Increase the Player Limit on Your Valheim Server

Raise Valheim's hard 10-player cap using ValheimPlus and optimize your server for higher player counts.

Valheim's vanilla limit is 10 players. With ValheimPlus (or other mods), you can raise this — but higher counts require careful optimization.

The Vanilla 10-Player Limit

Valheim's network code is hard-capped at 10 players per server. This is built into the game and cannot be changed without mods. There's no startup parameter for it.

Increase the Limit with ValheimPlus

Install ValheimPlus

Use the panel Mod Manager to install ValheimPlus. See Install ValheimPlus.

Edit valheim_plus.cfg

In the XGamingServer Panel, click Files and open BepInEx/config/valheim_plus.cfg.

Set the player count

Find the [Server] section:

[Server]
enabled = true
maxPlayers = 20

Restart the server

Go to Console and restart.

All players must have ValheimPlus installed to connect when the limit is raised. Players without the mod will fail to join with a version mismatch.

Performance Impact

Players	Performance	Notes
1–5	Excellent	Smooth on any plan
6–10	Good	Vanilla limit, well-optimized
11–15	Moderate	Noticeable desync during combat
16–20	Reduced	Significant lag during raids and large builds
20+	Poor	Not recommended without serious optimization

Optimize for Higher Player Counts

Install Better Networking

Install Better Networking from the panel Mods page. It optimizes Valheim's network traffic and reduces desync significantly.

Schedule Regular Restarts

Use Schedules in the panel sidebar to restart every 12 hours. See Scheduled Restarts.

Reduce Build Complexity

Massive bases with thousands of building pieces are the #1 lag cause. Encourage efficient building and break up huge bases.

Disable Crossplay if All-Steam

If everyone is on Steam, disable crossplay in Startup. The PlayFab relay adds latency overhead.

Boost ValheimPlus Data Rate

[Server]
enabled = true
maxPlayers = 20
dataRate = 512

Higher dataRate reduces desync at the cost of more bandwidth.

Realistic Expectations

Players	Realistic Quality
10–15	Works well with optimizations
15–20	Playable but with occasional lag spikes
20+	Significant gameplay quality compromises

Tip: If you need more than 20 players, run multiple servers with different world names. Players keep their character between servers since character data is stored client-side. See Transfer Character.

Increase the Player Limit on Your Valheim Server

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