# How to Change Max Players on Your Valheim Server (/docs/valheim/player-slots)



import { Step, Steps } from 'fumadocs-ui/components/steps';

Vanilla Valheim has a **hard cap of 10 players** per server. To go higher, you need the [ValheimPlus](/docs/valheim/install-valheimplus) mod.

Vanilla Servers (Up to 10 Players) [#vanilla-servers-up-to-10-players]

The 10-player limit cannot be raised without mods. There's no startup parameter for it.

Modded Servers (More Than 10) [#modded-servers-more-than-10]

To support more than 10 players:

<Steps>
  <Step>
    Install ValheimPlus [#install-valheimplus]

    Use the panel **Mod Manager** to install ValheimPlus. See [Install ValheimPlus](/docs/valheim/install-valheimplus).
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Edit valheim_plus.cfg [#edit-valheim_pluscfg]

    After installation, click **Files** in the sidebar and find `BepInEx/config/valheim_plus.cfg`.

    {/* Screenshot needed: File Manager showing valheim_plus.cfg */}
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Set MaxPlayers under [Server] [#set-maxplayers-under-server]

    Find the `[Server]` section and set:

    ```ini
    [Server]
    enabled = true
    maxPlayers = 20
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Restart the server [#restart-the-server]

    Go to **Console** and restart for the change to apply.
  </Step>
</Steps>

> **All players must have ValheimPlus installed** to connect to a server using the higher player limit.

Performance Considerations [#performance-considerations]

| Players   | Notes                                                                 |
| --------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **1–10**  | Vanilla — no performance issues on standard plans                     |
| **10–20** | Requires ValheimPlus. Solid performance on most plans                 |
| **20–32** | Performance starts to degrade. Needs strong CPU                       |
| **32+**   | Not recommended — Valheim's networking wasn't designed for this scale |

Valheim's networking model sends every player full updates of nearby players' actions, which causes exponential bandwidth growth at higher counts. See [Server Performance](/docs/valheim/server-performance) for tuning tips.

Related Guides [#related-guides]

* [Increase Player Limit](/docs/valheim/increase-player-limit)
* [Install ValheimPlus](/docs/valheim/install-valheimplus)
* [Server Performance](/docs/valheim/server-performance)