Valheim 5th Anniversary Update (Feb 2026)
Valheim celebrates its 5th anniversary with a massive technical overhaul and community-focused content. Released on February 2, 2026, Patch 0.221.10 brings the game closer than ever to its 1.0 release by upgrading to Unity 6 and introducing long-requested social features.
๐ New Anniversary Items
- Flower Garland: A decorative headpiece for your Viking.
- Fey Lights: New building pieces for atmospheric lighting.
- Celebratory Cap: A festive hat to mark five years in the 10th world.
- Frosted Sweetbread: A new late-game consumable with stamina focus.
- New Hairstyles: Champion, Chronicler, and Sunbringer styles are now available at the barber station.
Technical Leap: Unity 6 Upgrade
The biggest change in this update is under the hood. Iron Gate has migrated Valheim to Unity 6, unlocking modern rendering techniques and significant performance gains.
Graphics Improvements
- 3D Resolution Limit: A new dropdown allows users to downscale the 3D world while keeping the UI crisp.
- Pixelated Upscaling: For those who love Valheim's retro aesthetic, this option keeps the "crunchy" look while improving frame rates.
- Improved Shadow Mapping: More realistic light interaction with dense foliage.
Social & QoL: The Radial Emote Menu
Communication in Valheim is now much more expressive. You no longer need to remember slash commands for basic gestures.
By holding the Emote Key (default: G), players can access a new radial menu containing classic and new emotes like /vibe and /loveyou.
Steam Deck: 60FPS Milestone
The Unity 6 upgrade has been a game-changer for handheld players. With the new Performance Mode, Valheim now hits a stable 60FPS on the Steam Deck, making it the definitive way to play on the go.
โ ๏ธ Mod Compatibility
Due to the Unity 6 engine upgrade, almost all previous mods (including BepInEx-based ones) will require updates. If your server is modded, do not update yet until mod developers release compatible versions.
Deep North Teasers
While this update focused on stability and celebrate, Iron Gate confirmed that the Deep North biome is the final major content hurdle before the game's full 1.0 release, expected later in 2026.
Ready to explore the anniversary content with your clan? Get a Valheim Server with NVMe storage for the fastest load times in Unity 6.