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Valheim 1.0 Is Finally The Game It Was Always Meant To Be
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Valheim has officially left early access with the release of its 1.0 update, nearly six years after Iron Gate's Viking survival game first launched and became a runaway hit during the 2021 COVID-19 pandemic. According to Polygon's hands-on impressions, the update does not radically reinvent the game but rather completes it, rounding out the previously underdeveloped Deep North biome and giving long-time fans reason to return, while newcomers on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 can now experience the most complete version of the game from the outset with cross-play support.
The bulk of the 1.0 content is aimed at the late game, adding new weapons, armour, trinkets, food, and building items, plus a grappling hook that improves traversal. Valheim's core appeal, including its Norse mythology-inspired narrative involving Odin and the World Tree, its retro visual style, atmospheric soundtrack and physics-based building system, remains largely unchanged, with the reviewer concluding that what made the game great in 2021 still holds true today.
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In short
- Valheim exits early access after six years with its 1.0 update
- Update mainly adds late-game content, completing the Deep North biome
- Core gameplay and appeal remain largely unchanged from 2021
How this story developed
- 2 months ago Valheim has officially left early access with the release of its 1.0 update, nearly six years after Iron Gate's Viking survival game first launched and became a runaway hit during the 2021 COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2 months ago After nearly six years in early access, Valheim has officially reached its 1.0 release, marking a significant milestone for one of the most influential survival games of recent years.
- 2 months ago Valheim has officially left early access with the release of its 1.0 update, nearly six years after Iron Gate's Viking survival game first launched and became a runaway hit during the 2021 COVID-19 pandemic.
Explained simply
Valheim is a survival game where players explore a Norse-mythology-inspired world, gathering resources, building shelters and fighting increasingly tough enemies as they progress through different biomes. Developed by the small Swedish studio Iron Gate, it launched in "early access" (a paid but unfinished version) in 2021 and became hugely popular, partly thanks to people looking for co-operative games to play during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Early access means a game is playable and for sale, but still being built, tested and expanded before its full release. Valheim has spent almost six years in this state, with Iron Gate gradually adding new areas, creatures and features. The 1.0 update marks the point where the developers consider the game finished, rather than a drastic change of direction.
This matters both for existing players, who get new late-game content to explore, and for newcomers, particularly those on PlayStation 5 and the recently released Nintendo Switch 2, who can now play a more complete version from day one. All versions of the game can be played together online regardless of which platform someone owns.