Game server hosting
Valheim server hosting
Valheim dedicated server hosting on AMD EPYC and NVMe in the EU: 4 GB RAM at €10.99 every 30 days, VAT included. BepInEx and Thunderstore mods, crossplay, and direct SFTP access to your world's .db and .fwl files.
Stripe-secured payments · unused wallet credit refundable · no minimum term, cancel any time · EU company, VAT LT100016340412
Hosting Valheim
What actually matters on a Valheim server
Valheim's server load has very little to do with map size. The map is a fixed disc whatever seed you use, and what actually costs memory is object count: every wall piece, every dropped feather and every hoe stroke of terraforming is a persistent object written into the world .db and streamed to whoever walks near it.
Ten players spread across five biomes hold far more zones live than ten players standing in one base, and a heavily terraformed long-running world is what turns the periodic autosave into a visible freeze for everyone online and stretches join times while a client pulls the base down.
The other half of running Valheim is version lock-step: the server build has to match the client build exactly, so the day Iron Gate ships a patch, everyone whose Steam auto-updated is locked out until the server restarts onto the new build, and every BepInEx plugin needs re-checking in the same sitting.
What 4 GB realistically runs
4 GB is sized for Valheim as it is actually played. Vanilla caps at 10 players, and a mature world with one or two large bases commonly sits in the low gigabytes with headroom for the autosave write.
Where it gets tight is the combination people build up over months: heavy terraforming, thousands of loose dropped items that never despawn, a full party operating in separate biomes at once, and a stack of BepInEx plugins on top.
Disk grows quietly too, since a well-travelled world file goes from a few megabytes to well over a hundred, and a larger file means longer save pauses and longer join loads rather than just more storage.
Worth knowing: player characters are stored on each player's own machine, not on the server, so the server only ever holds the world files. Valheim is largely single-threaded, so the EPYC clock speed matters more here than core count.
If your world outgrows 4 GB, RAM upgrades are a same-day manual resize on request, by email to hello@puranode.com.
After checkout
Getting your Valheim server running
- 1
Set the world name, server name and password before the first start
The server generates the world on first boot from whatever world name you give it, and the seed is fixed at that moment, so pick the name deliberately.
Two rules trip up nearly every first-time host: the password must be at least five characters, and it must not appear anywhere inside the server name or world name.
Break either and the server exits during startup with a password error, which looks like a crash if you are not reading the console. Decide at the same time whether the server is listed publicly or joined by address only.
- 2
Uploading an existing world? Send both files, and match the case exactly
Stop the server first, then copy both <world>.db and <world>.fwl from your local worlds_local folder (on Windows, under AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\) into the server's worlds_local folder in the file manager or over SFTP.
The .fwl holds the seed and metadata; without it the .db is unusable. The world name in the startup variable has to match the filenames character for character, because our nodes are Linux and filenames are case-sensitive.
A single wrong capital does not throw an error, it quietly generates a brand-new empty world, which is the usual reason people think their save vanished.
This is also the way to get a specific seed: create the world in single-player where you can type the seed, then upload it.
- 3
Connect, then add yourself to the admin list
Steam players join with the game port on 2456; the query port 2457 is what Steam's server browser uses, and the community list is famously unreliable, so favouriting the address in Steam or using Join by IP is the dependable route.
If crossplay is on, the console prints a join code at start for Xbox and Game Pass players; keep the direct address as the fallback.
Admin rights come from adminlist.txt (SteamID64, or the PlayFab ID for crossplay players), alongside permittedlist.txt and bannedlist.txt in the same save folder.
The server reads those files at startup, so restart after editing rather than expecting a live reload.
- 4
Install BepInEx before anything from Thunderstore
Valheim mods load through BepInEx, so upload the BepInEx pack over SFTP first and email us: we switch your server to the BepInEx start command.
On the vanilla command the server boots perfectly, the plugins folder sits there untouched, and nothing loads. Almost every gameplay mod has to be installed on the clients as well, at the same version, or the join handshake fails.
Pin your versions, keep the modpack list somewhere outside the server, and take a manual backup before a game patch: world-generation mods such as terrain replacers bake themselves into the world and cannot be removed later without losing it.
Mods & how far you can go
How mods work on your Valheim server
Valheim comes as the standard server. BepInEx needs its own start command, so upload the pack over SFTP and email us: we switch the start-up for you. Thunderstore mods then go into the plugins folder.
- Online within a few minutes
- Hosted in Lauterbourg, France (EU-West)
- Upload mods, plugins or a server pack and run them
- Full file access (SFTP + web editor)
- Nightly backup set up from the start, plus backups on a click
- Free MySQL database
- DDoS protection included
- Console, metrics & crash auto-restart
- RAM upgrades on request, same day
Already running Valheim somewhere else? See how moving to Puranode works.
Choosing world modifiers? Use the Valheim server settings generator.
Test your latency to our server
Measures the round trip from your connection to our server in Lauterbourg, France, right now.
This is an HTTPS round trip to the server itself, which typically reads a little higher than in-game ping. Treat it as an upper bound, not a promise.
How much RAM do you need?
Your Valheim plan ships with 4 GB. Group sizes below are a rough guide: mods, plugins and world size matter more than raw player count.
| RAM | Group | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 2 GB | Small group | Vanilla worlds, small co-op, Terraria |
| 4 GB | Friends or small community | Vanilla+ with plugins, light modpacks, most survival servers |
| 6 GB | Mid-size group | Mid-size modpacks, Satisfactory and 7 Days to Die worlds |
| 8 GB | Larger group | Heavy modpacks, Rust, Palworld, busy community servers |
Picked the wrong size? Email us and we will resize your server the same day: you keep the world, the files and the address.
Going deeper: Valheim Dedicated Server: Mods, RAM and Cost
How ordering works
- 1
Create a free account
Email and password at client.puranode.com. No card needed to look around.
- 2
Add credit
Top up your wallet by card through Stripe, from €1. Adding exactly the plan price is all you need. Auto-renewal is on by default, so your balance pays for your server every 30 days, and you can switch it off at any time.
- 3
Pick your server
Choose the game and plan: it installs automatically and is online within a few minutes. Large games take longer on first install.
Your servers live in the client panel at client.puranode.com, a separate app from this site, run by the same company.
Stripe handles the card
Payments run through Stripe. Puranode never sees or stores your card number.
VAT included
The price you see is the price you pay. No tax added at the last step.
No minimum term
Billed every 30 days. Cancel from the panel any time, no cancellation fee.
48-hour refund on your first order
Change your mind within 48 hours and we refund your first server's first 30 days in full. Unused wallet credit is refundable too.
MB VARIANTAI · company code 306133252 · VAT LT100016340412 · Lithuania, European Union. Refunds & cancellation
Further reading for Valheim
Valheim Dedicated Server: Mods, RAM and Cost
Run a Valheim dedicated server with BepInEx mods: how much RAM it needs, which mods go on the server, crossplay, world backups and what it costs to rent.
Read the guideHow to Move a Valheim World to a Dedicated Server
Move a Valheim world to a dedicated server: copy the 1.0 world folder or older .db and .fwl pair, leave Steam Cloud, and set -world to the exact name.
Read the guideValheim World Modifiers on a Dedicated Server
Set Valheim world modifiers on a dedicated server: the 7 presets, -modifier values for combat, raids and portals, -setkey options, and the order rule.
Read the guideValheim Server Admin Commands and adminlist.txt
Make yourself admin on a Valheim dedicated server with adminlist.txt, open the F5 console, and use kick, ban, unban, save and the world modifier commands.
Read the guideFAQ
Valheim server hosting: FAQ
My friends can't join after a Valheim update. What happened?
Valheim requires the server and client builds to match exactly. When Iron Gate pushes a patch, Steam updates your players automatically and they hit an incompatible version error until the server is on the same build. Restart the server from the panel and it validates and pulls the current build. If you run BepInEx, expect the plugins to need updates too, since they bind to the game assemblies and a modded server also advertises its mod set in the handshake. Take a backup before a major patch: the world file is migrated in place when a newer build first opens it, and new biome content only generates in zones nobody has visited yet, so old worlds do not always get the new content near an established base.
I uploaded my single-player world and the server started an empty one instead.
Almost always one of three things. You uploaded only the .db and not the .fwl, or the other way round, and both are required. Or the server was running when you uploaded, so it overwrote your files with its own copy on the next save. Or the world name in the startup variable does not match the filename exactly, including capitals, because the node runs Linux and treats MyWorld.db and myworld.db as different files. Stop the server, upload both files, correct the name, then start. Your original files are still on your PC, and any panel backup you have taken holds the server-side copies as well.
Does crossplay with Xbox and Game Pass players work?
Yes, crossplay can be enabled, and the console then prints a join code alongside the normal address so PlayFab-based players can connect. Two practical points. Console players cannot install mods, so a BepInEx server that requires client-side plugins effectively becomes Steam-only, and crossplay admin entries use PlayFab IDs rather than SteamID64. Treat the join code as something to re-check after a restart and give Steam players the direct address as the reliable route.
How much does a Valheim server cost?
Valheim server hosting at Puranode starts at €10.99 every 30 days for a 4 GB server, VAT included. It's a flat price: what you sign up at is what you renew at, with no setup fees and cancel anytime.
How quickly is my Valheim server online?
Your Valheim server is created and fully installed automatically, usually within a few minutes of checkout. You then open the panel, press start and copy your connect address.
Can I install mods and plugins on my Valheim server?
Valheim comes as the standard server. BepInEx needs its own start command, so upload the pack over SFTP and email us: we switch the start-up for you. Thunderstore mods then go into the plugins folder. Want a hand? Email us and we set it up with you.
Where are the servers located?
All Puranode servers run on EPYC + NVMe hardware in Lauterbourg, France (EU-West). It is one EU location, best for players in western and central Europe. Puranode is operated by MB VARIANTAI, an EU company in Lithuania, and prices include VAT.
Can I move my existing Valheim server to Puranode?
Yes. Upload your existing world and config over SFTP, or contact us and we'll help migrate it, free for the first setup.
What happens if I run out of credit?
Auto-renewal is on by default, so your server renews from your wallet every 30 days while the balance covers it, and you can switch it off on the order form or in the panel. If the balance will not cover the renewal, or auto-renewal is off, we email you 7, 3 and 1 days before it expires. If a server lapses it is suspended, not deleted: your files are kept for 30 days, and renewing at any point in that time brings it back.
Deploy your Valheim server now
Create a free account, add credit and your server is online within a few minutes.