Valheim Review: A Finished Viking Survival Game That’s Worth the Grind

Valheim is a survival game about a Viking sent by Odin to the realm of Valheim to defeat the Forsaken bosses. It’s made by Swedish studio Iron Gate, for 1 to 10 players. After five and a half years in early access, version 1.0 came out on September 9, 2026 with the final biome, the Deep North. So we’re reviewing the finished game. We’ll tell you what it does well, where it stumbles and whether it’s for you.

What Valheim is about

You start naked in a meadow with your bare hands. You chop trees, gather stone, build your first shelter and craft better gear. Recipes don’t unlock through levels but through what you find: every new material opens up more crafting. The world is procedurally generated, and the further from the centre you go, the more dangerous it gets.

Progression runs through eight biomes: Meadows, Black Forest, Swamp, Mountains, Plains, Mistlands, Ashlands and the Deep North. Each has its own boss, which you summon at an altar by offering items. Its trophy then unlocks a Forsaken Power, a temporary 300-second bonus. The order and what awaits in each biome is in our biome guide.

What version 1.0 added

Version 1.0 added the final biome, the Deep North, on the northern edge of the world, with deep snow, a frozen sea and the Jotun. There are over 40 new weapons, four armour sets, a grappling hook, a tameable moose, the Forge of Potential for upgrading gear, inventory upgrades from Haldor and 53 achievements. The final boss Kall Fimbulbringer completes the main progression, and Valheim finally has a real ending, though you can keep playing in your world. All the changes are in our 1.0 update guide, and the whole north in our Deep North guide.

What critics praise and what bothers players

On Metacritic the PC version has 89 from 25 reviews. PC Gamer gave it 90 and says one of the best survival games around is finally complete. It does criticize mining in dank, cramped underground corridors, which it calls a task with zero enjoyment, the Mistlands with fog so thick that just walking around is frustrating, and the fact that you still can’t craft directly from storage chests. PCGamesN calls the Deep North one of the single greatest areas it has experienced in gaming and the combat perfect. Getting there, though, takes days and can frustrate: the world is massive but surprisingly empty, and building and gear need so many resources that for most players it’s a hell of a grind. PCGamesN also names the Mistlands as the biome that will push you to your breaking point.

Players agree with the critics. On Steam Valheim has 93.5% positive out of 561,669 reviews, rated Very Positive.

Solo, co-op and crossplay

You can play Valheim alone, but it’s built for a group. A server holds up to 10 players, and since 1.0 crossplay works between PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox, PS5 and Switch 2. Friends join with a join code. PCGamesN warns that taking on the bosses solo is a herculean task. How to play together is in our guide to playing with a friend, and running your own server in our dedicated server guide.

Price and platforms

On Steam Valheim costs €29.99. With version 1.0 the price went up from $19.99 to $29.99; if you owned it in early access, you don’t buy it again. It hasn’t been in Game Pass since September 2024. The game is on Steam (Windows, Linux, Mac), the Mac App Store, the Microsoft Store, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and Switch 2. It’s Verified on Steam Deck, and PC requirements are low: the minimum is a GTX 950 and 8 GB of RAM.

Mods aren’t officially supported: you use them at your own risk, there’s no Steam Workshop, and on consoles they don’t work at all.

Who Valheim is for (and who it isn’t)

It’s for you if you enjoy survival games where you go from a stick to your own fortress, and you play with friends. For €29.99 you get a game for dozens of evenings, crossplay across platforms and, since 1.0, a real ending.

Skip it if you can’t stand gathering resources and long searches for ore. Valheim doesn’t hold your hand, and some biomes, especially the Mistlands, can really wear you down.

Verdict: Is Valheim worth it?

Yes, especially if you have a co-op group and enjoy slow progress from nothing to a Viking fortress. We’re giving it 9/10.

After five years Valheim is finished, and players and critics alike count it among the best survival games. Boss fights, building and the journey all the way to the Deep North hold together, and at €29.99 it’s excellent value. Points come off for the slow resource grind and the frustrating Mistlands.

Playing Valheim? All our guides are on the Valheim hub. Start with the biome and boss order, and see what version 1.0 brought in our 1.0 update guide. You can find people for your server on the GamersTogether Discord.

FAQ

This review is based on player ratings on Steam and critic scores on Metacritic, on reviews from PC Gamer and PCGamesN, and on official information from Iron Gate and Coffee Stain. Information verified on October 21, 2026. All our guides to the game are on the Valheim hub.