Valheim 2026

About

On Steam, 94% of 476,124 player reviews are positive (Very Positive). 26,990 people are playing it on Steam right now, with a peak of 129,142 in the last 30 days. It is Verified on Steam Deck. The main story takes about 19 hours, doing everything about 122 hours. It won 2 awards, including PC Gamer Game of the Year and Game Developers Choice Award - Audience Award.

Valheim is an open-world survival and exploration game set in a procedurally generated world inspired by Norse mythology. Playing alone or with up to nine other players, you explore dangerous biomes, gather resources, craft weapons and armour, build Viking settlements and longships, and battle powerful creatures and bosses in order to prove yourself worthy of Odin. Progression is tied to exploration and defeating the Forsaken, with each biome introducing new enemies, resources, crafting possibilities and challenges. From the peaceful Meadows to the frozen Deep North, players can build, farm, sail, fight and explore the tenth world at their own pace.

Story

Slain in battle, a Viking warrior is carried to Valheim, the mysterious tenth world of Norse mythology. Long ago, Odin banished his ancient enemies to this realm, where they grew in strength and became a threat once again. Tasked with proving their worth to the Allfather, the warrior must bring order to Valheim by hunting down the Forsaken - powerful beings that rule over the world's hostile lands. The journey begins in the peaceful Meadows and leads through dark forests, deadly swamps, frozen mountains, vast plains, mist-shrouded lands, the scorched Ashlands, and ultimately the frozen reaches of the Deep North. To survive, the warrior must explore unknown lands, gather resources, build settlements, craft increasingly powerful weapons and armour, and sail across dangerous seas. With each Forsaken defeated, new paths and challenges are revealed, bringing the warrior closer to completing Odin's task and proving themselves worthy of Valhalla.

What is happening now

Valheim is a Viking-themed survival game where players build, explore, and combat their way through procedurally generated Norse-inspired worlds. Since its early access launch in February 2021, it has maintained a dedicated following across PC and Linux. The game is preparing to exit early access with Version 1.0, which will bring a price increase alongside its official release. The upcoming full launch will also extend Valheim to console platforms. Meanwhile, the game's design has proven influential within the industry - its approach to exploration and survival mechanics has informed development decisions for upcoming titles like Atelier Karia, demonstrating Valheim's impact on indie and AA game design trends.