Valheim PS5 Crossplay: How to Play With PC, Xbox and Switch 2

Valheim PS5 crossplay: how to play with PC, Xbox and Switch 2

Last verified: 16 October 2026 against the 1.0.20 dedicated server build, the server manual that ships with it, Iron Gate's patch notes up to 1.0.20 and the official 1.0 FAQ. Player numbers counted on 13 October 2026.

Who actually joins crossplay servers: our numbers

We counted every player who joined a crossplay-enabled Valheim dedicated server we host between the 1.0 launch on 9 September and 13 October 2026: more than 750 accounts on more than 200 servers. Each account is counted once, by the platform it signed in with.

• Almost half of those servers (47%) hosted at least one console player, and one in five had a PlayStation player.
• About one in seven had no Steam player at all, only Xbox, PlayStation or Switch 2 accounts: a PC-hosted dedicated server works as the shared world even for a group without a Steam copy.
• The earliest PlayStation join still in our records is from 12 September 2026, three days after launch, and the earliest Switch 2 join is from 15 September.

Counted from the join records of crossplay-enabled servers only, so the shares describe mixed-platform groups, not the whole player base. A server with crossplay off accepts Steam players only and is not in the count.

Crossplay Compatibility Chart (2026)

The September 9, 2026 Convergence

Iron Gate framed 2026 as Valheim's biggest year since launch. At the PC Gaming Show 2026, Iron Gate Studio and Coffee Stain Publishing confirmed that everything would land together on September 9, 2026, and it did:

1. Deep North biome. The final biome on the roadmap. Iron Gate's 1.0 patch notes list more than 10 new creatures, more than 40 new weapons, four new armour sets, snow deep enough that you clear it before you build, and a Jotun invasion.
2. Version 1.0. Deep North's arrival ends Early Access. Valheim moves from "in development" to "released" after five years.
3. PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2. Both consoles debut on launch day alongside PC, Linux, Mac, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with full crossplay across every platform from day one.

Crossplay Setup: How to Play Together

Valheim crossplay uses the Join Code system, and the 1.0 announcement confirms crossplay across all listed platforms. There are two ways to play together. PS5 and Switch 2 are live as of 9 September 2026, so this is the flow as it works now: the host enables crossplay, the server produces a six-digit Join Code, and each player adds the server with that code.

Path A: Player-Hosted World (Join Code)

1. One player starts a world with "Start Server" toggled ON.
2. "Crossplay" is on by default. Confirm it is enabled in the start-server toggle.
3. Once in-game, open the menu: it shows "Join code: 123456". Press J to copy it.
4. Share the code with friends on any platform.
5. They open Valheim, go to Join Game, choose Add server and type the six-digit code. The same box also takes an IP address and port.

Join Code games only run while the hosting player is in the world. When they log off, the world is unreachable.

Path B: Dedicated Server (24/7)

A dedicated server hosts the world independently of any player session. Anyone can join at any time, and progress is preserved without one player needing to be online. PS5 and Switch 2 players join a dedicated server the same way PC players do: on the servers we host, PlayStation accounts have joined since 12 September 2026 and Switch 2 accounts since 15 September. A rented Valheim dedicated server with crossplay switched on is the simplest setup for a mixed group.

1. Rent a Valheim dedicated server (or run your own with the Valheim Dedicated Server tool from Steam).
2. Set the server name, password, and crossplay flag in the server config.
3. Share the Join Code and the password. On PS5 the path is Join Game, then Add server, then the code.
4. Remember the Join Code changes whenever the server restarts: the server draws a new random six-digit code for every session and writes it to its log as Session "MyServer" registered with join code 123456. If a code that worked yesterday stops working, fetch the current one rather than debugging the network.

The server manual that Iron Gate ships with the dedicated server lists three ways to reach a crossplay server: its public IP address and port, its join code, or the server list. A local or loopback address does not work, even from the same house.

PS5 controls, performance, and admin commands

Iron Gate has published no DualSense mapping, resolution or frame-rate figures, so there is nothing first-party to quote here and this page does not invent any.

• Controls: no official mapping document. Check the in-game controls screen on your own build.
• Performance: no official targets. Early Switch 2 players report selectable performance presets and also noticeable stutter in places; those are launch-week impressions, not measurements.
• Admin: server-side admin files remain authoritative on a dedicated server regardless of which platform a player is on, so adminlist.txt and the server config are still where you grant admin, not the console client.

Crossplay Server Configuration

If you are hosting a dedicated server, the crossplay flag is enabled in the launch command:

./valheim_server.x86_64 -name "MyServer" -port 2456 \
  -world "MyWorld" -password "yourpass" \
  -crossplay -public 1

• -crossplay switches the server onto the PlayFab backend instead of the Steam one, which is what lets any platform join. Without it the server accepts Steam connections only, and that is the most common reason a console player cannot see or join. It is a launch flag, so you can add it to an existing server and restart. The world is unaffected.
• -port 2456 is the default, and Iron Gate document the pair as 2456 to 2457. With crossplay you do not need to forward any ports, because PlayFab relays the traffic. Port forwarding only matters on the Steam backend, where you forward the port and the one above it.
• -public 1 lists the server in the in-game browser, and it is also what you get when the flag is left out; -public 0 hides it, and the manual then has players join by address.
• -password needs at least 5 characters and must not appear inside the world name or the world's seed. A public server that breaks either rule does not start, and its log reads Error bad password:The password is too short or Error bad password:Invalid password. The server name is not checked, and with -public 0 the check is skipped. Use a password anyway.

A managed host should expose the crossplay setting in its panel rather than making you edit a start script.

If a console player cannot join

• Incompatible version. The server and client are on different builds and the error names both, for example a server still on 0.221.12 (network version 36) against a client on 1.0.7 (network version 39). Restart the server so it pulls the update. Console stores and Steam do not always update at the same moment, so check every platform in the group. Full fix here.
• Crossplay flag missing. Confirm -crossplay is actually on the running server, not just in a config file you edited.
• Failed to connect on the same network. A console client can end up hitting the router internally instead of the public address. Test from outside the network, or use the hostname rather than the IP.
• The server was not started with crossplay. This is the most common cause and the easiest to fix. Crossplay is a server setting, not a property of the world: it selects the PlayFab backend instead of the Steam one at launch. Stop the server, add -crossplay, start it again. You do not need to regenerate the world or make a new one.
• Someone is trying to connect over a local address. Iron Gate document that a crossplay server cannot be reached on a local or loopback IP, even from the same house. Use the Join Code instead of 192.168.x.x or localhost.
• Players refused rather than mismatched. If the server log says a player is blacklisted or not in whitelist, bannedlist.txt or permittedlist.txt stopped them, and a single entry in permittedlist.txt shuts out everyone who is not on it. Entries are platform IDs, one per line. A Steam player matches Steam_ plus the SteamID64, the bare SteamID64, or the V_ form; an Xbox, PS5 or Switch 2 player matches only their own platform ID, which the F2 panel shows as X_, S_ or N_ followed by a number. Patch 1.0.12 on 11 September 2026 fixed a launch bug that made the lists accept only the new V_ style IDs, which is why some admins saw their old entries ignored right after 1.0.

Common Crossplay Questions

"My PS5 friend cannot find our server"

PS5 and Switch 2 shipped alongside 1.0 on 9 September 2026, so a console friend can now join any server started with crossplay. Use the Join Code rather than an address: consoles are not guaranteed a direct IP and port field, and a crossplay server cannot be reached on a local or loopback address at all.

"Do PS5 and PC characters share the same save?"

The official FAQ says Xbox saves can be accessed from the Microsoft Store PC build, and that there is no other cross-platform save sync. It does not publish a separate character-transfer specification for PS5 or Switch 2, so do not promise that local character files move between those platforms. A shared server world is a different question from local save sync.

"Will Xbox saves transfer to PS5?"

The official FAQ only promises Xbox-to-Microsoft-Store-PC save access and says there is no other cross-platform save sync. Treat PS5/Xbox save transfer as unsupported unless a later first-party update says otherwise.

"Is mod support available on PS5?"

No. The console builds (Xbox, PS5, and Switch 2) are vanilla-only. BepInEx mods are PC-only, the same constraint as on Xbox. Server-side rules and difficulty modifiers do apply to all clients regardless of platform.

"What is the difference between Microsoft Store, Game Pass, and Steam Valheim for crossplay?"

All three PC builds can play together on the same server. Microsoft Store and Game Pass for PC ship the Microsoft Store-distributed copy, which connects through Microsoft's matchmaking but still joins the same PlayFab-backed crossplay session as Steam clients.

Related Valheim Server Guides

• Server hosting overview
• Dedicated server setup guide
• Dedicated server desync fixes
• Grant admin
• Server settings
• Deep North biome prep
• Valheim roadmap (2026 update)
• Ashlands server update guide

Want the server side handled? See Valheim plans: crossplay is a panel setting, updates are automatic, and a backup is taken before every game update.

Frequently asked questions