Most Valheim dedicated-server failures come from the launch script, an invalid argument, a world/save-directory mismatch, or confusing a network-discovery problem with a startup failure. Check those in that order.
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The decisive test is the server log: when it reaches “Game server connected”, the process has started successfully and is ready to accept connections. If that line never appears, fix the installation, script, arguments, or save files before changing router settings.
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First, determine whether the server actually failed to start
A Valheim server can appear broken in two very different ways:
- Startup failure: the process exits, the window closes, the log reports an argument or file error, or the world never loads.
- Reachability or discovery failure: the process remains running and reaches Game server connected, but you or your friends cannot find or join it.
Do not troubleshoot these as the same problem. Port forwarding cannot repair a misspelled world name, and changing the world name will not make a correctly running server visible through a blocked router port.
Iron Gate’s guide describes the successful state this way: “When the Server program shows the message ‘Game server connected’ the Server is up and running, ready to accept connections.” Use that line as the dividing point for the rest of your diagnosis.
Restore the correct dedicated-server tool and launch script
Install the dedicated server from Steam’s Tools library
Use the separate Valheim Dedicated Server tool, not the normal game client. In Steam, open Library, change the library filter to Tools, install Valheim Dedicated Server, and open its installation folder.
A server that stopped working immediately after a game update often has not suffered a new networking problem. Steam updates can overwrite the stock launch script and remove custom arguments.
Copy the supplied script before editing it
- In the server folder, locate
start_headless_server.baton Windows orstart_server.shon Linux. - Make a copy with your own name, such as
my_valheim_server.batormy_valheim_server.sh. - Edit the copy, leaving the original available as a clean reference after future updates.
- Launch the copied script from the installed server directory. If the script uses a relative executable path, starting it elsewhere can make the executable or save path appear to be missing.
On Linux, ensure the copied shell script is executable before launching it. If you replace the script after an update, recheck every argument rather than assuming the previous file was preserved.
Validate every launch argument
The script is the control point for the server. Read it from left to right and check the value and spelling of each argument. A single typo can cause an immediate exit or make the server load a different world than expected.
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| Argument | What it controls | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
-name |
The server name shown to players | Use a unique name. The password must not appear in this name. |
-world |
The world selected for loading or creation | Match the existing world name exactly, including capitalization and spaces. |
-password |
The join password | Use at least five characters. Do not reuse text from -name. |
-port |
The base network port | Use a numeric value. The Steam backend also uses the next port. |
-public |
Whether the server is listed publicly | Keep the value in the syntax accepted by the current stock script; the common public setting is 1. |
-savedir |
Where worlds, characters and permission files are read and written | Use an existing directory that the account running the service can read and write. |
-crossplay |
The backend used for player connections | Include the flag when you want the PlayFab relay instead of the default Steam backend. |
-logFile |
A persistent location for server output | Set a writable file path so errors remain available after a window closes. |
A useful argument block, using concrete values, looks like this:
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Password and path rules that commonly stop startup
- A password shorter than five characters is rejected.
- A password that appears in the server name violates the server’s password rule.
- A nonnumeric
-portvalue prevents a valid listener from being created. - A
-savedirlocation that does not exist, or that the service account cannot write, prevents world and permission files from being opened. - Launching from a different working directory can break relative paths in the script.
Fix a world that will not load or appears to have reset
Understand the difference between -world and -savedir
-world selects a world by name. It does not search every disk location for a similarly named file. -savedir changes the root location in which Valheim looks for worlds and permission files and where it writes new data.
If the server creates a fresh world, says a world cannot be found, or appears to have lost progress, check both values together. A correct world name paired with the wrong save directory still points to the wrong data.
Check the default save locations
When you have not deliberately set -savedir, Iron Gate documents these defaults:
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| Operating system | Default Valheim save location |
|---|---|
| Windows | %USERPROFILE%/AppData/LocalLow/IronGate/Valheim |
| Linux | ~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim |
- Stop the server completely so no save is being written.
- Open the directory selected by
-savedir, or the applicable default above. - Confirm that the world files belong to the expected world name.
- Make the
-worldvalue exactly match that name. - Start the server again and watch the log for the world-loading result before inviting anyone to connect.
Do not delete or overwrite files while diagnosing the problem. If you need to test a new world, use a different world name so the existing save remains untouched.
Separate Steam networking from crossplay networking
Steam backend: default behavior
When -crossplay is omitted, the server uses the Steam backend. The configured base port and the following port are used; the official default pair is 2456–2457. For a server reachable from outside your home network, forward both the selected port and the next port in your router, then allow the server executable through the host computer’s firewall.
If you change -port from 2456, forward the new value and its successor. For example, a base port of 3000 requires the 3000–3001 pair, not the old 2456–2457 pair. A mismatch between the script and router is enough to make a running server invisible to remote players.
Crossplay backend: relay-based access
Adding -crossplay switches the server to the PlayFab relay. External players can then connect without router port forwarding. The trade-off is a different platform model: without the flag, the Steam backend is limited to Steam users; with it, players on supported platforms can use the crossplay backend.
Crossplay does not repair an invalid script, a missing world, or a server that never reaches Game server connected. Choose it after confirming that the process starts, especially when router access is the only remaining obstacle.
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| Choice | Platform reach | Router requirement for outside players | File and network control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam backend | Steam users | Forward the configured port and port+1; allow the server through the host firewall | Direct control over the local process, ports and files |
| Crossplay backend | Players on supported crossplay platforms | Router forwarding is not required because connections use the relay | Less dependence on inbound home-network configuration, while the local script and saves remain under your control |
Read a persistent log instead of guessing
A console window that closes immediately hides the first useful error. Add -logFile to write output to a file in a directory the server account can write. Then make one change at a time.
- Set a distinct log-file path and restart the copied script.
- Record whether the process stays open and whether Game server connected appears.
- Note the first error, not merely the last line printed before exit.
- Write down the executable path,
-worldvalue,-savedirvalue, base port and backend selection. - Change one variable, restart, and compare the new log with the previous attempt.
Changing the port, world and save directory simultaneously can turn one clear error into several unrelated symptoms. A short, dated log for each attempt makes it possible to undo the last change and identify the actual cause.
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The server window closes as soon as it opens
- Confirm that the dedicated-server tool is installed and that the copied script still points to its executable.
- Run the script from the server’s installation directory.
- Check for a malformed quote, missing value or misspelled argument.
- Verify the password length, numeric port and writable save directory.
- Add
-logFile, restart, and inspect the first error after the process exits.
The server starts a new world instead of the old one
- Compare the exact
-worldspelling with the existing world name. - Check whether
-savedirpoints to the directory containing the old files. - Compare that directory with the documented Windows or Linux default if you did not intend to relocate saves.
- Stop before deleting anything; test with a separate world name if necessary.
The log says the world cannot be found
Usually, either the name is wrong or the server is reading a different save root. Correct the name and save path as a pair, then restart. A world file in your personal default directory is not used when -savedir directs the server elsewhere.
The server says it started, but nobody can find it
Find Game server connected in the log first. If present, treat the issue as reachability:
- Identify whether
-crossplayis present. - For Steam, forward the configured port and port+1 and allow the executable through the host firewall.
- For crossplay, confirm that the flag is present and that players are using a supported platform path.
- Check that the server name and public-listing value are the ones you intended.
It worked until an update
Compare the edited copy with the newly restored stock script. Steam updates can reset the original file, so your custom -world, -savedir, port or backend flag may simply be absent. Reapply the arguments to your personal copy and keep that copy outside the file that Steam replaces.
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Choose between home hosting and managed hosting
Self-hosting gives you direct access to scripts, worlds, logs, ports and backups, but you maintain the operating system, updates, firewall, router and recovery process. A managed Valheim host can be useful when the process must remain online without relying on a home computer, but you are entrusting someone else with updates, storage and backups.
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|---|---|---|
| Startup control | You edit the launch script and diagnose logs directly | The provider supplies a panel or managed startup configuration |
| Router work | Required for Steam-backend external access; avoided with crossplay relay | Usually handled in the provider’s network, subject to its implementation |
| Files and worlds | Direct access to saves, permissions and custom directories | Access depends on file tools and the provider’s policies |
| Updates and recovery | You schedule updates and maintain copies | The provider may automate updates and backups; verify what is actually included |
| What to verify before signing up | Not applicable | Current Valheim support, crossplay support, backup frequency, retention and program terms |
Do not move a world to a managed service until you have a known-good copy. Confirm where the service stores saves, which account owns the files, how often backups run and how you can download a complete world before changing the production server.
Use Valheim’s backup intervals as part of maintenance
Iron Gate’s 2024 guide lists a default save interval of 1,800 seconds (30 minutes). It also lists a default short-backup interval of 7,200 seconds (2 hours) and a long-backup interval of 43,200 seconds (12 hours). These are scheduled defaults, not a substitute for a separate copy that you control.
- Keep the launch script copy with your intended arguments.
- Back up the world and permission files before updates or migrations.
- Record the active
-savedirso a backup contains the files the server actually uses. - After an update, verify the script, world name, save path, port and backend before players join.
- Retain at least one offline or separately stored copy so a bad update or accidental overwrite does not remove every recovery point.
A repeatable recovery sequence
When you need the shortest reliable path from failure to a working server, follow this order:
- Stop every old server process so two instances are not competing for the same files or ports.
- Open the Valheim Dedicated Server installation folder and make a fresh copy of the supplied launch script.
- Restore a known-good executable path and run the copy from that folder.
- Validate
-name,-world,-password,-port,-public,-savedirand, if used,-crossplay. - Confirm that the world exists under the selected save directory and that the service account can read and write there.
- Add
-logFileand restart with only those corrections. - Wait for Game server connected. If it does not appear, remain in startup troubleshooting and use the first logged error.
- Once it appears, troubleshoot discovery separately: Steam requires the selected port and port+1 forwarded and the host firewall opened; crossplay uses the relay and does not require router forwarding.
This sequence preserves the world, limits variables to one change at a time and tells you exactly when to switch from application troubleshooting to network troubleshooting.
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