How Valheim became the must-play survival game on Steam this year

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By now, you’ve probably heard of Valheim, the latest survival game from indie studio Iron Gate. Valheim is an open-world survival game released in early access on PC via Steam.

It has been an instant sensation on the platform, reaching the three-million-copies-sold mark just under three weeks after its release on February 3, 2021.

With sales numbers like that, the game obviously has caught people’s attention. At the time of writing (2021), Valheim reached over 500,000 concurrent players, a status it nearly achieved again at major update launches. Current Steam averages hold at 19,000–22,000 players.

While it is a survival game at its core, the Viking setting and other RPG elements set this game apart from its peers. So what exactly makes Valheim the viral sensation it has become, and what sets it apart from other games like it?

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What is Valheim, and why is it so popular?

While Valheim is ultimately a survival game, many people familiar with the genre might be surprised by how the game plays.

Like many survival games, you have to eat to regain health and stamina in Valheim, but the game won’t let you starve to death. Instead, food acts like a buff in the game. (Still true in 2025! The food system continues as a core mechanic with new recipes introduced in recent updates.)

Different kinds of foods will give various bonuses to stats like health and stamina. This means you’ll have to do some exploring of the world to find the best food combinations to increase your stats as you play.

The game also offers many other mechanics familiar in survival games. You’ll have to gather resources to craft new items and farm wood for your home. The house building in the game is pretty unique.

You have many different options for structures, including beams and support poles. This means you can build epic Viking-inspired villages and forts, but structural integrity also comes into play.

For example, building a house without proper support structures can lead to disaster when attempting to expand.

Recent expansions have introduced more building pieces with the Ashlands, and new raids bring more diverse threats to your Viking village.)

Crafting items in Valheim is quite intriguing. You’ll unlock recipes for items by finding materials in the world, such as stone and wood.

You can also upgrade the workbench at your home to allow for more powerful items to be crafted. This creates a unique progression because you find some materials only after exploring areas farther from your spawn location.

Become a hero and achieve your destiny.

In Valheim, you play as a Norse warrior who was slain in battle and sent to Valheim, the tenth Norse world. Odin tasks you to slay his enemies to set you free into Valhalla.

On your quest, you will encounter all kinds of enemies, from woodland animals to mystical beasts. These will be minor stepping stones on the way to summon and defeat all of Odin’s enemies in an effort to release your soul.

Your task will take you across the massive procedurally generated world where Odin’s ancient enemies will be waiting.

Aligning well with Viking history and tradition, you can – and eventually are required to – take your character out on the open ocean. Characters will spawn on an island, and that is generally where the first boss will be.

Valheim Map: Charting the Unknown

From there, you’ll have to expand your map, exploring the areas around, and this will require some sailing.

While there’s not a lot to be found on the open seas as of yet, this is certainly something we will see expanded in the future, as referenced in this PC Gamer interview.

Sea travel remains crucial, and future updates may continue expanding ocean content as referenced years ago—though new naval gear and random sea raids are now a thing with the latest updates.

The world of Valheim is infested with enemies of all kinds. To keep the game exciting, Iron Gate has made combat in Valheim interesting and dynamic.

Players will have several options for different kinds of weapons. This includes melee weapons like axes and clubs, as well as different levels of bows and arrows.

The action combat system is similar to that of Dark Souls, with parrying and dodging as key components.

Gone are the days of mindlessly spamming the attack button until the health bar goes down. In Valheim, you’ll have to think carefully and tactically to take down many of your foes.

With 2025’s overhaul, fights are more skill-based and feature new weapon styles and defensive options.

Valheim looks like it will be here for a while

Iron Gate seems to have done a good job with this game, and the reception has been very positive so far.

The early access launch has been impressive, reaching certain milestones faster than any other game.

However, like most games of this style, Valheim will have to expand and update over the next few months to help keep players interested.

In the PC Gamer interview referenced above, the developers laid out the roadmap for 2021. Several additions to the game are discussed here, with a seeming focus on specific areas of the game for each one.

Some of the focus areas are home building, combat, and ocean exploration. One of the updates looks to be adding a new biome, the Mistlands.

Iron Gate Studios co-founder, Henrik Törnqvist, is quoted as saying, “In the finished version of the game, there will be nine biomes with nine bosses. And then we’re also exploring adding mini-bosses and stuff like that.”

Valheim Is, Without a Doub,t One of the Best Survival Games

It’s been an excellent start for this game on the Steam charts. While there are no talks of a console release, the team at Iron Gate has not ruled it out.

All in all, the game has great momentum, and it will be interesting to see what the future of Valheim holds.

Valheim is currently available as an Early Access title on Steam, Xbox, and Game Pass, with PS5 joining in 2026. No official announcement from Iron Gate Studio or Coffee Stain Publishing about a Switch version has been made.