Valheim Server Mods: How to Install Them on a Dedicated Server

Valheim server mods run on BepInEx, a mod loader for Unity games. You upload the BepInEx pack to the dedicated server, start the server through BepInEx's own launch script, and put each mod's .dll in BepInEx/plugins. The hard part is not the upload: it is knowing which mods only live on the server, which ones every player also needs at the same version, and what to do when a game patch breaks them. This guide covers all of it.

Valheim has no official mod support, so everything here is community tooling. Most Valheim mods are published on Thunderstore and Nexus Mods, and nearly all of them depend on the same package: BepInExPack_Valheim, a Valheim-specific build of BepInEx maintained on Thunderstore.

How Valheim server mods work

BepInEx hooks into the game when it starts and loads every plugin it finds. On a dedicated server that means three folders matter, all inside BepInEx in the server's root folder:

According to the BepInEx documentation, the first start with BepInEx generates BepInEx/config/BepInEx.cfg and the log file. Most mods also create their config file in BepInEx/config the first time they load, so you start the server once before you can change their settings.

A mod does nothing unless the server actually launches through BepInEx. On Linux, the BepInExPack_Valheim README tells you to use start_server_bepinex.sh instead of the game's plain start script, make it executable and set your launch parameters inside it.

Valheim server side mods vs mods every player needs

This is the question behind most failed mod installs. Every Valheim mod falls into one of three groups, and the mod's Thunderstore page tells you which one in its install notes:

Server-side-only mods are the minority. Anything that adds new content, changes the UI or adds items has to exist on each player's PC as well, because the client needs the models, recipes and code to show it.

Many content mods are built on Jotunn, a modding library. Jotunn lets each mod declare a network compatibility level, from "not enforced" to "everyone must have the mod", and a version strictness. When a player's copy does not match, Jotunn disconnects them with a version mismatch message that names the mod and the version it needs. That message is your friend: it tells you exactly what to fix.

How to install mods on a Valheim dedicated server

Before anything else, back up the world. A Valheim world is two files with the same name, a .db with the map and buildings and a .fwl with the world's metadata. A bad mod can corrupt the save, and a backup is the only undo button.

1. Stop the server and make a backup of the world (.db and .fwl). On TheGameHosting, open Backups in the panel and create one.
2. On your PC, open the BepInExPack_Valheim page on Thunderstore, click Manual Download and extract the zip into a separate folder, not into a game folder.
3. Upload the contents of the BepInExPack_Valheim folder inside that zip to the server's root folder, the one that holds valheim_server.x86_64. Use Files in the panel, or sFTP for many files.
4. Make the server start through start_server_bepinex.sh with your usual launch parameters. On TheGameHosting the launch command is visible in Startup; if you are not sure how yours launches, ask support and they will check it with you.
5. Start the server once and open Console. BepInEx bootstrap lines should show up, and BepInEx/config and BepInEx/LogOutput.log appear in Files.
6. Stop the server. Upload each mod's .dll (or its whole folder) to BepInEx/plugins. Install the dependencies listed on the mod's Thunderstore page too.
7. Start the server again so each mod creates its config file, then stop it, edit the files in BepInEx/config and start it one last time.

valheim_server.x86_64
start_server_bepinex.sh
BepInEx/
  config/
    BepInEx.cfg
  plugins/
    YourMod.dll
  LogOutput.log

Add mods one or two at a time and restart between them. If the server stops starting after you add five mods at once, you have five suspects instead of one.

Set up the same mods on every player's PC

For any mod that is not server-side only, each player needs the exact same mod and version. Two ways to do that:

• A mod manager. The BepInExPack_Valheim page suggests Gale, Thunderstore Mod Manager or r2modman. r2modman can export a profile so you can share both mods and configs with your friends, and they import it in one step.
• By hand. Each player copies the contents of the BepInExPack_Valheim folder into their Valheim install folder (steamapps\common\Valheim), checks that BepInEx, winhttp.dll and doorstop_config.ini are there, then copies the same mod .dll files into BepInEx/plugins.

The README says a working client shows a BepInEx console window when the game launches. If no window appears, BepInEx is not loading and none of the mods will either.

Keep one person in charge of the mod list. When they update a mod on the server, everyone updates it on their PC before joining.

Valheim dedicated server mods and crossplay

Crossplay lets Steam, Xbox and PC Game Pass players share a world through the server's join code. 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. Test each one with a console friend after a backup, 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.

If you are planning a mixed Steam and console group, read our Valheim crossplay server guide before you pick mods.

How to fix "Incompatible version" on a modded Valheim server

Valheim shows "Incompatible version" when the client and the server are not on the same build. On a modded server there are more ways to get there. Check in this order:

1. The game itself updated. The dedicated server is a separate Steam app (896660) from the game (892970), so a player can be on the new patch while the server is still on the old one. Update the server and restart it.
2. A mod version differs. If the message names a mod, the player's copy and the server's copy are not the same version. Match them, preferably by sharing the mod manager profile again.
3. A mod is missing on one side. A mod set to "everyone must have the mod" blocks anyone without it, and a client mod that requires the server version blocks the player if the server does not have it.
4. BepInEx is not loading on the server. If the server started with the plain script, none of the mods are active. Check the Console for the BepInEx lines.

Update Valheim mods after a game patch

Big Valheim patches change game code that mods depend on, so mods can stop loading until their authors release new builds. A safe routine:

1. Back up the world before the server updates.
2. Update the BepInEx pack first if Thunderstore has a newer build, then each mod.
3. Check every mod's Thunderstore page and changelog for the game version it supports. If a mod has no update yet, remove it from BepInEx/plugins and wait.
4. Start the server and read BepInEx/LogOutput.log. Errors that mention a missing method or type usually point to a mod built for an older game version.
5. Send your players the updated mod list or profile.

A Schedules task in the panel can restart the server at a quiet hour, which is a good moment for updates. For a full admin setup after the mods are in, see how to add an admin on a Valheim server.

Run your modded Valheim server on TheGameHosting

Hosting a modded Valheim world on your own PC means the world closes when you log off, ports have to be opened on your router, and one crash during a mod test can take the save with it. On TheGameHosting the server runs 24/7 on AMD 9950X or 7950X3D CPUs with DDR5 RAM and NVMe storage, in Dallas or Amsterdam, behind DDoS protection on every plan.

Everything in this guide happens in one panel: Files and sFTP to upload BepInEx and your mods, Backups to save the .db and .fwl before every change, Console to watch BepInEx load, Startup for the launch command and Schedules for timed restarts. Valheim needs at least 4 GB of RAM and plans start at $3.69 USD per month on our Valheim server hosting page; mods that add areas and creatures use more memory, so leave yourself room. Compare every size on the game server plans page.

Your server is ready in about 60 seconds after payment, and support answers 24/7 in English and Spanish if a mod refuses to load. Choose your plan on Pricing and start building. Running another survival game too? Our Palworld dedicated server mods guide covers the same ideas for Palworld.

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