Valheim 1.0 and the Deep North: The Dedicated Server Guide
What Shipped in 1.0
After five and a half years in early access, Iron Gate shipped Valheim 1.0 on September 9, 2026. It is the biggest single update in the game's history: the Deep North, the tenth and final biome, plus day-one launches on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2, full crossplay across PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch 2, and more than 50 new achievements.[1]
The Deep North is a frozen region that looks like quiet snowfields and ice mesas on arrival and turns into one of the most hostile places in the game — abandoned villages, new enemies like the Gammeltroll, and underground areas home to the Elakingar. It is the endgame biome that Ashlands players have been waiting on since 2024.
The update is free for everyone who already owned Valheim before launch; new players now pay $29.99, up from $19.99.
Why 1.0 Matters More for Servers Than Any Previous Patch
Valheim enforces a strict version lock: the server and every connecting player must run exactly the same build, or players get an "Incompatible Version" error. Steam and the console stores push every new build to players automatically. Any dedicated server still running the old build is effectively offline for its players until it updates.
There was no public test branch for 1.0, and there rarely is for the hotfixes that follow a big release, so nobody — hosts included — can update ahead of time. That is why the single most important question for your server is: does it update itself?
Every HostSimple Valheim server checks Steam for the latest build each time it starts. When a patch lands, you hit Restart in your dashboard and the server pulls the new build and boots on it. Nothing to upload, no ticket to file. If you self-host, add +app_update 896660 to your startup script now so you are never doing it live on patch night — our Valheim dedicated server guide covers the SteamCMD setup.
Keep Your World or Start Fresh?
Your existing world will load fine on 1.0. Iron Gate has been clear about one catch, though: the Deep North only generates in parts of the map that nobody has explored yet. Terrain you have already uncovered is locked as-is.[2]
Practically, that means: if your group has never sailed far north, your current world is fine. If you have explored the northern edges — even just passing through on the way to the Ashlands — you will get a partial or missing Deep North. For most established groups, a fresh world is the right call.
You do not have to choose. Keep your old world's files on the server, create a new world for the Deep North, and switch between them by changing the world name in your panel. Take a backup of the old world first (HostSimple does this nightly, but take one manually right before any major update too — it takes one click). If your group's world currently lives on someone's PC, the world transfer guide covers moving it onto the server.
Crossplay: Letting PS5 and Switch 2 Friends In
Full crossplay is the other headline feature. A dedicated server can accept players from PC, Xbox, PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 — but only if it is running in crossplay mode, which routes connections through Valheim's PlayFab backend instead of Steam. A server without crossplay enabled is Steam-only, no matter what platform the game was bought on.
Crossplay is a startup flag (-crossplay) on the server. On HostSimple it is a switch on your server page: flip it, the server restarts once, and the dashboard shows a 6-digit join code. Console and Game Pass players enter that code under Join Game → Add server; Steam players can use the code or keep connecting by IP. The full per-platform walkthrough, limitations and troubleshooting are in our crossplay dedicated server guide.
One trade-off worth knowing: the PlayFab relay adds a little latency compared to a direct Steam connection. If your whole group is on PC, leave crossplay off. If even one person is on a console, turn it on.
Mods Will Break. Plan for It.
Iron Gate's own guidance is that "it takes some time for mods to be updated to be compatible with the base game."[3] A major version bump with no test branch means assume every BepInEx plugin — Valheim+ included — stopped working on September 9 until its author shipped a 1.0 build, and check Thunderstore for an updated version before re-enabling anything.
The safe sequence for a modded server: back up the world, remove or disable BepInEx before the update, boot vanilla on 1.0 and confirm players can join, then reintroduce mods one at a time as updated versions land on Thunderstore. Doing it the other way round — updating with mods installed — is the fastest route to a server that won't start.
Update-Day Checklist (1.0 and Every Patch After It)
Before a major update: take a manual world backup, decide old world vs. new world with your group, disable mods, and enable crossplay if anyone plays on console.
When the update lands: wait for Steam to update your own game, then restart the server. It updates on boot. Join, confirm the version matches, and tell your friends.
After launch: watch Thunderstore for 1.0-compatible mod releases before re-enabling anything, and keep an eye on Iron Gate's hotfix cadence — the first couple of weeks after a Valheim update usually bring several small patches, and each one needs a server restart.
If you don't have a server yet, this is the best possible week to start one. A HostSimple Valheim server is online in about a minute, updates itself, supports crossplay, and every new order has a 48-hour money-back guarantee.
Start your Valheim server
Spin up a 1.0-ready Valheim server in about a minute, crossplay included, US or EU.