Valheim Dedicated Server Setup on Linux 2026

Hosting a Valheim dedicated server means your Viking world stays up 24/7 — your group can log in any time without waiting on one person to host, and the server is tuned for performance instead of running alongside a game client. This guide covers the full Linux path: SteamCMD install, server config, BepInEx and ValheimPlus mods, crossplay between Steam and Xbox/Gamepass, systemd auto-start, automated world backups, and troubleshooting the real issues people hit in 2026.

01 // Requirements

• OS — Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or Debian 12. Valheim dedicated server runs on Linux as a native binary; no Wine needed.
• Architecture — x86_64 only. ARM/aarch64 is not supported.
• Root or sudo access — needed for package install and systemd service creation.
• A Steam account — only if you want to use the server browser with a real name. The server itself runs anonymous via SteamCMD.
• Open UDP ports — 2456, 2457, 2458 (Valheim uses three consecutive ports).
• Disk space — 4 GB for the server binary, plus growing world saves (typically 50 MB to 500 MB per world depending on exploration).
• RAM — see sizing table below. Ashlands updates pushed vanilla usage up; 4 GB is the working minimum in 2026.

02 // Hardware Sizing — Choose Your Plan

Valheim is CPU-single-thread bound (the main simulation runs on one core), so clock speed matters more than core count. RAM usage scales with world size, player count, and mod stack. Use the table below to pick the right tier.

03 // Install SteamCMD

SteamCMD is Valve's command-line Steam client — it lets you download dedicated server software without a GUI. On a fresh Ubuntu 22.04 VPS:

# Create a dedicated non-root user for the server
sudo adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" valheim
sudo usermod -aG sudo valheim

# Enable i386 architecture (SteamCMD is 32-bit)
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update

# Install dependencies
sudo apt install -y software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository -y multiverse
sudo apt install -y lib32gcc-s1 libsdl2-2.0-0 libpulse0 libc6-i386 \
    curl wget unzip tmux cron

# Switch to the valheim user
sudo -iu valheim

# Install SteamCMD in the user's home directory
mkdir -p ~/steamcmd && cd ~/steamcmd
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | tar zxvf -
./steamcmd.sh +quit

04 // Download the Valheim Dedicated Server

Valheim Dedicated Server is Steam app ID 896660 (separate from the game client, app 892970). It's free and anonymous login is supported — you don't need to own Valheim on your server's Steam account.

# Still as the valheim user
mkdir -p ~/valheim-server
cd ~/steamcmd

./steamcmd.sh \
    +force_install_dir /home/valheim/valheim-server \
    +login anonymous \
    +app_update 896660 validate \
    +quit

Download is around 1 GB. When it finishes you'll see Success! App 896660 fully installed. and your server directory looks like this:

~/valheim-server/
├── start_server.sh          # the launch script you will edit
├── valheim_server.x86_64    # the server binary
├── steamapps/
├── valheim_server_Data/
└── ... (many more files)

05 // Configure the Server

Valheim ships with a launch script called start_server.sh. Open it and you'll see a single launch line — this is where every server setting lives.

cd ~/valheim-server
nano start_server.sh

Replace the entire file with a clean, production-ready version:

#!/bin/bash
cd "$(dirname "$0")"

export templdpath=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=./linux64:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
export SteamAppId=892970

echo "Starting Valheim server..."

./valheim_server.x86_64 \
    -nographics \
    -batchmode \
    -name "HostingBuff Valheim" \
    -port 2456 \
    -world "Midgard" \
    -password "ChangeThisPassword" \
    -public 1 \
    -crossplay \
    -savedir "/home/valheim/valheim-server/saves"

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$templdpath

Make it executable:

chmod +x start_server.sh

Every flag, explained

First launch — test it works

Before we add mods or systemd, verify the server starts clean:

cd ~/valheim-server
./start_server.sh

On first run Valheim generates your world (30–90 seconds depending on seed). When you see:

Game server connected
Steam manager on server started
Server registered

it's live. Press Ctrl+C once to trigger a graceful shutdown (the server writes the world save before exiting — do not double-tap Ctrl+C or you risk a corrupt save).

06 // Install BepInEx for Server-Side Mods

BepInEx is the Unity mod loader that powers 95% of Valheim mods. The client version and server version are different — servers need the dedicated-server pack because they use a different launch hook.

Download BepInEx Pack for Valheim

Denikson maintains the official Valheim BepInEx pack on Thunderstore. Grab the latest release:

cd ~/valheim-server

# Check latest version at https://valheim.thunderstore.io/package/denikson/BepInExPack_Valheim/
BEPINEX_VERSION="5.4.2202"
wget "https://gcdn.thunderstore.io/live/repository/packages/denikson-BepInExPack_Valheim-${BEPINEX_VERSION}.zip" -O bepinex.zip

unzip bepinex.zip -d bepinex-temp

# Move the contents of BepInExPack_Valheim/ into the server root
cp -r bepinex-temp/BepInExPack_Valheim/. .

# Clean up
rm -rf bepinex-temp bepinex.zip

# Make the BepInEx launch script executable
chmod +x start_server_bepinex.sh

You should now see these new files in ~/valheim-server/:

BepInEx/                       # mod loader directory
  plugins/                     # drop mod .dll files here
  config/                      # mod configuration files
  core/                        # BepInEx internals
doorstop_libs/                 # Unity injection library
start_server_bepinex.sh        # new launch script (use this, not start_server.sh)
run_bepinex.sh                 # environment setup

Edit start_server_bepinex.sh

The BepInEx launch script is a wrapper that sets environment variables, then calls your server with your flags. Open it and find the line near the bottom that starts the game:

nano start_server_bepinex.sh

Replace the launch line with your configured version from earlier (keep all the BepInEx environment variables above it intact):

./valheim_server.x86_64 \
    -nographics \
    -batchmode \
    -name "HostingBuff Valheim" \
    -port 2456 \
    -world "Midgard" \
    -password "ChangeThisPassword" \
    -public 1 \
    -crossplay \
    -savedir "/home/valheim/valheim-server/saves"

From this point forward you always launch via ./start_server_bepinex.sh, not ./start_server.sh. The BepInEx wrapper injects the mod loader and then hands off to the game.

Verify BepInEx loaded

Run the BepInEx launch script and watch the console output for these lines in the first 10 seconds:

[Message:   BepInEx] BepInEx 5.4.22.0 - valheim_server
[Info   :   BepInEx] Running under Unity v2022.3.x
[Message:   BepInEx] Preloader started
[Message:   BepInEx] 0 patcher plugin(s) loaded
[Message:   BepInEx] Chainloader ready

If you see those lines, mod loading is working. If you only see the vanilla Valheim startup output with no [BepInEx] lines, the doorstop didn't inject — verify start_server_bepinex.sh is executable and that you're running it, not start_server.sh.

07 // Install ValheimPlus

ValheimPlus is the most popular overhaul mod for Valheim — it adds building snap points, stack size tweaks, stamina/food balancing, crafting from chests, and roughly 200 other configurable features. Critically: ValheimPlus must be installed on both the server AND every connecting client, and the versions must match.

Download and install

# From your valheim user's home, still in ~/valheim-server
cd ~/valheim-server

# Grab the latest release (check https://github.com/grantapher/ValheimPlus/releases for current version)
VPLUS_VERSION="0.9.13.2"
wget "https://github.com/grantapher/ValheimPlus/releases/download/${VPLUS_VERSION}/UnixServer.zip" -O valheimplus.zip

unzip valheimplus.zip -d valheimplus-temp

# Merge into the server install (overwrites/adds to BepInEx directory)
cp -r valheimplus-temp/. .

# Clean up
rm -rf valheimplus-temp valheimplus.zip

ValheimPlus drops its config file at:

~/valheim-server/BepInEx/config/valheim_plus.cfg

Key config settings for a server admin

Open BepInEx/config/valheim_plus.cfg and skim it — there are ~200 options grouped into sections. Here are the settings that matter most when you're hosting for a group:

08 // Admin List, Ban List & Permitted List

Valheim uses three text files for access control. They live in your save directory (~/valheim-server/saves/ based on our -savedir flag):

Finding a player's Steam ID

The easiest way: have the player connect once. In your server console log you'll see their connect line with their Steam ID:

Got connection SteamID 76561198012345678

Copy that 17-digit number into adminlist.txt or bannedlist.txt. For Xbox/Gamepass players on crossplay servers, the ID will be a PlayFab ID instead — same process.

Live reload

Unlike the mod config, admin/ban/permitted lists are read on the fly. Edit the files and run /save in-game (or just wait — Valheim re-reads them on each connection attempt). No restart needed.

09 // Crossplay with Xbox & Game Pass

Valheim has full crossplay between Steam, Xbox, and Microsoft Game Pass (PC). If anyone in your group plays on a non-Steam platform, you need the -crossplay flag (which we already set).

Finding your Join Code

After startup, watch for this line in the console:

Join code: ABCDEF

Share that 6-character code with anyone on Xbox or Game Pass. They enter it in-game under Join game → Crossplay → Join by code.

Limitations

• No mods for crossplay clients — Xbox/Game Pass players cannot install BepInEx. If you enforce ValheimPlus on the server they can't join.
• Voice chat — Valheim has no built-in voice; use Discord or similar.
• Performance parity — Xbox Series S is the weakest platform; if your server runs heavily modded biomes (Ashlands fog, lots of entities), console clients may see frame drops.

10 // Auto-Start with systemd

Running your server inside a tmux session works for testing, but for production you want systemd — it restarts on crash, starts on boot, and handles shutdown cleanly.

# As a user with sudo privileges (not the valheim user)
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/valheim.service

[Unit]
Description=Valheim Dedicated Server
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=valheim
Group=valheim
WorkingDirectory=/home/valheim/valheim-server
ExecStartPre=/home/valheim/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir /home/valheim/valheim-server +login anonymous +app_update 896660 +quit
ExecStart=/home/valheim/valheim-server/start_server_bepinex.sh
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=30
KillSignal=SIGINT
TimeoutStopSec=60
SuccessExitStatus=0 143

LimitNOFILE=65536

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start it:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable valheim
sudo systemctl start valheim

# Watch the log
sudo journalctl -u valheim -f

Useful systemd commands:

sudo systemctl stop valheim       # graceful stop (triggers world save)
sudo systemctl restart valheim    # stop + auto-update + start
sudo systemctl status valheim     # current state
sudo journalctl -u valheim --since "1 hour ago"

11 // Automate World Backups

Valheim worlds are two files: WorldName.db (the actual world data) and WorldName.fwl (metadata). A corrupt .db without a backup means the world is gone. Don't be that admin — automate backups from day one.

Backup script

sudo -iu valheim
mkdir -p ~/backups
nano ~/backup-world.sh

#!/bin/bash
# Valheim world backup rotator
set -euo pipefail

SAVE_DIR="/home/valheim/valheim-server/saves/worlds_local"
BACKUP_DIR="/home/valheim/backups"
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
KEEP_DAYS=14

mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

# Create a dated tarball of all worlds
tar czf "$BACKUP_DIR/valheim-worlds-$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz" -C "$SAVE_DIR" .

# Prune backups older than $KEEP_DAYS days
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "valheim-worlds-*.tar.gz" -mtime +$KEEP_DAYS -delete

echo "Backup created: valheim-worlds-$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz"

chmod +x ~/backup-world.sh

# Run once to verify it works
~/backup-world.sh
ls -la ~/backups/

Schedule with cron

crontab -e

Add these lines:

# Hourly world backup
0 * * * * /home/valheim/backup-world.sh >> /home/valheim/backup.log 2>&1

# Nightly server restart at 5 AM (auto-updates via systemd ExecStartPre)
0 5 * * * /usr/bin/systemctl restart valheim

12 // Firewall & Ports

Valheim uses UDP ports 2456, 2457, and 2458. Open all three on the VPS firewall:

sudo ufw allow 2456:2458/udp
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp               # keep SSH open
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status verbose

If you changed the -port flag to something other than 2456, open that port plus the next two. Example: -port 3000 means you open 3000, 3001, 3002.

13 // Interactive Config Generator

Use the tool below to generate a ready-to-paste start_server_bepinex.sh launch line tailored to your group. Pick your options and the script updates live.

14 // Troubleshooting

The ten problems below account for the vast majority of questions on the Valheim subreddit and the denikson/grantapher issue trackers. Search for your symptom in the Problem column:

15 // Next Steps

• Centralized panel management — move to Pterodactyl or AMP when you're running multiple game servers
• Automate updates safely — LinuxGSM has a Valheim module with one-command updates and backups if you prefer a maintained CLI wrapper
• Secure your VPS — Windows server setup guide (similar hardening applies to Linux)
• Related game servers — Rust, Minecraft Java, ARK
• Plan for wipes and fresh starts — our wipe mechanics guide covers concepts that apply to Valheim world resets too