Book it if
You want a long-term group project where you build a home, sail together, and take on bosses as a team.
Skip it if
You want quick sessions with instant action every time you log in.
Trip sheet
- Crew size
- 1–10 players
- Online
- Yes
- Crossplay
- Yes
- Split-screen
- No
- Solo
- Fully playable solo, though slower
- Voice chat
- Helpful
- Danger
- Tense
1The pitch
You are a fallen Viking sent to Valheim to defeat the ancient enemies of Odin. Each boss unlocks better materials, which open the next, more dangerous biome. It entered Early Access on February 2, 2021 and reached its 1.0 release on September 9, 2026, with the Deep North biome completing the world.
2Playing together
Worlds support 1 to 10 players, through a friend's hosted world or a dedicated server. Crossplay with Xbox and the PC Game Pass version is available through crossplay-enabled worlds, and 1.0 news coverage reports cross-play on more consoles. There is no split-screen.
3Roles in the squad
Groups usually split into a builder, a farmer and cook, a miner who hauls metal, and explorers who scout and fight. Sailing a longship works best with a helmsman and a lookout. Boss fights bring everyone back together.
4Look & sound
Low-resolution textures are paired with modern lighting, fog, and water, which makes forests, storms, and sunsets look striking. Weather shifts change the mood fast. The music is sparse and quiet, which suits long building sessions.
5Setup & value
It costs $29.99 on Steam for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and each player needs their own copy. Steam lists it as Verified on Steam Deck. A full playthrough for a group can easily run past 100 hours.
Best bits
- Up to 10 players per world
- Excellent building system
- Huge content for the price
- Crossplay and Deck Verified
Watch out
- Hauling metal ore is slow
- Death penalty can frustrate newcomers
Score sheet
- Teamwork 25%
- 90
- Fun as a squad 25%
- 92
- Easy to join 15%
- 84
- Replay 20%
- 90
- Value 15%
- 94
90 × 25% + 92 × 25% + 84 × 15% + 90 × 20% + 94 × 15% = 90.20 → 90
Trip report verdict
Verdict
“Valheim is the best long-term survival project on this list, now complete with its 1.0 release. It fits up to ten players, scales its fights for groups, and offers a hundred hours of shared goals for a modest price.”
By the Squad Play Review editorial desk · Updated 6 Oct 2026 · How we score · Report an error
