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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchVanilla Valheim servers allow 10 simultaneous players. There is no documented Iron Gate startup option that raises that number, and the official Dedicated Server Help FAQ says the cap cannot currently be increased or decreased. If more than 10 people must be connected at the same time, the practical route is a community plugin such as Azumatt’s MaxPlayerCount running through BepInEx. That changes the server’s software environment, so backups, matching versions and post-update checks are essential.
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What the Valheim player limit actually means
The limit is about simultaneous connections, not the number of people who may belong to a server community. More than 10 people can have characters, know the password or use the same world at different times. In an unmodified server, only 10 of them can be connected together. An eleventh player will have to wait for a slot.
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The official Valheim Dedicated Server Help FAQ addresses the setting directly: “Can I increase or decrease the server player cap from 10? No. There are no plans currently on the roadmap for this to change.” That is the supported vanilla position. The dedicated-server documentation does not describe a player-cap switch, so the cap is not exposed as a normal server preference.
Choose between a vanilla server and a community mod
| Option | Simultaneous players | Support status | Configuration | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla dedicated server | 10 | Officially documented by Iron Gate | Normal server startup script and documented options | No mod-loader maintenance, but the cap cannot be raised through supported settings |
| MaxPlayerCount community mod | An operator-selected value, subject to the mod and game’s behavior | Community software, not an Iron Gate feature | BepInEx configuration file: BepInEx/config/Azumatt.MaxPlayerCount.cfg |
Requires BepInEx, compatible versions, backups and checks after game updates |
Make the decision on four practical axes:
- Capacity: Ten is enough if your group can rotate players. A higher target requires the modded route.
- Support: Vanilla uses Iron Gate’s documented server software. A plugin is maintained by its community author and may need updates independently of Valheim.
- Maintenance: A vanilla server avoids mod-loader failures. A modded server needs version checks whenever Valheim, BepInEx or the plugin changes.
- Compatibility: The host must install the required framework and plugin, and connecting players must use the versions required by the current mod documentation.
What the official server settings do—and do not do
Iron Gate’s dedicated-server guide, dated April 11, 2024, documents arguments and settings such as -name, -port, -world, -password, -savedir, -public, -logFile, save and backup intervals, -crossplay, -instanceid, world presets, world modifiers and set keys. It does not document -maxplayers, -playerlimit or another supported argument for changing capacity.
That distinction matters because a command copied from an unrelated game, an old forum post or a made-up batch-file example can appear to work while doing nothing. Adding an undocumented flag is not an official solution; remove it and use the documented startup options for everything except the player-limit change.
Crossplay is not a capacity control
The -crossplay option selects the PlayFab crossplay backend. If you omit it, the server uses the Steam backend. This changes which platforms and connection method can reach the server; it does not increase the vanilla simultaneous-player cap. Enabling crossplay therefore solves a platform-access problem, not a 10-player-cap problem.
Before installing a player-limit mod
Treat the change as a server migration rather than a single edited number. Complete these checks while the server is stopped or before making any changes:
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- Confirm the need: If the group never needs 11 or more concurrent players, stay vanilla and avoid unnecessary maintenance.
- Identify the host: You need access to the dedicated server’s installation directory, its startup script and its world-save location.
- Back up the world: Copy the world save and the current server files to a separate location. Keep the pre-mod copy untouched so you can roll back.
- Record the current setup: Note the Valheim version, server arguments, save directory and any existing plugins. This makes a later comparison possible if the server fails to start.
- Set a realistic target: The plugin lets the operator choose a value, but the supplied documentation does not publish an official performance ceiling or hardware-sizing formula. Do not treat a larger number as a guaranteed stable capacity.
- Plan client compatibility: Read the current MaxPlayerCount and BepInEx documentation before downloading. Requirements and release versions can change.
How to raise the cap with MaxPlayerCount
The following procedure follows the plugin’s documented behavior. Names and syntax can change between releases, so use the current Thunderstore listing and the files generated by your installed version rather than an old tutorial.
- Decide whether vanilla is sufficient. For 10 or fewer simultaneous players, leave the server unmodified. Use Iron Gate’s normal dedicated-server guide for the server script, networking and save configuration.
- Stop the server cleanly. Do not replace files while the process is still writing the world. A clean stop reduces the chance of an incomplete save or locked file.
- Back up the world and server directory. Store the copy outside the live installation. Include the save files, startup script and any existing configuration so you can restore the previous state.
- Install BepInEx. Follow the current BepInEx installation instructions for the server’s operating system and the current Valheim build. The framework is a prerequisite for MaxPlayerCount; installing only the plugin DLL is not enough.
- Install MaxPlayerCount. Use the current community release and its stated dependency information. Place it exactly where that release instructs, and do not mix files from different plugin versions.
- Start the server once. The first launch allows the plugin to create its configuration directory and file. A successful launch should produce
BepInEx/config/Azumatt.MaxPlayerCount.cfg. - Stop the server again. Edit configuration only after the process has shut down. If the file was not created, inspect the BepInEx log and verify that the framework and plugin were installed in the actual dedicated-server directory.
- Open the generated configuration file. Use a plain-text editor and preserve the key/value format already present in that file. Set the player-count value to the desired target. Do not copy punctuation, section names or syntax from an old guide if your generated file uses different wording.
- Save the file and restart the server. The new value is read during startup. Keep the backup until you have confirmed that the server starts normally and the intended number of players can connect.
- Prepare every client as required. The mod’s FAQ specifically discusses dedicated-server use, but the exact host/client requirements are release-dependent. Have each connecting player follow the current documentation and use compatible versions before testing a full session.
- Test incrementally. Connect a few players first, then add people until the intended count is reached. Watch the server console and BepInEx log for exceptions, rejected connections or repeated warnings.
- Re-check after every Valheim update. Game updates can break the loader or plugin. If the server will not start or behaves unexpectedly, stop it, restore the backup or remove the changed plugin files, and confirm that the vanilla server works before attempting the mod again.
Finding and editing the generated configuration
The important path is BepInEx/config/Azumatt.MaxPlayerCount.cfg, created after MaxPlayerCount has run once. The directory may not exist before the first successful launch. If you search for the file before starting the server, you can incorrectly conclude that the installation failed.
Use the file produced by your release
Configuration labels and formatting are part of the plugin version you installed. Open the file, identify the setting that controls the maximum player count, and change only its value. Keep the section name, key name, equals sign and comments intact unless the current documentation tells you otherwise. A value copied from a different release may be ignored or may prevent the plugin from loading.
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Do not edit while the server is running
Stop the process before saving changes, then restart it. Editing a live file can be overwritten when the server exits, leaving you with an apparently correct edit that never took effect. After restart, check the startup log and perform a connection test rather than assuming that a saved file means the limit changed.
How to verify that the new limit works
Verification should distinguish a capacity problem from a network, password or platform problem. Use a short test window before inviting the whole community:
- Confirm the server reaches its normal ready state without BepInEx errors.
- Connect players one at a time and record the count at which the next connection succeeds or fails.
- Check the server log for rejected connections, plugin exceptions or a value different from the one you entered.
- Have a player disconnect and reconnect to verify that a freed slot is reusable.
- Test the platforms and backend you actually intend to use. If crossplay is enabled, verify crossplay connections separately from the player-count test.
- Observe stability during ordinary gameplay. The available documentation does not provide an independent benchmark or an officially supported maximum above 10, so a successful login test is not a promise that every larger group will perform identically.
Troubleshooting common failures
The server still stops at 10 players
- Confirm that you are starting the modded server directory, not a second vanilla installation.
- Check that BepInEx loaded and that MaxPlayerCount appears in the startup log without an exception.
- Open the generated file and verify the value in the active section. Make sure the file is not a duplicate with a similar name or extension.
- Stop the server before editing, save the file, and restart it. A running process may still be using the previous value.
- Remove undocumented command-line flags. They do not replace the plugin configuration.
The configuration file does not appear
Start the server once after installing BepInEx and the plugin, then stop it cleanly. If no file is created, inspect the BepInEx log for a missing dependency, an incorrect installation path or a version mismatch. Reinstall from the current release instructions rather than creating a blank file by hand.
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The server will not start after the change
Restore the backed-up server files and world, then launch without the plugin to isolate the cause. If vanilla starts, compare the installed Valheim, BepInEx and MaxPlayerCount versions. Reinstall only versions listed as compatible by the current plugin documentation. Keep the known-good backup until the modded setup has survived a complete test session.
Some players cannot connect
Separate player-count errors from access errors. Check the password, port, firewall and backend first, then confirm that the affected players meet the mod’s current client requirements. Crossplay selection affects platform reachability, but changing it will not raise the vanilla cap.
The server becomes unstable with a larger group
Return to the last value that worked, review the logs and test with fewer simultaneous connections. There is no published official hardware-sizing figure or independent benchmark establishing a safe maximum above 10. Capacity beyond the vanilla limit is therefore an operational setting you must validate for your own world and host rather than a guaranteed game feature.
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Operating a server for more than 10 people
A larger roster needs a clear definition of “server size.” Keep an attendance list or schedule for the total community, but use the configured simultaneous value for the number of people who may be online together. A player who owns a character or has world access does not consume a slot while offline.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Document the live setup for other administrators: Valheim version, BepInEx version, MaxPlayerCount release, configured value, startup arguments, save location and backup location. When someone else restarts the server, that record prevents an accidental launch of the unmodded copy or a rollback to the default cap.
After a game update, take the server offline until the loader and plugin are confirmed compatible. Keep the old backup and a known-good configuration. If the update breaks the plugin, the reliable recovery path is to restore the backup and run the vanilla 10-player server while waiting for a compatible community release, rather than repeatedly changing unrelated network settings.
Bottom line for Valheim server owners
There is no supported vanilla setting for changing the 10-player simultaneous cap. Use the official dedicated-server configuration when ten players are enough. When a larger group must play together, install BepInEx and a current MaxPlayerCount release, let it generate BepInEx/config/Azumatt.MaxPlayerCount.cfg, edit the generated value with the server stopped, and verify the result with backups, compatible clients and log checks. Treat the higher capacity as community-mod behavior that requires ongoing maintenance, not as an officially supported Valheim option.
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