MaxPlayerCount
Azumatt
Change the max player count available for your server. Default value is the double that of vanilla's max of 10. Not needed if you have another mod that does it.
How do you play Valheim with more than 10 players?
Valheim caps a session at 10 players, and MaxPlayerCount raises it. The useful part is that its README states it is only required on the server: set the value there and players join with an unmodded game, no matching install and no version mismatch to debug.
Mods that do this
AzuCraftyBoxes
Azumatt
AzuCraftyBoxes is a Valheim mod that allows players to access and use resources from nearby containers when crafting and building, based on a configurable range and item restrictions. Restrictions are controlled by the yaml file Azumatt.AzuCraftyBoxes.yml
Server_devcommands
JereKuusela
Enables devcommands and utilities for server admins.
The details
The setup is short. Install BepInEx on the server, add the mod, start the server once so it writes Azumatt.MaxPlayerCount.cfg into BepInEx/config, then set the limit you want and restart. The package ships with the cap already at double vanilla's 10, so 20 works without editing anything if that is enough.
Being server-only is the reason to prefer this over a broader tweak mod. Nobody has to install anything, nobody gets kicked for a version mismatch, and someone playing on a console or through crossplay is not excluded by a requirement they cannot satisfy. Its README also notes it is unnecessary if another mod you already run raises the cap — worth checking before you stack two mods that patch the same value.
Raising the number is the easy part; the world is what gives out. Every additional player adds zones to simulate, creatures to track and state to send, and that load lands on the server's CPU and upload bandwidth. A machine that hosted six people comfortably can struggle at sixteen well before the cap itself becomes the issue.
Because of that, raise the limit in steps rather than jumping to a number you like the sound of. Set it a few above your current group, play a full session, and watch for the symptoms that arrive before an outright crash: rubber-banding, delayed damage, terrain and buildings loading late for people who just arrived.
A peer-hosted game is the harder case. Whoever hosts is running the server, so the mod and its config have to be on that machine, and the cap moves with the host. Beyond a handful of extra players, a dedicated server is the setup worth moving to — not for the limit, but because a host machine is also running the game.
New to mods? Read the install & configuration guide. Read the full install & configuration guide →
Related questions
- What is Valheim's max player count?
- 10 per session in the base game, whether peer-hosted or on a dedicated server. Raising it requires a mod.
- Does everyone need the player-limit mod installed?
- Not with MaxPlayerCount. Its README states it is only required on the server, so players connect with an unmodded game. Other mods that change the same value may have different requirements, so read whichever one you install.
- How many players can a Valheim server actually handle?
- There is no single number — it depends on the server's CPU and upload bandwidth and on how spread out the group plays, since separated players mean more zones simulated at once. Raise the cap gradually and watch for lag and late-loading terrain rather than picking a figure up front.