The short verdict
Valheim captures the Nordic atmosphere that makes Skyrim so memorable — misty forests, longships, ancient barrows — and turns it into a survival and building game you can share with friends. There are no NPC questlines; instead, each boss you defeat opens the next, harsher biome. Skills even improve by use, just like in Skyrim.
Valheim and Skyrim at a glance
| Valheim | Skyrim SE | |
|---|---|---|
| Steam rating | 94% · Very Positive Steam | 92% · Very Positive Steam |
| Metacritic | 89 MC | 74 MC |
| Critics (OpenCritic) | 91 · Mighty OC | 81 · Strong OC |
| Platforms | PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 |
| Steam Deck | Steam Deck Verified | Steam Deck Verified |
| Mods on Nexus | 3,153 Nexus | 141,888 Nexus |
| Steam release | Sep 9, 2026 | Oct 27, 2016 |
| Developer | Iron Gate AB | Bethesda Game Studios |
| Co-op | Online | None (single-player) |
| Perspective | Third-person | First & third-person |
Ratings, dates, developers, co-op modes and Steam Deck status from the official Steam store; critic scores and platforms from OpenCritic; mod counts from Nexus Mods. Refreshed automatically.
What feels like Skyrim
- Norse setting with forests, mountains, burial chambers and ruins.
- Skills level up by using them.
- Boss hunts that structure your progression through the world.
What is different
- Survival, crafting and base building are the core of the game.
- No towns, NPC questlines or dialogue to speak of.
- Procedurally generated world, best played in co-op.
Skip Valheim if…
Quests, characters and story are what keep you playing.
Is Valheim a good alternative to Skyrim?
On our five-trait comparison, Valheim scores 60% similar to Skyrim(close) and ranks #10 of 13 on ouralternative Skyrim list. Norse setting with forests, mountains, burial chambers and ruins. The biggest adjustment for Skyrim players: survival, crafting and base building are the core of the game.
Valheim trailers & video reviews
Official trailer
Video reviewWhat critics say about Valheim
- Critics recommend
- 95%
- OpenCritic rating
- Mighty
- Top critic reviews
- 14
Source: OpenCritic · verified October 14, 2026
- PC Gamer90/100
“One of the best survival games around is finally complete.”
Christopher LivingstonSep 8, 2026
Read the full review - IGN10/10
“Valheim is the oath of the ultimate survival crafting adventure fulfilled, with a gorgeous art style, deadly dungeons, charming homesteading mechanics, and a breathtaking scope.”
Len HaferSep 8, 2026
Read the full review - TheGamer5/5 stars
“After more than 300 hours, I know Valheim well. Though somehow, it can still surprise me. That is why I suspect I will keep playing it for years.”
Allyson CochranSep 8, 2026
Read the full review - Giant Bomb5/5 stars
“Iron Gate Studio’s Valheim is the best multiplayer survival crafting game since Minecraft. Its mastery over texture, lighting, audio, and mood on display here elevates it into a painted vision of the Norse afterlife. This and the game’s meticulously designed systems meld together to create a romanticized survival experience.”
Chuck ZimmerheldSep 22, 2026
Read the full review - Hardcore Gamer4/5
“Valheim is an absolutely massive survival adventure, spanning a large randomized world containing danger and beauty in equal measure.”
James CunninghamSep 9, 2026
Read the full review - Nintendo Life8/10
“Valheim 1.0 is finally here and it brings an atmospheric, challenging, and compulsive persistent world to Switch 2. An epic survival-crafting game with solid fantasy worldbuilding, it's a fascinating hybrid. Performance issues and uneven crossplay blight the release experience, so let's hope Iron Gate keeps an eye on this version with future updates.”
Ken TalbotSep 18, 2026
Read the full review
Excerpts and scores as published by each outlet for Valheim, collected via OpenCritic OpenCritic.
Where to play Valheim — price, Steam Deck & players
Steam Deck & PC
Steam Deck Verified
Windows · macOS · Linux · Controller: full support
Valve compatibility rating Steam
How long is Valheim?
Playtimes vary hugely with how much you explore. See community-submitted completion times on HowLongToBeat.
Valheim PC system requirements
Minimum
- OS
- Windows 10 or later
- Processor
- 2.6 GHz Quad Core or similar
- Memory
- 8 GB RAM
- Graphics
- GeForce GTX 950 or Radeon HD 7970
- DirectX
- Version 11
- Storage
- 1 GB available space
- Additional Notes
- The following languages have been partially translated by the community: Svenska, Italiano, Romanian, български, македонски, Suomi, Dansk, íslenska, Lietuvių kalba, čeština, Magyar nyelv, Português europeu, 한국어 (불완전한), Norsk, ภาษาไทย, ქართული ენა, Abenaki, Slovenčina
Recommended
- OS
- Windows 10 or later
- Processor
- i5 3GHz or Ryzen 5 3GHz
- Memory
- 16 GB RAM
- Graphics
- GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX 580
- DirectX
- Version 11
- Network
- Broadband Internet connection
- Storage
- 1 GB available space
From the official Steam store page · verified October 14, 2026
Latest official Valheim news
Patch 1.0.17
A small bug fixing patch for today, vikings! Due to some internal restrictions, the patch will require a few days to get uploaded to all platforms. Despite this, however, crossplay will still remain functional, so you…
Word from the Devs: What a Month!
Greetings Vikings! We can’t believe it’s only been a scant few weeks since we released 1.0. We’re so happy to see so many new and returning players alike, and we’re grateful for all the love you’ve shown us so far.…
Patch 1.0.16
Further tweaks for you today, vikings! This one includes fixes for both terrain modification and for some achievements, so we hope this makes playing smoother for you all! Due to some internal restrictions, the patch…
Patch 1.0.15
We have a small patch today that fixes an issue which has caused some players to have duplicated terrains and decreased performance. If you have been affected by this there is a possibility that you will have some…
Official announcements from the developer’s Steam news hub, updated automatically.
Valheim mods & community
Community links are fan-run spaces; opinions there are players’ own, not ours.
Community
What Skyrim players say about Valheim
Reviews from players on this site, answering the questions Skyrim fans actually ask. Published instantly, moderated afterwards.
No player reviews yet
Played Valheim? Be the first Skyrim fan to tell others whether it scratches the itch.
Valheim FAQ
Is Valheim like Skyrim?
Partly — we rate it 60% similar to Skyrim. Norse setting with forests, mountains, burial chambers and ruins. The biggest difference: survival, crafting and base building are the core of the game.
Is Valheim on PS5 or Xbox?
Yes. Besides PC, OpenCritic lists Valheim on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2.
Does Valheim work on Steam Deck?
Valve rates it Steam Deck Verified, according to its Steam store page.
Does Valheim have co-op?
Yes — its Steam store page lists online co-op. Skyrim itself has no official co-op.
Does Valheim have mods?
Yes. Nexus Mods hosts 3,153 mods for Valheim, downloaded 28,802,173 times.
Is Valheim worth playing?
critics give it a Top Critic Average of 91 on OpenCritic (95% recommend it), and Steam players rate it 94% positive (“Very Positive”) from 559,982 reviews. Skip it if: quests, characters and story are what keep you playing.
How long does it take to beat Valheim?
It depends heavily on how much side content you do. See community-reported completion times on HowLongToBeat.
