Valheim server guide

Short answer: Start the server and wait for Game server connected in the console. Players join from Valheim’s Join Game tab with your address and the server password from Startup. To make someone an admin, add their player ID to adminlist.txt.

Before you begin

• You need: Valheim. With Enable Crossplay on, Steam and Xbox / PC Game Pass players can play together.
• Two versions are available: Valheim (unmodded) and Valheim (BepInEx mods), which can load mods from Thunderstore. Changing version is done by ticket.
• If you’re new to the panel, read Your first 15 minutes: from order to playing first.

Server facts

Versions we offer	Valheim (default) · Valheim (BepInEx mods)
Backups keep	/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/

Valheim

Ready when the console shows	10/05/2026 08:35:28: DungeonDB Start 16469
Stop command	sent automatically by Stop
Extra ports	game port + 1 (UDP, query)
Mods page	No: see the Mods section below
Game Settings page	No
Tested in our lab	2026-10-05: installed (2.5 GB), reached its ready message

Startup settings

Setting	You can change it	Default
Server Name	Yes	Valheim Server - hostitcreateit.com
Server Password	Yes	secret
World Name	Yes	Dedicated
Public Server	Yes	1
App ID	No	896660
Auto Update	Yes	1
Enable Crossplay	Yes	1
Backup Interval	Yes	1800
Backup Count	Yes	4
Backup Shorttime	Yes	7200
Backup Longtime	Yes	43200
Beta Branch	Yes	(empty)
Beta Password	Yes	(empty)

Valheim (BepInEx mods)

Ready when the console shows	10/05/2026 08:38:18: Game server connected
Stop command	sent automatically by Stop
Extra ports	game port + 1 (UDP, query)
Mods page	Thunderstore: installed into the right folder
Game Settings page	No
Tested in our lab	2026-10-05: installed (2.5 GB), reached its ready message

Startup settings

Setting	You can change it	Default
Server Name	Yes	Valheim Server - hostitcreateit.com
Server Password	Yes	secret
World Name	Yes	Dedicated
Public Server	Yes	1
Auto Update	Yes	1
Enable Crossplay	Yes	0
Beta Branch	Yes	(empty)
Beta Password	Yes	(empty)
Backup Interval	Yes	1800
Backup Count	Yes	4
Backup Shorttime	Yes	7200
Backup Longtime	Yes	43200
[System] App ID	No	896660
ModPack	Yes	(empty)

Quick start

1. On Startup, check Server Name, World Name and Server Password. The password must be at least 5 characters and must not contain the server name.
2. Select Start. Wait for Game server connected: the world is still loading until then, even though the status shows Online.
3. In Valheim: Start Game, choose a character, then Join Game > Join IP, and enter your address (for example 203.0.113.10:2456). Enter the server password when asked.

With Public Server on, the server also appears in the Community list by name. That can take several minutes after a start.

Admins, bans and the allow list

Three files in .config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/ control who can do what. Each takes one player ID per line:

File	Effect
adminlist.txt	Admins: can use the in-game console’s kick, ban, save and similar commands
bannedlist.txt	Banned players
permittedlist.txt	If not empty, only these players can join

To add someone:

1. Ask them to join once. The console shows their player ID when they connect.
2. Stop the server.
3. In Files, open the list and add the ID on its own line, exactly as the console showed it.
4. Save Content and start the server.

Worlds

• Worlds are saved in .config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local/, as <World Name>.db and <World Name>.fwl. Backups keep this folder.
• New world, keep the old one: change World Name on Startup and restart. Change it back to return.
• Bring in a single-player world: on your PC, copy the two files for your world from %userprofile%/AppData/LocalLow/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local/, upload both into worlds_local with Files or SFTP while the server is stopped, and set World Name to the world’s name. See Uploading an existing world.
• Valheim also makes its own world backups inside worlds_local (Backup Interval, Backup Count and related settings on Startup). These are separate from the panel’s backups.

Mods (BepInEx version only)

On Valheim (BepInEx mods), the Mods page browses Thunderstore and installs mods with their dependencies, without stopping the server. Restart afterwards. Every player needs the same mods: most players use a mod manager such as r2modman. See Players need the same mods: joining a modded server.

The unmodded Valheim version doesn’t load mods.

Restarts and updates

• Stop saves the world and shuts down cleanly.
• Auto Update on Startup is on by default, so a restart installs Valheim updates. After a big game update, BepInEx mods may need updating too.

Common problems

Problem	Cause	Fix
“Incompatible version” when joining	Player and server versions differ	Restart the server to update; players update through Steam or Xbox
Password refused	Password shorter than 5 characters or containing the server name	Change Server Password on Startup and restart
Joined but the world is empty	World Name changed, so a new world was created	Set World Name back
Not in the Community list	Still starting, or Public Server off	Join by IP; see My server is not showing in the game browser
Mods don’t load (BepInEx)	Player and server mods differ, or the server wasn’t restarted	Match mods and versions; restart

When to contact support

Contact support if the server doesn’t reach Game server connected, or nobody can join by IP with the correct password. Include the console output from the start. See How to contact support with useful diagnostic information.

Related guides

• Adding your server to your Steam favourites
• Installing mods from the Mods page
• How to create and restore a backup
• Changing startup settings

Last reviewed: 2026-10-05 · Applies to: Game Panel (hici 0.4.2, HiCiTools 3.0.2)