What the -crossplay flag does
Crossplay on a Valheim dedicated server is a command-line switch, and Iron Gate's dedicated-server guide states it plainly: "-crossplay — Runs the Server on the Crossplay backend (PlayFab), which lets users from any platform join. If you do not include this argument, the Steam backend is used, which means only Steam users can see and join the Server." The argument "is the default in the example launch scripts that ship with the dedicated server", so a server started from the stock scripts is already on the crossplay backend.
Two consequences follow. First, players are identified by their platform identity rather than by Steam alone: a crossplay-enabled server can connect, identify, elevate or ban players "using their Apple Game Center, Steam or Xbox Live identities". Second, the networking model changes - with the Crossplay backend enabled, "you do not need to do Port Forwarding on your Router. The Port number is still used to distinguish between multiple servers on the same public IP address."
Join codes: how players reach the server
The official Crossplay FAQ describes the whole flow: "When you start a server through the game or by hosting a dedicated server, you'll be able to see a 'Join code' by entering the pause menu. Copy the code by simply clicking on it... Your friend will then have to head over to the 'Join Game' section, press 'Add server' and paste the code."
Join codes are numeric - "players supply Valheim with a numeric Join Code or they supply the external IPv4 address and gameplay port of the server" - and on a crossplay server that IP:port pair is only an identifier used to find the server's relay. One behaviour to plan around comes from the official patch notes: "A 'Join code' will appear when you join a Dedicated server supporting crossplay... This Join code is regenerated whenever the server is restarted." Treat the code as belonging to the current server run: after a restart, players in the server list keep using the listing, but anyone relying on the code needs the new one.
The dedicated-server guide also draws the loopback line: on a crossplay server "it's not possible to connect using a local IP address or a loopback IP address", and you can connect "using the public IP address and port number, a join code or via the server list." In the Join Game list, a "shuffle" icon marks a server that supports crossplay.
Without the flag: the Steam backend
Leave -crossplay off and the server uses the Steam backend, which means only Steam users can see and join it. Players then connect directly and are identified by their steamID64, and port forwarding of UDP 2456 and 2457 is the operator's job. Joining happens through the in-game server list or the "Join IP" button: the IP address and the forwarded port, then the server password.
The relay trade-off
Crossplay's relayed connectivity, its public server advertising and its multi-platform identities are powered by Microsoft Azure PlayFab Party. The relay is the reason no port forwarding is needed - and it has a documented cost: because of the relay hop, crossplay players are "more likely to experience lag, timeouts and disconnects."
Patch week: versions and crossplay
Where the game stands: Valheim 1.0 shipped on 2026-09-09, announced with the Deep North biome, and the current stable version as of 2026-10-01 is 1.0.16, announced on 2026-09-25 as "Patch 1.0.16". On Steam, the public branch for Valheim is build 25527674, last updated 2026-09-25 to match that patch, with no newer build as of today.
Patches do not land on every platform at once, and Iron Gate says so in the patch posts: each patch "will require a few days to get uploaded to all platforms. Despite this, however, crossplay will still remain functional" - a statement made of patches 1.0.14, 1.0.15 and 1.0.16. The pattern has needed hotfixes before: hotfixes 1.0.10 and 1.0.12 (2026-09-11) shipped Steam-only fixes while "crossplay between all platforms is still fully supported", and it was a delayed Switch 2 patch that had left the platforms out of step - with that hotfix, "all platforms should be compatible for crossplay again."
Xbox players: joining yes, hosting no
The Crossplay FAQ is categorical about consoles: "You can't set up a dedicated server on an Xbox. However, you can join a dedicated server from an Xbox console just as normal, provided that both your Xbox and the server have crossplay enabled. If you can't find the option to enable crossplay, you might need to adjust your parental control settings."
One account-level requirement sits on top: crossplay needs the player's Xbox network "Crossplay privilege". Since patch 0.213.4 (2023-02-07), "Xbox network users without the 'Crossplay privilege' can only host and join non-crossplay supported servers" - non-crossplay PlayFab servers are also supported.
Microsoft Store players, and where Game Pass stands
Microsoft Store (PC) players can host a dedicated server: run StartHeadlessServer.bat from the Server folder installed with the game - the Microsoft Store path is C:\XboxGames\Valheim\Content\Server. The Microsoft Store and Xbox versions are the same and are updated at the same pace, and buying on the Microsoft Store also lets you play on Xbox and vice versa. Steam is a separate platform.
Game Pass no longer includes the game. Microsoft's Xbox store page metadata records Game Pass entries that have all ended - PC Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Game Pass for Console and Xbox Game Pass Premium - each with an exit date of 2024-10-01, and the page's legal line now reads "Cloud playable with XBOX Game Pass Essential, Premium or Ultimate. Game purchase required." In other words, a Game Pass membership alone no longer includes Valheim; the member needs to buy the game. The Game Pass era itself is real but historical: Valheim's Game Preview launched on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC with Game Pass on 2023-03-14.
At 1.0 the game is built around cross-platform play: the official 1.0 FAQ answers "Will there be crossplay?" with "Yes, Valheim will support crossplay between all platforms", and 1.0 is a 1-10 player game priced at $29.99 at full release, available on Steam, the Mac App Store, Humble, the Microsoft Store, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2.
Passwords, admin lists and bans
The server password works independently of crossplay: the launch parameter -password "Secret" sets the password, and on connect the server "validates a password and version code". The same parameter list documents -public, where 1 keeps the server visible in the browser and 0 makes it invisible and only joinable via 'Join IP'. No crossplay-specific password restriction appears anywhere in the official guide or FAQ.
Admin and ban lists work on crossplay servers, with platform-aware entries: adminlist.txt, bannedlist.txt and permittedlist.txt take "one Platform User ID per line... in the format [Platform]_[User ID] (case sensitive)". You find a player's ID in the server log or on the in-game F2 screen, and adding anyone to the permitted list bans everyone else. Hotfix 1.0.12 (2026-09-11) fixed these lists to accept both the old ID format (e.g. Steam_123456789) and the new one (e.g. V_123456789).
Linux servers: the extra packages
On Linux, the dedicated server needs extra packages to reach the PlayFab backend at all: "To be able to connect to PlayFab, and enable crossplay, you must also install several dependencies." The official guide lists libatomic1, libpulse-dev and libpulse0; the wiki's install snippet adds libc6. A Linux server without them is a server that cannot do crossplay.
Running more than one server
Two details cover the multi-server cases. The -instanceid argument: "If you're hosting multiple servers with the same port from the same MAC address, write something unique here for each server to ensure that they get unique PlayFab IDs." And on a shared external IP - carrier-grade NAT, for example - "Crossplay will work thanks to the use of relays, but initial registration of the server with Azure PlayFab Party will fail if another customer of the same ISP is hosting Valheim on the same external IP address and gameplay port. This can be worked around by choosing a unique port."
Crossplay is one decision in running a Valheim server, and the rest is covered elsewhere on this site: how to set up a Valheim dedicated server walks the install and the start script, password-protect or whitelist your server covers the password and access settings, and why your server is not showing in the list covers visibility problems.
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