Valheim is one year old, and here's a big bug to celebrate

(Image credit: Iron Gate AB)

Good god, has it been one year of Valheim already? PC Gamer's 2021 Game of the Year celebrates its first birthday this week, and broke the news with a skitterish peek at what's in store for its second year.

February 2nd marks one year since Valheim first hit Steam and subsequently became the biggest thing of early 2021—something Iron Gate felt extremely thankful for in an announcement post marking the occasion.

"We never could have imagined that Valheim would get as big as it did, and it’s all thanks to you players. We’re going to celebrate throughout the whole month of February, and we’ve got some fun stuff planned for you – keep an eye on our social media pages to make sure you don’t miss anything!"

A valheim castle — The post also announced this gorgeous keep by Zugzuglife as winner of the game's first Build of the Month. (Image credit: Iron Gate AB)

While not overly forthcoming with future plans, Iron Gate noted that it's hoping to get Valheim Steam Deck ready for the time of the handheld's release this month, as well as wrapping up development on the upcoming Mountains update. The studio has also ramped up work on a new Mistlands biome, and while it's still early days, Iron Gate did share concept art of this delightful wee beastie.

I'm sure they're lovely, and definitely not the kind of giant bug that hungers for viking bones.

With Valheim's birthday tying into Steam's Lunar New Year sale, Iron Gate is extending the discounted price on Steam until the end of the weekend.

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.