Valheim is a planned survival and sandbox video game created by the Swedish studio Iron Gate Studio and published by Coffee Stain Studios. It became available in early access for Linux and Microsoft Windows through Steam on February 2, 2021, and for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on March 14, 2023. Versions for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 are planned for release in 2026.
The game was developed by a team of five people, building on earlier work Richard Svensson completed as a side project during his free time. After its early-access release, Valheim received praise from critics and achieved strong sales. One month after its launch, it sold more than five million copies and became one of the most played games on Steam.
Gameplay
Valheim is an open-world survival game played from a third-person view. Players take on the role of fallen Vikings who must craft tools, build shelters, and fight enemies to survive. The game uses simple 3D graphics and a combat system similar to action games. It supports cooperative play with up to ten players and optional player versus player battles.
After creating a Viking character, players generate a world using a map seed. Each world is divided into different biomes, such as meadows, the Black Forest, swamps, mountains, plains, oceans, the Mistlands, the Deep North, and the Ashlands. Each biome has unique enemies, items, and bosses that affect survival difficulty. The game follows an in-game day and night cycle.
To survive, players gather natural resources through foraging, hunting, mining, or farming. These resources are used to build shelters, make tools, and craft weapons. Players have a health bar that decreases from enemy attacks or falls, and a stamina bar that drains during actions like running or attacking. Eating food increases maximum health, stamina, or Eitr (used for magic items). Different foods provide varying boosts to these bars and affect how quickly they recover after being depleted.
The game includes a skill system that ranges from blocking to running. Each skill can be improved up to level 100 and affects gameplay. For example, the spears skill increases damage from spears, while the running skill affects stamina use during sprinting.
The main goal is to defeat eight bosses located in different biomes. To summon a boss, players must travel to its altar and offer specific items. Killing a boss drops a collectable trophy, which can be placed at a central altar to grant players a special power-up. Power-ups can be used repeatedly, but players must wait briefly between uses. Only one power-up can be carried at a time. To change the power-up, players must return to the central altar and interact with a different trophy.
Combat uses one- and two-handed weapons, shields, bows, spears, and magic weapons. Players can travel between biomes on foot or by boat, which include rafts and Viking longships.
Plot
Valheim is a game set in a world where Viking warriors who have died must prove they are strong enough to enter Valhalla, a special place in Norse mythology. The player starts with nothing and must fight powerful enemies to reach this afterlife. They rely on their own skills and occasional guidance from a raven to survive and complete their journey.
The name "Valheim" means a fictional tenth world inside Yggdrasil, the giant tree that represents the world in Norse mythology.
Development
Valheim was created by Iron Gate Studio, a small game development company from Sweden that was formed while making the game. The company's co-founders, Richard Svensson and Henrik Tornqvist, worked together at a local game company called Pieces Interactive before starting Iron Gate Studio. Before Valheim, Svensson worked on a simulation game called Tolroko in his free time, but this game was never released. Tornqvist said that Svensson realized it was unnecessary to create simulation systems just for their own sake instead of for players. For his next project, Svensson wanted to make an open-world game where simulation systems would improve the player's experience.
Svensson started working on Valheim in 2017 under the working title Fejd, which means "feud" in Swedish. In 2018, he left Pieces Interactive to work on Valheim full time and later asked Tornqvist to join him. The game entered alpha testing in June 2018 and officially launched in early access in February 2021.
Plans are in place to continue supporting Valheim, including expanding unfinished biomes and improving basic game mechanics. Iron Gate Studio released an update called "Hearth & Home" on September 16, 2021. This update improved the game and added new food, weapons, and building options.
The game's original soundtrack was released on October 29, 2021, by Iron Gate AB. It was available to stream on Spotify and purchase on Steam.
In December 2022, Iron Gate Studio released the "Mistlands" update. This update added a new biome called the Mistlands, along with many new features, including enemies, non-player characters, random events, items, food, building parts, the sixth main boss (the Queen), crafting stations, weapons, and other features. It also introduced a magic system and four magic weapons.
During the Xbox Games Showcase 2022 Extended on June 14, it was announced that Valheim would be released on Windows 10 via the Microsoft Store in Q3 2022 and later on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles in Q2 2023. These versions, developed by external studios Piktiv and Fishlabs, would support cross-platform play and launch directly into Xbox Game Pass. Meanwhile, Iron Gate Studio would focus on the core Valheim experience and its next major updates. In February 2023, it was announced that the game would enter early access on consoles on March 14, 2023.
The "Ashlands Update" was released in May 2024, bringing the game closer to its full release. Only the 2026 "Deep North" biome remains in development. This update added a new biome called the Ashlands, new clothing and armor options, weapons, and other roleplay elements. It also introduced the seventh of eight expected final bosses, Fader, and expanded the magic system with gem crafting.
This was followed by a smaller update called "Call to Arms," which improved weapon mechanics, boss abilities, and added a trinket system.
Reception
Valheim has been praised by critics. IGN Nordic gave the game a score of 9 out of 10, saying the game has "excellent art and music that showcase a world full of exciting stories." PC Gamer described Valheim as an "unusual example" of early access games, noting that the game "feels well-made and enjoyable as it is now." The Washington Post noted that Valheim left some gameplay and story details unexplained, which allowed fans to share ideas and theories about the game’s lore and build a community together.
One month after its early access release, Valheim sold five million copies and became one of the most popular games on Steam. By July 2022, it had sold over 10 million copies on Steam.
Valheim was nominated for Best Debut Indie Game and Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards 2021. The game was named Game of the Year for 2021 by PC Gamer. Later, Valheim won the Best Debut and Audience Award at the Game Developer’s Choice 2022.