting, and making yourself admin.
• Valheim Server Settings and Launch Arguments — every Startup field and launch argument Iron Gate documents.
• Managing your Valheim server — restarts, backups and the routine side of a live server.
• Valheim Console Commands — admin commands, and why cheats are blocked on dedicated servers.
• How to install mods for your Valheim server — BepInEx, Jotunn and what breaks at 1.0.

FAQ

Is Valheim crossplay?

Yes. Crossplay was added in patch 0.211.7 in September 2022 and covers every platform the game ships on. Since the 1.0 release on 9 September 2026 that means PC, Linux, Mac, Xbox, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 together.

Is Valheim crossplay between PC and Xbox?

Yes, and it has been since the Xbox release on 14 March 2023. A dedicated server needs the crossplay backend enabled for Xbox players to see or join it.

Is Valheim crossplay on PS5 and Switch 2?

Yes. Iron Gate confirmed both platforms for the 1.0 launch when it announced the release date, and its 1.0 FAQ states that crossplay covers all platforms. Both were added at the 1.0 release on 9 September 2026; before that date neither version existed.

Do I need to change anything on my server for crossplay?

One setting: the Crossplay field in the Startup tab, which is Iron Gate's -crossplay launch argument. Without it the server runs on the Steam backend and only Steam players can find or join it. Restart after changing it.

Does Valheim have cross-save?

Not between storefronts. The one exception Iron Gate documents is Xbox console to the PC Microsoft Store version. On a dedicated server the world is shared regardless of platform, which is the practical workaround.

Can I host a Valheim dedicated server on Xbox, PS5 or Switch 2?

No. Iron Gate's crossplay FAQ states you cannot set up a dedicated server on an Xbox, and the same applies to the other consoles. You can join one from any of them, which is why console groups rent a server rather than host it.

Why does my friend's join code not work?

Because the server restarted. Join codes are regenerated on every restart. Share the server's IP and port for anything long-lived and use the code for one-off invites.

How many people can play together?

Ten. Valheim is built for 1–10 players and Iron Gate has confirmed that is unchanged at 1.0, on every platform.

What to Read Next

• How to Play Valheim With Friends: Co-op, Servers and Crossplay — the three ways to actually get people in, once you know who can join
• Getting started with your Valheim server — first boot, the five-character password rule, and connecting
• Valheim Server Settings and Launch Arguments — the Crossplay field and every other Startup argument
• Valheim Version Mismatch and Update Problems — why a crossplay server can still refuse a join after a patch
• Valheim Console Commands: Cheats and Admin Commands — admin setup on the server everyone is joining
• Managing your Valheim server — keeping one build across every platform that can join

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