Quick answer Update every player to Patch 1.0.9 and check the new Steam connection debug in the main menu. If the Steam Relay text turns red, Dazed Games directs players to the Community Discord #common-bugs guidance. If it is not red, restart Steam and the game, create a fresh private lobby with a simple name and send a new invite.
Which black screen do you have?
| Symptom | Problem family | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Menu works; screen goes black while joining a friend | Lobby or network session | Version alignment and a fresh private lobby |
| Friend cannot see or enter the server | Invite, session type or host state | Restart after changing session type, then send a new invite |
| Game launches to black before the menu | Local PC launch or display | Restart, check installed files and update the GPU driver |
| Game opens gray or fails around fullscreen | Display initialization | Patch 1.0.4 addressed forced-fullscreen gray screens; update before trying older workarounds |
| Steam Relay text turns red in the main menu | Steam connection initialization | Use the official #common-bugs guidance before rebuilding the lobby repeatedly |
Separating the two states matters. Opening firewall rules will not fix a local display failure, while changing graphics options is unlikely to repair a stale invite or mismatched lobby version.
What red Steam Relay text means
Patch 1.0.9 adds a short Steam connection debug to the main menu. Dazed Games says the Relay text becomes red when the connection fails during initialization. That makes the color a useful first branch: diagnose the Steam connection before treating the symptom as a random in-game black screen.
- Read the Relay status before joining. Do this on the host and the affected friend.
- If it is red, restart Steam completely. Closing only the game does not rebuild Steam’s connection state.
- Follow Dazed Games’ current #common-bugs guidance. The official patch points there rather than publishing a universal port or firewall recipe.
- Retest the main menu status. Create a lobby only after the connection debug no longer reports the same failure.
Do not guess portsPatch 1.0.9 identifies a failed Steam Relay initialization but does not list a game-specific port range. Avoid broad firewall changes that are not tied to the displayed state.
Multiplayer recovery order
- Align the build. Every player should update How to Fish to the same version; the official feed lists Patch 1.0.9 on August 24.
- Close the game and restart Steam. Do this for the host and the joining players, not only the person seeing the black screen.
- Create a new private lobby. Patch 1.0.5 added private lobbies that are joinable through invite.
- Use a simple server name. Patch 1.0.4 says special characters in server names broke the save file, so use plain letters and numbers while diagnosing.
- Send a fresh invite. Do not reuse the link or session entry from the failed host process.
- Restart after a session-type change. The official 1.0.5 note explicitly requires a restart after changing session type in server settings.
- Test with one joining player. Add the rest only after one clean join, which isolates lobby creation from player-count pressure.
Current demand“Multiplayer doesn’t work” and “Can’t join friends game?” remain on the August 25 Steam Discussions front page. Treat 1.0.4 as an attempted fix and the 1.0.9 Relay debug as a diagnostic signal—not proof that every lobby path is solved.
If the game is black before the menu
Start with reversible PC checks. Restart Windows and Steam, confirm Patch 1.0.9 is installed, and use Steam’s Installed Files page to run a file integrity check. Update the graphics driver through NVIDIA, AMD or Intel’s official software if it is outdated.
Disable a nonessential overlay for one test if the black screen began after enabling it. Avoid stacking many launch options at once; changing one condition per launch makes the result understandable. A third-party guide lists administrator mode, firewall access, alternate graphics APIs and reinstalling as possible later steps, but none is an official game-specific cure.
If the menu appears for solo play but joining causes the black screen, return to the lobby sequence instead of reinstalling immediately.
Official patch history relevant to this issue
| Version | Official change | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0.9 | Added main-menu Steam connection debug; Relay text turns red when initialization fails | Check the connection state before changing the lobby or display setup |
| 1.0.4 | Attempted fix for black screens when joining; attempted fix for forced-fullscreen gray screens; server names no longer allow special characters | Update first and use a simple lobby name |
| 1.0.5 | Added private invite-only lobbies and in-game session-type changes that require a restart | Rebuild the lobby and restart after changing its type |
| 1.0.6 | Changed save behavior and removed crash-time writes | Leave through the game controls when possible |
| 1.0.8 | Fixed PlayStation controller glyph display and tied fire sizzling audio to the FX slider | Earlier input/audio patch; it did not claim a new multiplayer fix |
Details for a useful join report
- Version for host and joining player.
- Private or public session and whether its type was changed before the restart.
- Whether the failure occurs before the menu, while loading the lobby or after spawning.
- Server name and whether it contains spaces or non-ASCII characters.
- One-player test result before the full group joins.
- Controller type if input appears stuck after the screen returns.
- Exact time and any visible Steam or Windows error.
- Whether the Patch 1.0.9 Steam Relay text is normal or red for each player.
Sources used on this page
- How to Fish community discussions Steam Community · accessed 2026-08-26 · current player questions, high GPU and FPS-cap reports, mouse-movement stutter, fish not biting, audio duplication and distortion, 0x11C7 launch-block reports, boat items after reload, missing equipment reports, weapon skin questions, second-island questions, lost Radar reports, drip creature questions, cooked fishing rod reports, boss difficulty, multiplayer issues
- How to Fish official announcements Dazed Games / Steam Community · accessed 2026-08-26 · current official feed through Patch 1.0.9, Patch 1.0.9 difficulty settings, Patch 1.0.9 Steam relay debug, Patch 1.0.9 attempted save fix, Patch 1.0.8, Patch 1.0.6 save behavior, Patch 1.0.5 lobby options, Patch 1.0.5 4K slot-machine skin fix, Patch 1.0.4 multiplayer fixes
- How to Fish black screen fix: Possible solutions explored Sportskeeda · accessed 2026-08-24 · black screen reports, Steam file check, PC troubleshooting options