Crossplay pushes every connection to your Valheim server through the PlayFab relay, and a group that plays only on Steam gains nothing from that detour. Turning it off is a single switch on the Overview tab of your panel. After the restart, Steam players connect with Join IP and the server address instead of a join code.
Before you flip it, read the trade-off below. With crossplay off, nobody on a console can join at all.
What crossplay actually does
With crossplay on, the server registers with PlayFab at every start and gets a fresh join code. Players on Steam, Xbox, Game Pass on PC and, since Valheim 1.0 on 9 September 2026, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 all use that code. Every one of those connections goes through the relay rather than straight to your server, which is why some Steam-only groups notice more latency than they expect and prefer to switch it off.
With crossplay off:
- No join code is generated, and any old code stops working
- Steam is the only platform that can connect, using Join IP and the address from the Overview tab, for example
1.2.3.4:25685 - Xbox, Game Pass, PS5 and Switch 2 players are locked out entirely
- Steam players connect via Steam's own networking, not the relay
If anyone in your group plays on a console, leave crossplay on. The rest of this guide is for groups where everyone is on Steam.
Why Public server has to stay on
This is the part that catches people. Join IP does not open a socket straight to your server. Valheim first sends a query to the server's Steam query port, which is the game port plus one, asking for the server's Steam ID. Only then does it connect, through Steam, using that ID.
If Public server is off, which the command line spells -public 0, Steamworks simply does not answer the query. Join IP fails silently, on a server that is running perfectly, and every player sees "Failed to connect".
Public server on does not open your server to strangers. It only means the server answers those queries and shows up in the community browser. The password still decides who gets in. So the rule is: crossplay off requires Public server on, and the panel enforces it for you by turning Public server on whenever you turn crossplay off.
Flipping the switch
- Open your server in the control panel and stay on the Overview tab.
- Find the Crossplay card. While crossplay is on it shows Enabled and lists the platforms that can currently join.
- Click the switch on the right. The badge changes to Disabled, and the panel sets Public server on in the same save.
- A bar reading "Saved. Restart to apply." appears. The running server keeps its old settings until it restarts, so press Restart now, or restart from the server header when your players are ready.
That is all of it. To see the underlying values, open the Startup tab: Enable Crossplay is now off and Public Server is on.
Getting your players in
After the restart, the connection card on the Overview tab changes to reflect the new state and tells you which method applies:
Share the IP:port from that card with your Steam players. On their side:
- Start Valheim and select a character
- Open Join Game
- Choose Join IP
- Paste the address exactly as shown, including the port
- Enter the server password
Ask everyone to remove the old join code entry from their in-game server list first. A saved code has nothing to connect to once crossplay is off, and a dead entry is the fastest way to convince a group that the server is broken.
Steam favourites, if you want it there too
Because the server is now public, it also works in Steam's own server browser. That browser wants the query port, not the game port:
- In Steam, open View and then Game Servers
- On the Favorites tab, click Add a server
- Enter the IP with the query port, which is the game port plus one. A panel address of
1.2.3.4:25685becomes1.2.3.4:25686here
Once added, the server also appears in Valheim's own list.
Switching crossplay back on
Flip the same switch and restart. The server registers with PlayFab again, prints a new join code on that boot, and console players are welcome again. The panel leaves Public server as it is, so if you also want the server out of the community browser, turn Public Server off yourself on the Startup tab.
Both connection methods are described in joining your Valheim server, and the other Startup values in Valheim server configuration.
When it does not work
Players get "Failed to connect" right after the switch. Their game still holds a PlayFab account from when they used a join code, and it keeps trying the crossplay route. Each player clears it once in Valheim's Settings. The why and the steps are in deleting your PlayFab account in Valheim, and the wider checklist in fixing Failed to connect in Valheim.
Join IP does nothing for anyone. Either Public server is off, or the server has not restarted since the change. Check the Startup tab, then restart.
The startup command still shows -crossplay. What you see is $( [[ 0 -eq 1 ]] && echo " -crossplay "), a shell test the container runs at boot. With a 0 inside, the test fails and adds nothing, so crossplay really is off. It reads [[ 1 -eq 1 ]] when crossplay is on.
A console player cannot join. Expected. There is no IP route for Xbox, Game Pass, PS5 or Switch 2.
Steam says the server is not responding. You used the game port. Steam's browser needs the query port, one higher.
Common questions
Does this touch my world? No. Only the way players reach the server changes. World and characters stay as they are.
Is a restart required? Yes. The running process keeps the old setting until then.
Does the address change? No. IP and port are the same before and after.
Can Steam players join by IP with crossplay still on? Yes. With crossplay on, Steam players can use either the code or the address, and console players use the code. Turning crossplay off only removes the relay from the path for Steam players.
Every Valheim server from SpillHosting has the crossplay switch and the server address on the same Overview page from the first boot. See the Valheim server hosting page for the full feature list.