Switch them on, spawn anything, bend your own world.
Valheim cheats and console commands let you flip on god mode, fly, skip the night, or conjure a fully geared loadout from nothing. This guide covers enabling the developer console on every platform, turning cheats on with devcommands, and the full command and item reference. Every command here is checked against the official Valheim wiki, and all of it works in single-player or your own hosted world.
Valheim hands you a console that can do almost anything, from making yourself invincible to dropping a Mistlands-grade weapon set at your feet. The catch is that the commands are split across three separate layers, and a couple of them behave differently from what older guides still claim. Below is the full path: enabling the console on each platform, switching cheats on, and the complete command and item-ID reference. Everything is verified against the official wiki rather than written from memory.
What Valheim Is
Valheim is a Viking survival and exploration game from the Swedish studio Iron Gate, published by Coffee Stain Publishing. You play a fallen warrior dropped into a procedurally generated Norse afterlife and sent to hunt down its Forsaken bosses across biomes that climb from the gentle Meadows to the punishing Ashlands. After a long Early Access run that began in 2021, it has reached its 1.0 release and is also available on Xbox. The console commands below let you reshape that world, which is handy for testing a build, recovering from a bug, staging a screenshot, or just skipping a grind you have already done three times.
How to Enable the Developer Console
The console is switched off by default, and how you turn it on depends on where you play. Once it is enabled, you open it in-game by pressing F5.
On Steam, right-click Valheim in your library, choose Properties, and in the General tab find the Launch Options field. Type -console into it and close the window.
On PC Game Pass, open the install folder (usually C:\XboxGames\Valheim\Content), right-click Valheim.exe and create a shortcut. Open the shortcut’s Properties and add -console to the end of the Target field, then launch the game from that shortcut.
On Xbox Game Pass (console), while in-game hold LB + RB + Menu, then press A to bring up the keyboard.
On macOS (App Store version), create a small shell script that launches the app with the -console flag and run the game through it.
On GeForce Now, enable Steam Family Sharing, open Valheim through GeForce Now, and enable the console using the Steam method above. This has to be redone each session because settings reset when the session ends.
Some older guides point to an in-game “Enable Console” toggle in the gameplay settings. On current versions the reliable method is the launch option above, so use that if the menu option is missing.
Turning Cheats On with devcommands
Valheim’s console has three layers, and knowing which is which saves a lot of confusion. Player commands do not need cheats enabled at all and can be typed straight into the chat window; type / and press Tab to see them. Admin commands are server-management tools that only work if your account is on the world’s admin list. Cheat commands are the actual cheats, and they require one extra step.
To switch cheats on, open the console, type devcommands, and press Enter. Type it again to switch them off. This is the command that replaced the old imacheater, so any guide still telling you to type that is out of date.
Two limits matter. Cheat commands work only in single-player or a world you are hosting yourself; they do nothing on a dedicated server, where only the host’s admin commands apply. And cheats are disabled the moment you join someone else’s world, so you cannot carry them onto another player’s server. Before you start experimenting, make a copy of your save. Some commands can have messy side effects, and a backup turns a disaster into an inconvenience.
For heavier tinkering, type debugmode after enabling devcommands. This unlocks creative-mode hotkeys covered further down, including free building with no workbench or resources.
How to Spawn Items
Spawning is the command most people come for. The syntax is spawn [item] [amount] [level], where the item is the English ID of the thing you want, the amount is how many, and the level is the quality or star rating. The amount and level are optional.
For thirty iron bars you would type spawn Iron 30. For a single level 3 iron sword you would type spawn SwordIron 1 3. The category lists later in this guide cover the common IDs, and the official wiki’s Item IDs page lists every spawnable entity in the game.
One warning: spawning very large quantities at once, or high-level creatures that drop a lot of loot on death, can freeze the game while it processes the drops. Spawn in sensible batches. If the ground around you turns into a junkyard, removedrops clears every loose item in the area.
Essential Cheat Commands
These all require devcommands to be active. Enter them without any brackets.
god: god mode; keeps your health at 1 even when a hit would kill you, making you effectively invincible.ghost: enemies ignore you completely.heal: refills health, stamina, and eitr.puke: clears your food, resetting hunger and removing food buffs.fly: toggles fly mode (same as pressing Z in debug mode).freefly: detaches a free-flying camera from your character.ffsmooth 1: smooths free-camera movement;ffsmooth 0resets it.tame: tames every tameable creature nearby.killall: kills nearby enemies and tamed creatures, but not players.killenemies: kills nearby enemies only.exploremap: reveals the entire map;resetmaphides it again.pos: prints your current coordinates.goto [x] [z]: teleports you to the given coordinates.find [text]andfindtp [text]: locate matching objects, ping them on the map, or teleport you to the nearest one.players [number]: scales difficulty as if that many players were present;players 0resets it.skiptime [seconds]: jumps time forward (default 240 seconds).sleep: skips one day forward.tod [0-1]: sets time of day. Note that 0 and 1 are both midnight and 0.5 is noon;tod -1reverts to normal day-night cycling.env [name]: forces a weather type such as Clear, Misty, Rain, ThunderStorm, SnowStorm, or Ashrain;resetenvreturns to normal.wind [angle] [intensity]: sets wind direction (0 to 360 degrees) and strength (0 to 1.0);resetwindclears it.raiseskill [skill] [amount]: raises a named skill; use All to raise everything, or a minus sign to lower it.resetskill [skill]sets a skill back to 0.beard [beard#],hair [hair#],model [0-1]: change your appearance; model switches between the two body types.setfuel [value]: tops up fuel in nearby fire sources.dpsdebug: toggles a damage-per-second debug readout.save: forces an immediate world save.itemset [name] [keep]: drops a premade gear set for a given biome or role (for example Meadows, Swamps, Mistlands, Ashlands). Without the keep flag, your current items are dropped first.location [name]: spawns a location instance. Handle with care: this permanently disables saving for the session, so it is for testing rather than your main world.
Debug Mode Hotkeys
After devcommands, type debugmode to switch on creative hotkeys. Type it again to switch them off.
- B: free building, no workbench or resources required.
- K: kills nearby enemies (leaves tamed creatures alone).
- L: removes nearby item drops.
- Z: toggles flight; Space gains altitude, Ctrl brings you down.
- Ctrl + middle mouse button (on the map): teleports you to the cursor location.
- Shift + C: sets the time to day.
Spawning and Stopping Events
Events are the scripted raids and attacks Valheim throws at your base. You can trigger them on demand with event [name], stop the active one with stopevent, and roll a random one with randomevent.
Commonly used event names include army_eikthyr, army_theelder, army_bonemass, army_moder, army_goblin, army_gjall, army_seekers, army_charred, foresttrolls, blobs, skeletons, surtlings, wolves, and bats. The full and current list lives on the official wiki’s Events page, since events change as new content lands.
Item and Creature ID Reference
Use these IDs with the spawn command. This is a working subset of the most-used entries; the official wiki Item IDs page holds the complete list of every spawnable ID in the game.
Food: Bread, BloodPudding, Blueberries, Carrot, CarrotSoup, Cloudberry, CookedLoxMeat, CookedMeat, FishCooked, FishWraps, Honey, LoxPie, Mushroom, MushroomBlue, MushroomYellow, NeckTailGrilled, Raspberry, QueensJam, Sausages, SerpentMeatCooked, SerpentStew, Turnip, TurnipStew.
Ships and carts: Cart, Raft, Karve, VikingShip, Trailership.
Creatures: Blob, Boar, Boar_piggy, Crow, Deathsquito, Deer, Draugr, Fenring, Ghost, Goblin, GoblinArcher, GoblinBrute, GoblinShaman, Greydwarf, Greydwarf_Shaman, Leech, Lox, Neck, Serpent, Skeleton, Surtling, Troll, Valkyrie, Wolf, Wraith.
Weapons: AtgeirBlackmetal, AtgeirBronze, AtgeirIron, Battleaxe, Bow, BowDraugrFang, BowFineWood, BowHuntsman, KnifeBlackMetal, KnifeChitin, KnifeCopper, KnifeFlint, MaceBronze, MaceIron, MaceNeedle, MaceSilver, SledgeIron, SledgeStagbreaker, SpearBronze, SpearElderbark, SpearFlint, SpearWolfFang, SwordBlackmetal, SwordBronze, SwordIron, SwordIronFire, SwordSilver, Club.
Shields: ShieldBanded, ShieldBlackmetal, ShieldBlackmetalTower, ShieldBronzeBuckler, ShieldIronSquare, ShieldIronTower, ShieldKnight, ShieldSerpentscale, ShieldSilver, ShieldWood, ShieldWoodTower.
Armor: ArmorBronzeChest, ArmorBronzeLegs, ArmorIronChest, ArmorIronLegs, ArmorLeatherChest, ArmorLeatherLegs, ArmorPaddedCuirass, ArmorPaddedGreaves, ArmorRagsChest, ArmorRagsLegs, ArmorTrollLeatherChest, ArmorTrollLeatherLegs, ArmorWolfChest, ArmorWolfLegs, CapeDeerHide, CapeLinen, CapeLox, CapeTrollHide, CapeWolf, HelmetBronze, HelmetDrake, HelmetDverger, HelmetIron, HelmetLeather, HelmetOdin, HelmetPadded, HelmetTrollLeather, HelmetYule.
Tools: AxeBronze, AxeFlint, AxeIron, AxeStone, AxeBlackMetal, PickaxeAntler, PickaxeBronze, PickaxeIron, PickaxeStone, Cultivator, FishingRod, Hammer, Hoe, SpearChitin (the harpoon).
Materials: Amber, AmberPearl, AncientSeed, Barley, BarleyFlour, BeechSeeds, Bloodbag, BronzeNails, BoneFragments, CarrotSeeds, Chitin, Coal, Coins, CryptKey, Crystal, Dandelion, DeerHide, DragonEgg, DragonTear, ElderBark, Entrails, Feathers, FineWood, FishingBait, FishRaw, Flax, Flint, FreezeGland, GreydwarfEye, Guck, HardAntler, IronNails, LeatherScraps, LinenThread, LoxMeat, LoxPelt, Needle, Obsidian, Ooze, QueenBee, Ruby, SerpentScale, SharpeningStone, SilverNecklace, Stone, SurtlingCore, Thistle, TrollHide, TurnipSeeds, WitheredBone, WolfFang, WolfPelt, Wood, YmirRemains, NeckTail, RawMeat, Resin, RoundLog, SerpentMeat, YagluthDrop.
Metals and ores: BlackMetal, BlackMetalScrap, Bronze, Copper, CopperOre, Flametal, FlametalOre, Iron, IronOre, IronScrap, Silver, SilverOre, Tin, TinOre.
Trader (NPC): Haldor. Note that once spawned, the trader cannot be removed again, so place him deliberately.
Multiplayer and Server Admin Commands
If you run a server, a separate set of admin commands handles moderation and world settings. They only work if your account is on the world’s admin list. The core ones are ban [name/ip/userID], unban [name/ip/userID], kick [name/ip/userID], and banned to list everyone currently banned. save forces a save, while setworldmodifier, setworldpreset, and resetworldkeys adjust world difficulty and modifiers.
The thing to remember is that the cheat commands above do not run on a dedicated server. On that kind of setup only these admin tools apply, and the regular player commands stay available to everyone from the chat window. If you want the full cheat toolkit, you need single-player or a world you host yourself.
A Word Before You Start
Cheats in Valheim are confined to your own world, so there is no risk to anyone else’s game. The real risk is to your own save, so copy it before you begin. Keep in mind that a couple of commands, including location and nextseed, permanently disable saving for the rest of that session, and that overloading the world with spawns can freeze it. Used with a little restraint, the console is one of the better ways to test ideas, recover from a bad bug, or simply enjoy the parts of Valheim you actually want to play.
