How to Download Valheim
Vikings and bosses in a procedurally generated multiplayer survival game. Essentially the dream of a fan of the genre. This is precisely Valheim , the independent video game developed by Iron Gate AB “exploded” in terms of popularity in 2021. An indie with millions of copies, which has reached truly incredible milestones for a production made by just five people.
You are therefore interested in this video game, wondering how to download Valheim . However, you are not sure what platforms it is available for, as well as what the developers’ plans are related to the ports. Also, you would need some general guidance regarding the Iron Gate AB title. Don’t worry: in this tutorial you will find all the relevant information.
What do you say? Are you planning to immerse yourself in the exciting world of Valheim? In my opinion you can’t wait to find out how Vikings, bosses and survival games can get along and conquer such a large number of players. Come on then, you just have to proceed with the tutorial. That said, there is nothing left for me to do, except wish you good reading and have fun!
Index
- How Valheim works
- How to download Valheim on PC
- How to download Valheim on Windows
- Requirements
- Install Steam on Windows
- Download Valheim
- How to download Valheim on Mac
- How to download Valheim on console
How Valheim works
Before going into the details of the procedure on how to download Valheim , I think it may interest you to know more about the title developed by Iron Gate AB, understanding in general how to play this production.
Well, Valheim is an indie made by five people using the popular Unity graphics engine . It is therefore a “bottom-up” game, which has based its success more on word of mouth than on amazing marketing campaigns.
That of Valheim is a “case history” that demonstrates that a brilliant idea can work even without a “triple AAA” budget behind it. Think that there was already talk of the game in 2018 on Reddit , given that a first alpha version was released on the well-known itch.io portal , which usually hosts independent titles.
The “real boom”, however, came with the publication of the early access version of the game on the well-known digital store Steam , which took place in early February 2021 . From then on, the success of the title was driving, so much so that it led to over 5 million copies sold in a few weeks . An unexpected goal from many points of view.
The title sets aside the technical sector, anything but “next gen”, concentrating on exploiting the elements available to create an engaging atmosphere and a gameplay that is as satisfying as it is immediate.
What works the most about Valheim, however, is probably the concept, which essentially represents the dream of any survival game enthusiast : 1 to 10 players are called to impersonate Vikings and explore a procedurally generated world , creating their own home. and trying to survive the pitfalls presented by the game.
From the creation of the base to that of the objects , from weapons to food , everything is enhanced by living the experience in the company of other players, based on the possibility of playing in co-op . The fact that the world is procedural guarantees an additional element of “exclusivity”, as potentially every game is different .
For the rest, spending time to get the right elements to defeat the powerful bosses of Valheim is certainly fun, as is building a ship and finally setting sail in search of new adventures, towards Valhalla . Like all games in this genre, it’s an adventure that needs to be experienced rather than explained in words, as I’ve only skimmed the surface of what can be done in the Iron Gate AB title.
In short, I fully understand the reason that drives you to want to download the game and, now that you know more or less how Valheim works, you can continue with the tutorial and make a more informed purchase.
How to download Valheim on PC
The original platform that Valheim came out of is the PC . More precisely, the game is available, through the popular Steam digital store , for both Windows and Linux / SteamOS . At the moment there is no compatibility with macOS.
How to download Valheim on Windows
Clearly the most used operating system to play on PC is Windows . For this reason, I will start from this platform. Below you can find all the relevant information.
Requirements
As mentioned in the preliminary chapter , the title of Iron Gate AB overshadows the graphic aspect. So if you are wondering how to play Valheim , you should know that in reality the minimum requirements , presented below, are not really that “difficult” to achieve.
- Operating system: Windows 7 or later;
- Processor: Quad-core 2.6 GHz or similar;
- RAM: 8GB;
- Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 or AMD Radeon HD 7950;
- Other: DirectX 11, 1GB of storage.
As far as the recommended requirements are concerned , the latter are not that high either.
- Operating system: Windows 7 or later;
- Processor: Intel Core i5 3 GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 3 GHz;
- RAM: 16GB;
- Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 580;
- Others: broadband internet connection, DirectX 11, 1GB of internal storage.
In short, even a gaming PC with a dedicated video card from a few years ago can be just fine. However, because it is an indie, Valheim does not really have a flawless optimization, but in any case, meeting the requirements, you should not have particular problems in obtaining a good gaming experience.
Install Steam on Windows
I know: Steam is now the “temple” for all those who usually play on PC, especially on the Windows platform, so you probably already know how to install and configure the client. However, in this part of the guide I refer to those who approach this world for the first time with Valheim.
Well, to download the Steam program, which is the most popular digital store for computer video games, just connect to the appropriate official website and click first on the Install Steam button , present at the top right, and then on that INSTALL STEAM .
By doing so, you will get the SteamSetup.exe file , which I invite you to open. At this point, press the Yes and Next buttons and check the box relating to acceptance of the license agreement . Then click the Next , Next , Install and Finish buttons in succession to complete the installation procedure.
At this juncture, Steam will download the latest files needed to start the client . Once the system has finished the operation, a window will appear on the screen asking you to log in to your account.
If you already have a profile, just press the Sign in to an existing account button , while alternatively you can click the Create a new account option . If so, I invite you to refer to my tutorial on how to create a Steam account , for more information.
However, you will be prompted to enter the ‘ e-mail address and password for your account, and to click on the button Login . Once this is done, you are ready to proceed with the purchase of the game.
Download Valheim
Valheim, even in its early access version , is a paid title . However, the price is not “full”, but equal to 16.79 euros . In short, we are far from what is required for today’s “triple AAA” titles, and an entrance ticket of this type also serves to support the small Swedish team that took care of the realization of the game, consisting of just five people.
To proceed, once the Steam client has been started , just click on the SHOP item , present at the top left, and search for “valheim” using the search bar located at the top right, selecting the most relevant result (probably, the only one that appears on the screen).
Now, scroll down the page and click the green Add to Cart button , selecting the Purchase for me option (unless you want to give someone else a gift). If this is your first time buying a game on Steam, you will then be prompted to set up a valid payment method .
By clicking on the option Choose a payment method , you can choose between PayPal , credit / prepaid card and Paysafecard . All you have to do is choose whether to save the payment information for subsequent purchases, by checking the appropriate box, and click on the Continue button . You will be prompted to accept the terms of the Steam Subscription Agreement , as well as to press the Purchase button .
Perfect: once the transaction is complete, just click on the Install content link , choose the installation area and press the NEXT and FINISH buttons .
Therefore, the download of Valheim will start , which you can keep an eye on using the appropriate DOWNLOAD item , present in the lower center. Since this is not a “heavy” game (typically the download is close to 570MB), you shouldn’t have to wait long to start it.
In this regard, to start playing Valheim , just press on the LIBRARY tab , present at the top, select the Valheim item from the list on the left and click on the green PLAY button .
How to download Valheim on Mac
Given the popularity achieved by Valheim, there are not a few who are wondering if it is possible to play the title of Iron Gate AB on macOS .
Unfortunately, at the moment the Swedish team has not released an official version of the game for this platform, since the early access version of Valheim only exists for Windows and Linux / SteamOS (always via Steam, as I illustrated in the previous chapter ).
However, macOS users have a hope , given that in the official FAQ page the developers specifically refer to the possible release of this version. It will all depend on the audience, as the requirement is simply that there is “meaningful demand”.
How to download Valheim on console
How do you say? Would you like to know if it is possible to play Valheim on consoles ? For example, are you wondering how to download Valheim on PS4 or how to download Valheim on Xbox One ? Well, in this case it is good to analyze the situation.
As illustrated in the introductory chapter , Valheim is an indie, meaning independent title, made by just five people. The Swedish Iron Gate AB team therefore had to work hard to launch the early access version of the game on PC.
This means that Valheim is not complete at the moment, as it is still in a preliminary version in constant development. However, much of the Iron Gate AB title also works using the controller on a PC and the incredible success could eventually lead to a console port as well .
Obviously, the request from users is not lacking, so much so that, as I have already explained for the macOS version of the game , the developers have made it known that, even if at the moment the arrival of Valheim on consoles is not expected, it is not future release is excluded.
However, Iron Gate AB’s plans currently seem to focus primarily on the PC version, in order to arrive at the much-coveted version 1.0 . It is not to be excluded that the unexpected success accelerates the times of the various ports, but probably, if the developers finally decide to take this step, it will in any case have to wait some time.
In short, if you want to play Valheim immediately, the advice is to do it on the PC platform, since it could take a long time before you can see it on the console (who knows what generation). However, the arrival of other versions is not to be excluded.