Valheim Server Crossplay: How to Enable It and Let Xbox Friends In

Valheim server crossplay lets players outside Steam join your dedicated server: Xbox, the Microsoft Store version and, since Valheim 1.0, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2. You turn it on by adding one launch argument, -crossplay, and restarting. Your friends then join with a join code instead of an IP address. This guide covers how to enable it, how the join code works, what happens to ports and mods, how to disable it, and what to check when a friend still cannot get in.

Everything below comes from Iron Gate's own documentation: the dedicated server guide and crossplay FAQ on valheim.com, the Valheim 1.0 FAQ, and the patch notes on Steam.

What Valheim server crossplay changes

Crossplay arrived in patch 0.211.7 on September 27, 2022. Iron Gate's notes for that patch say that with the -crossplay parameter "the backend will be running Playfab instead of Steamworks". That is the whole switch:

• Without -crossplay, the server runs on Steamworks. Only Steam players can see it and join. Iron Gate's wording: hosts "will need to enable crossplay if they want non-Steam players to be able to join".
• With -crossplay, the server runs on PlayFab, the backend that the dedicated server guide says "lets users from any platform join".

At the 1.0 release on September 9, 2026, the Valheim 1.0 FAQ confirmed that "Valheim will support crossplay between all platforms".

Two limits are worth knowing before you plan anything. You cannot run a dedicated server on an Xbox (crossplay FAQ), so the server has to live on a PC or a hosted machine. And Iron Gate does not offer cross-platform save sync beyond Xbox and the Microsoft Store version, so a character on PlayStation stays on PlayStation even though it can visit your world.

How to enable crossplay on a Valheim server

The argument goes on the server's launch line. On a home setup that line lives in start_headless_server.bat on Windows or start_server.sh on Linux. On a hosted server it goes in the startup parameters. The example world below is called Dedicated; use your own world and server names.

1. Make a backup of the world first. On TheGameHosting, open your server in the panel and create one in Backups.
2. Stop the server.
3. Open Startup and turn crossplay on in the server's startup settings, by adding -crossplay to the startup parameters. If you do not see the option, ask our support team to turn it on for you.
4. Start the server and watch Console until the world finishes loading.
5. Join from your own PC, open the pause menu and look for the Join code. Click the code to copy it.
6. Send the code to your friends. In Valheim they go to Join Game, choose Add server, enter the code and then the server password.

These are the launch arguments from Iron Gate's dedicated server guide that matter for a crossplay server:

-name "Viking Crew" -port 2456 -world "Dedicated" -password "YourPassword" -public 1 -crossplay

How the Valheim join code works

The join code is the easiest way in for console players, and it has a few rules:

• It appears in the pause menu once you are inside a server that supports crossplay.
• It changes every time the server restarts. Patch 0.211.7 states that the code "is regenerated whenever the server is restarted". If you restart nightly with a schedule, post the new code where your group can find it.
• The IP still works. Iron Gate's guide says you can connect to a crossplay server "using the public IP address and port number, a join code or via the server list". What does not work is a local IP or a loopback address such as 127.0.0.1.
• Look for the shuffle icon. In the Join Game tab, a shuffle icon next to a server means it supports crossplay. A question mark means its status is uncertain, and a red X means it is down.

Steam players can save a favorite with the address and port from your panel, which survives restarts.

Ports: crossplay does not need port forwarding

A Valheim dedicated server uses the port you set with -port plus the next one, 2456-2457 by default. When you host at home without crossplay, those ports need to be forwarded on your router so people outside your network can reach the server.

Crossplay changes that. Iron Gate's guide says a crossplay server "transmits data via a relay server and therefore does not require Port Forwarding" to be reachable from outside your local network. That is why the join code works even when nobody has touched the router.

On a hosted game server you never deal with the router anyway: players use the address and port shown in your panel, or the join code.

Crossplay and mods

This is the trade-off that catches most groups. The Valheim 1.0 FAQ says: "Since we have no mod support on PC, there will also be no mod support for consoles for 1.0". Mods on PC run through community tools like BepInEx, and Iron Gate says it "cannot guarantee that any mods will be functional".

Console players have no way to install BepInEx or any plugin, so they can only join a world that does not ask them for a mod. That leaves two clean setups:

1. Crossplay server: vanilla, or server-side-only mods at most. Make a backup and test each one with a console friend, because not every server-side mod is written with crossplay in mind.
2. Modded server: crossplay off, every player on PC with the same mod list. This is the only way to run content mods, and the main reason people look up how to disable crossplay.

If you are weighing which mods to keep, our guide to Valheim server mods goes through installing BepInEx and checking which mods are server-side.

How to disable crossplay on a Valheim server

Disabling it is the same steps in reverse:

1. Make a backup in Backups.
2. Stop the server.
3. In Startup, remove -crossplay from the startup parameters, or ask support to turn it off.
4. Start the server again.

The server goes back to Steamworks. Steam players connect with the address and port as before; non-Steam players can no longer join. Tell your console friends before you switch, so they do not think the server is down.

Admins and bans on a crossplay server

With players from several platforms, the admin, ban and permitted lists need the right ID for each one. Iron Gate's guide describes three text files, adminlist.txt, bannedlist.txt and permittedlist.txt, with one Platform User ID per line in the format [Platform]_[User ID], case sensitive. Patch 1.0.12 fixed the ban list and whitelist so they work with both the new IDs, such as V_123456789, and the older ones, such as Steam_123456789. Be careful with permittedlist.txt: adding anyone to it bans everyone who is not on it.

The full process, including how to find each ID, is in how to add an admin on a Valheim server.

Valheim server crossplay not working?

Go through this list in order:

1. The server has no -crossplay. If there is no shuffle icon in the server list, the argument is missing or the server did not restart after you added it.
2. The code is old. The server restarted and the code changed. Join, open the pause menu and share the new one.
3. Versions do not match. Iron Gate releases patches to every platform, but not always on the same day. After patch 1.0.20 it warned that crossplay with Mac App Store players would not work until that store caught up. Keep the server updated and wait until your friend's platform has the same patch.
4. Crossplay is off on the Xbox. The crossplay FAQ says an Xbox can join a dedicated server only if both the Xbox and the server have crossplay enabled. Parental controls may also need a change.
5. PS5 only is on. Patch 1.0.21 added a pop-up for PlayStation players who try to join a crossplay server with the “PS5 only” toggle turned on. They need to turn it off.
6. Someone uses a local IP. A crossplay server cannot be reached through a local or loopback address. Use the public address and port, or the code.
7. A client mod is required. If the server needs a mod on every player, console players cannot connect.

Iron Gate publishes no latency figures for the PlayFab relay. If the whole group lags, move the server closer to most of the players.

Keep your crossplay world open 24/7

Crossplay solves who can join, but someone still has to keep the world running. If the server runs on your PC, your Xbox and PlayStation friends can only play while that PC is on. On a hosted server the world stays open when you log off, and nobody touches a router.

On TheGameHosting your Valheim server runs on our own hardware in Dallas (United States) or Amsterdam (Netherlands), with AMD 9950X or 7950X3D CPUs, DDR5 RAM and NVMe storage. Pick the location nearest your crew, and the Location Changer moves the server if your group changes. DDoS protection is included on every plan. You add -crossplay in Startup, save the world in Backups before any change, schedule restarts in Schedules, and give a co-host panel access with Users. Support answers 24/7 by chat, email and ticket, in English and Spanish, and can help you turn crossplay on.

Valheim needs at least 4 GB of RAM, so it starts at $3.69 USD per month; see the Valheim server hosting page for what each size includes. The server is ready about 60 seconds after payment. Compare every RAM size on Pricing, add -crossplay, and send the code to your crew.

FAQ

Hosting for this game

• Valheim server hostingOne plan, 60+ games · from $3.69 USD/month