What is Valheim? Content roadmap revealed for 2021 trending game

Alex Garton
Valheim

The new early access survival game Valheim has garnered a huge amount of popularity recently, with over a million players picking up the title on Steam. Here’s everything you need to know about the game and why it may be time you gave it a go.

Despite only being released on February 2, in under two weeks, Valheim has already hit the top of the Steam charts. The Viking inspired survival game has drawn in hundreds of thousands of players and has got them exploring its beautifully crafted and stylized world.

But why has this early access title suddenly blown up and taken the PC gaming world by storm? Let’s check out why everyone’s playing Valheim and what plans the developers have for the game’s future.

What is Valheim?

Valheim Settlement
The world in Valheim is procedurally generated.

Valheim is an open-world survival sandbox game that can be played solo or in a group of up to 10 players on a dedicated server. Set in a Viking inspired world that’s procedurally generated, players are tasked with surviving, exploring, and building using the resources around them.

Beginning with clubs and basic tools, players can, over time, develop settlements and discover everything the game’s expansive world has to offer. From humongous trolls to gods from Norse mythology, players have the chance to take on a variety of creatures that can be found roaming the landscape.

In a genre where most games are overcomplicated or overly punishing, Valheim offers a touch of simplicity and charm. The game’s stylized world is gorgeous to look at and it houses plenty of hidden treasures, which encourages players to explore every nook and cranny. As well as this, the title has a great crafting system and allows players to build-up settlements with members of their group.

Although none of these features are revolutionary in the survival game genre, seeing them packaged all up into one single title is perhaps what has made Valheim such an overwhelming success.

What’s the future for Valheim?

Valheim roadmap

As with any early access title, the developers of Valheim have a lot of new and extra features they want to add to the game before its full release. Luckily for us, they’ve released a roadmap of future updates, which is shown in the image above.

Although the names of these updates are the only information we have to go on so far. We can assume Hearth and Home will be a content update for player housing and settlements. On top of this, the Ships and the Sea update is rather self-explanatory, while the new biome – Mistlands will give players a whole new set of areas to explore.

Which streamers are playing Valheim?

If you’re looking for some streamers to watch that have been spotted playing Valheim since its release, these are the channels you need to check out:

These are just a few of the hundreds of streamers playing Valheim at the moments, Check out the game’s Twitch page here for the full list of personalities that are online right now.

Where can I buy Valheim?

Valheim
Valheim has already sold over a million copies.

Valheim is currently available to purchase on Steam for $19.99/£15.45 at the time of writing. All you have to do to get started is purchase the game, download it on the Steam client, and you’re ready to go!

Keep in mind this game is in early access, so there may be performance issues at times and certain features missing.


Hopefully, you now have a better idea of what Valheim is and why the game has blown up in popularity. If it looks likes it’s for you, jump into game and check out what all the hype is about for yourself.