How to Fix a Valheim Server That Will Not Start or Show Up

Valheim reports almost every failure in the panel console and nowhere else. Open Console for your server first, then work down this list.

The server starts and immediately stops

Nine times out of ten this is the password. Valheim validates it at launch and quits if it fails. The rules are:

• At least 5 characters.
• Not contained in the server name or the world name.

Change the password on the Startup Settings page, reachable from the server overview, then start again.

The world is empty when it should not be

Valheim needs both files for a world, WorldName.db and WorldName.fwl, in:

.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local/

If only one is present, or the world name in your startup settings does not exactly match the file name, Valheim silently creates a new world instead of loading yours. Check the spelling and the capitalisation, and confirm both files are there.

Players get a version mismatch

Valheim updates break compatibility between client and server. Restart the server so it pulls the new build. If you run BepInEx mods, they need updating too, and the server will refuse joins until the mod set matches on both sides.

The server is not in the browser

• Public listing must be on. That is the -public parameter, set to 1, on the Startup Settings page.
• The Steam browser queries the game port plus one. When adding the server to Steam favourites, use 2457 if your game port is 2456.
• Valheim's own browser is slow and unreliable at the best of times. Use Join IP with the game port to prove the server is reachable before you chase the listing.

The server is slow or players rubber band

• Valheim's server load scales with how much of the world is loaded, so players spread far apart cost far more than players together.
• Large, long lived worlds accumulate objects. A world several hundred hours old is a common cause.
• Portals and heavily built bases are expensive. Check info in the in-game console for the server's own view of its performance.

What to send support

Open a ticket with the last hundred lines of the console, the world name you expect to load, and whether a Join IP attempt fails or times out.