Valheim crossplay: let Xbox and Game Pass players join

Switch on Enable Crossplay on the Startup tab, restart, and share the six-digit join code from the Console so Xbox and Game Pass players can join.

4 min read · Updated Sep 23, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team

Crossplay lets players who do not have Valheim on Steam, such as Xbox and PC Game Pass players, join your GuavaHost server. On our panel it is a single switch on the Startup tab, and once it is on, friends join with a six-digit code from your Console.

How crossplay works on a dedicated server

A Valheim server can run on one of two networks, which Valheim calls backends:

• The Steam backend is what a server uses without crossplay. Only Steam players can see it and join.
• The crossplay backend runs on PlayFab, Microsoft's cross-platform game service. Players on any platform can join, and your server gets a join code. A server switches to it when it starts with the -crossplay option.

With crossplay on, everyone connects through the crossplay backend, Steam players included. Valheim 1.0 extended crossplay to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 as well, so the same join code works for players there too.

Turn crossplay on

1. Open your server in the game panel from guavahost.com/account.
2. Go to the Startup tab and find Enable Crossplay.
3. Switch it on. The panel adds -crossplay to the server's start command for you, so there is nothing else to edit.
4. Restart the server from the Console tab.

It is worth checking even if you never touched it. On GuavaHost, Enable Crossplay starts switched on for the plain Valheim server type and switched off for Valheim + BepInEx.

Find your join code

After the restart, watch the Console until the world has loaded. The server then prints a line containing join code followed by six digits. That number is what your friends need. If the first line you spot has no number in it yet, wait a few seconds and look further down, because the code is registered a moment after the session starts.

Anyone already in the world can also see the current code in the in-game pause menu.

The code changes every time the server restarts, crashes or updates. If an old code stops working, grab the new one from the Console.

How your friends join

Xbox, Game Pass and console players:

1. Open Join Game in Valheim.
2. Add the server using its join code (the button is Add server on current versions) and type the six digits.
3. Enter the server password when asked.

Steam players can use the same join code, join by IP with Join IP and your IP:port from the top of the panel, or find the server in the in-game list if it is public. Our connection guide covers each route.

Things that trip people up

Crossplay has to be allowed on the player's side too. On Xbox, the account's privacy and online safety settings must allow cross-network play, and parental controls can hide the option completely. If one Xbox player cannot join while others can, check their settings before changing anything on the server.

Everyone needs the same game version. The Auto Update switch on the Startup tab (on by default) keeps your server on the latest Valheim build every time it starts. If an update reaches one platform before another, players still on the older version cannot join until their game catches up.

The password rules still apply. Passwords must be at least five characters and cannot appear in the world name or server name, or the server will not start. See Valheim server not showing up or asking for a password.

Console players cannot install mods. That matters if you run the Valheim + BepInEx server type. Any mod that must be installed on every player's PC locks out Xbox, PlayStation and Switch players. For a mixed group, run vanilla or stick to mods that only need to be on the server. A few mods rely on Steam features and misbehave on the crossplay backend, so test with a console friend before a big session. How to install Valheim mods with BepInEx explains which mods run where.

Steam's own server browser may not list it. With crossplay on, the server runs on the crossplay backend rather than Steam's, so a favorite added through the Steam client's server browser may not show it. The in-game list, Join IP and the join code all work.

Admins and bans on a crossplay server

On a crossplay server, adminlist.txt, bannedlist.txt and permittedlist.txt identify players by their platform ID, which starts with the platform name, for example Steam_76561198000000000 or Xbox_ followed by a long number. To get someone's exact ID:

1. Have them join the server once.
2. Press F2 in game to open the panel that lists connected players and their IDs, or look for them joining in the Console.
3. Copy the ID exactly as shown, prefix included. It is case sensitive.

Put each ID on its own line in the file, then restart. How to make yourself admin shows where the file lives and what admins can do.

Turning crossplay off

If your whole group plays on Steam and you want the widest choice of mods, switch Enable Crossplay off on the Startup tab and restart. The server goes back to the Steam backend, and only Steam players can join. Decide before you invite people, because switching later means either leaving your console friends out or trimming your mod list.

Take a snapshot on the Backups tab before changing modes so you can roll back if anything goes wrong.

Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.

• valheim
• crossplay
• xbox
• game-pass
• join-code
• playfab

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