The indie game that made it to the top 5 most played titles on Steam – within weeks.


IMAGE SOURCE: Pexels

It should be safe to assume you have heard of the new hit game Valheim, if you’re not already one of the millions of players who have jumped headfirst into the Viking-themed world, where Norse mythology, survival skills, and battles against giant mythological creatures come together. The game Valheim by a tiny Swedish indie studio has soared to success, selling more than 5 million copies after just one month in Steam Early Access, topping Steam Charts, and attracting more players ready to unleash their inner Viking.

Valheim by indie studio Iron Gate and published by Coffee Stain Publishing is a survival game that has players hunt and scavenge for food and materials, build shelters and weapons, and fight evil mythological enemies. Yet Valheim is not just another survival game. There’s something about this game that’s different. How else could it have clocked up half a million concurrent players at one point? It’s a success story nobody could have anticipated.


The Vikings’ path to glory
Iron Gate, a studio with only five heads, released the Nordic-themed co-op survival hit on February 2. What followed only within days nobody would have expected: one week after release the game had already sold one million copies. It took Valheim less than three weeks to sell 3 million units and just one month after the game’s release on Steam’s early-access platform the game has clocked up over 5 million sold copies. The game has made its way to the top five most played games on Steam, where it’s currently on rank three with half a million concurrent players at one point, kicking PUBG off the podium. Only Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and DOTA 2 can clock in more concurrent players on Steam – though it took them much longer to hit the same mark Valheim reached within weeks.


A fresh take on the survival genre
What is it that sets Valheim apart? In a nutshell: Valheim is changing the way we play survival games. It’s changing the rules, making up its own along the way, drawing players in and immersing them in a beautiful and fascinating world soaked in myth and ancient Norse imagery. All the survival mechanics of the genre are present; however, Iron Gate manages to put it all together in a unique way, making every task and every combat seem purposeful.

The dev revealed they took inspiration from the open-world RPGs Zelda and Skyrim. It, therefore, makes sense Valheim boasts an impressive procedurally generated world that invites for endless exploration, where mythical creatures and ancient Norse legends come to life. Rather than being PvP, it’s a PvE-focused survival game with new challenges behind every corner, which you can either face by yourself or with friends. Valheim lets you team up with up to 10 teammates to go exploring and slaying together. The studio has had an open dialogue with the community throughout development. As the dev says, this has helped shape a game people would love. And it’s safe to say: we do.


The revival of the Vikings
It’s also the theme that keeps players coming back for more. Valheim is the 10th Norse world besieged by beasts of myth, where players take up the role of a fearless Viking who gets to slay enemies of the Gods. Valheim is just the latest game set in the world of Vikings, a theme many studios have used. From the late-90s’ series, Baldur’s Gate to Ubisoft’s recent Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Vikings are deeply ingrained in our game and pop culture. Ubisoft’s game with the gruesome Viking protagonist has become the franchise’s biggest hit, confirming the ongoing Viking craze.

Casual games have also used the Viking theme for an exciting pastime. The mobile game Oddmar by Mobge uses a charming comic look to let players immerse themselves in a Viking-themed action-adventure platformer. Norse mythology has also taken to the world of iGaming. Online casinos offer a wide range of slots inspired by different themes which new players can play for free as part of the casinos’ welcome bonus free spins. The online slot Vikingdom, available at Desert Nights Casino, places fearless Vikings on the reels of the game for a different take on the theme. The Norse influence is therefore evidently a big part of gaming and a popular topic that players love.

Iron Gate’s Valheim has taken the world by storm and is breaking records nobody could have expected. It will be exciting to watch how this success story unfolds.