Valheim Server Settings Reference

How Valheim Configuration Works

Unlike Minecraft or 7 Days to Die, Valheim has no settings .ini file. All server configuration is done through launch arguments (command-line flags passed to valheim_server.exe). On GameGrid, these are generated from the Settings tab - you never need to edit a batch file manually.

Because they are launch arguments, EVERY Valheim setting needs a server restart. Nothing takes effect while the server is running.

World modifiers (combat difficulty, resource rates, raid frequency, portal rules) are also set via launch arguments, either individually with -modifier flags or as a bundle with -preset. See the World Modifiers guide for the full list.

Permission lists (admin, banned, permitted) are plain text files at the root of your server folder, beside valheim_server.exe - not inside worlds_local. Manage them from Settings > Player Management rather than by hand.

The Settings tab groups fields by category down the left-hand side: Basic, World, Gameplay, Performance, Security, Game Tools and System. System fields are read-only, except Max Players.

Basic Settings

Server Name (-name): the name shown in the community server browser. Default "Valheim Server", up to 100 characters. The server password cannot be a substring of this value or the server will silently refuse to start.

World Name (-world): the world file name (no extension). Default "Dedicated". Creates a new world on first boot if it does not exist. Changing this on a live server loads a different (or fresh) world.

Server Password (-password): OPTIONAL, and blank by default. Leave it empty for an open server. If you set one it must be at least 5 characters and must not appear inside the server name - for example, a server named "Odin Raid Server" cannot use the password "Odin" or "Raid". A password is also the precondition for browser listing.

List in Server Browser (-public): OFF by default, so a new server is not listed. Turning it on only has an effect once a Server Password is set, because Valheim refuses to list a server that has none. Listing is a Steam-backend feature; it does nothing on a crossplay server.

Enable Crossplay (-crossplay): ON by default. See the Crossplay section below.

Game Port and Query Port: read-only System fields. GameGrid allocates a 100-port block from the 28000-39000 range and puts the game on the base and the Steam query socket on base + 1. They are not editable, because a hand-picked number would collide with another server on the same host.

Crossplay

Enable Crossplay (-crossplay): ON by default on GameGrid. Runs the server on the PlayFab backend so Steam, Xbox and Game Pass players can share one world, and PlayFab issues a six-digit Join Code for it.

On the PlayFab backend the server relays player traffic and does not listen on its own game port, so the join code is how everyone connects - Steam players included. The read-only Crossplay Join Code field in Settings, and the Connection Info panel on the Overview tab, both show the current one.

When disabled, the server runs on the Steam backend, listens on its game port, is joined by address, and issues no join code. Xbox and Game Pass players cannot connect.

You cannot switch backends while the server is running - a restart is required, and the join code changes on every restart.

Note: Game Pass players cannot disable crossplay on their end, so they can only join crossplay-enabled servers. If you disable crossplay, Game Pass players in your group will not be able to connect.

Save and Backup Settings

Save Interval (-saveinterval): seconds between automatic world saves. Default 1800 (30 minutes). The server also saves on graceful shutdown. If the server crashes or is force-killed, all progress since the last save is lost. Range: 600-86400.

Backups (-backups): number of automatic rolling backups the server keeps. Default 4. The first backup is the "short" interval; the rest are "long" interval. Range: 1-10.

Backup Short Interval (-backupshort): seconds until the first automatic backup. Default 7200 (2 hours). Range: 600-86400.

Backup Long Interval (-backuplong): seconds between subsequent automatic backups. Default 43200 (12 hours). Range: 600-86400.

These are Valheim's own rolling world backups, kept alongside the live save in worlds_local. They complement (not replace) GameGrid's own backups, which are encrypted, checksummed and stored off the host: an automatic one is taken daily and before every update and reinstall, retained as the last 7 backups or 7 days, whichever comes first, and you can take manual ones at any time from the Backups tab.

World Presets

World Preset (-preset): sets a bundle of world modifiers at once. The preset is applied first and any individual modifier you also set overrides its own category, so a preset does not erase your other choices - see the World Modifiers guide. Valid values:

Normal: default Valheim difficulty. Balanced combat, standard resource rates, normal raids, standard portal rules.

Casual: reduced combat difficulty, no skill loss on death, increased resources, no raids. Good for relaxed building-focused servers.

Easy: easier combat, reduced death penalty, slightly more resources.

Hard: harder combat, increased death penalty, fewer resources, more raids.

Hardcore: maximum combat difficulty, permadeath-style penalties, minimal resources, frequent raids. For experienced players only.

Immersive: no map, no portals, reduced resources. Designed for a hardcore exploration experience.

Hammer: creative building mode. Free building, no resource cost, passive mobs. For pure construction servers.

You can further customise individual modifiers alongside a preset from the Gameplay category. See the World Modifiers guide.

Game Tools Settings

Two settings exist only because of the panel, and both are in the Game Tools category.

Show All Players on the Admin Map: OFF by default. Valheim's own "visible on map" tick is off by default for every player and resets each session, so the panel's live map is usually empty even with people online. Turning this on shows everyone on YOUR panel. It changes nothing in game - other players' maps still follow their own setting - and a position revealed this way is drawn hollow and labelled, so it is never presented as one the player chose to share.

Capture Chat With One Player Online: ON by default. Valheim sends a chat message to the OTHER players on the server, so with one person online nothing is transmitted and the Chat tab stays empty - which also breaks in-game Discord linking. This adds one clearly-named entry, "GameGrid (chat relay)", to the in-game player list so a lone player's message has somewhere to go. It holds no position, is never drawn on a map, and steps aside as soon as a second player connects.

What the Platform Manages For You

These are read-only in the System category because the platform owns them.

Game Port and Query Port: allocated from GameGrid's 28000-39000 pool.

Crossplay Join Code: reported live from the running server. Only shown when crossplay is on.

World Save Directory: worlds_local inside your server folder. Included in every backup.

The save directory, log capture and instance separation are handled by the platform; there is no -savedir, -instanceid or -logFile field for you to set, and none is needed because every server already has its own directory and its own port block.

Max Players also sits in the System category, but it is not platform-managed: it is yours to set. It only appears once the MaxPlayerCount plugin is on your server, because Valheim itself has no such setting - see the Server Setup guide.