What we measured
We sample memory on the servers we host every ten minutes. Over eight days in November 2026, one vanilla Valheim server used between 1.7 and 2.0 GB the whole time, whether it was empty or had one to three players on it. A fresh test world on a 2 GB server sat at about 1.9 GB before anyone joined, which is why we do not sell Valheim on 2 GB.
That is one world and at most three players, so it tells you about small groups, not about ten people building in different corners of the map. We have not measured a full server yet.
What the Valheim wiki says
The community-run Valheim wiki lists 2 GB as the minimum and 4 GB or more as recommended, and says plainly that these figures are unofficial. It explains why memory is the thing to watch: once the world is generated it is loaded into memory, a fresh world usually uses around 1.8 to 2.4 GB, and each loaded area where players are active takes roughly another 100 to 300 MB, more in busy areas.
Our numbers sit inside that range. The practical point is that memory follows how much of the world is in use at once. Five players in one base load one area. Five players spread across the map load five.
How much to plan for
- One to three players: it runs in about 2 GB, with almost no headroom. 4 GB is comfortable.
- Four to five players: 4 GB.
- A full 10-player world: plan on about 6 GB. This is our sizing estimate, built from the per-area figures above, not a measurement.
- Modded with BepInEx: more, and it depends on the mod list. A BepInEx server we host idled at about 2.2 GB with nobody on it.
Valheim supports 1 to 10 players, so 10 is the ceiling for a standard server.
Crossplay and memory
Crossplay changes how players connect, not how much the server remembers. With crossplay on, connections go through a relay and players join with a code, so nobody has to forward ports. The wiki notes the cost: players on a crossplay server are more likely to see lag, timeouts and disconnects, because of the extra hop. If everyone plays on Steam, joining directly by IP avoids the relay.
Can you host it at home?
Yes. The Valheim dedicated server is a free download on Steam for Windows, macOS and Linux, and a spare PC with 4 GB free will carry a small group. Without crossplay you forward UDP ports 2456 and 2457 on your router. The catch is the obvious one: the world is only online while that PC is, and a home connection has to carry everyone's traffic. Stop the server normally before you shut the machine down so the latest progress is saved.
Renting makes sense when you want the world up while you are asleep or away, or when your own hardware or connection is the bottleneck.
Hosting Valheim with Hostboi
We start Valheim at 4 GB ($11.99 a month), which covers the first five players. Our sizing adds about 0.3 GB for each player after that, so a full 10-player world comes to about 5.5 GB and fits the 6 GB plan at $17.99 a month.
For mods, choose Valheim (BepInEx). It allows 4 GB for mods on top of the same sizing, so five players with mods is the 8 GB plan at $23.99 a month. Most mods also have to be installed by each player.
Crossplay is on by default on our Valheim servers, and you can turn it off on the Startup tab to join by IP. You can bring an existing world by uploading its .fwl and .db files.
See the Valheim server hosting page, or size your server for your group.
Valheim screenshots and artwork are from Iron Gate Studio's official press kit. Valheim is a trademark of its owners. Hostboi Game Servers is not affiliated with or endorsed by Iron Gate Studio or Coffee Stain Publishing.