How to Fish Multiplayer Freeze, Black Screen & Join Help

Which connection or screen failure do you have?

Record the message and when it appears: before the menu, at startup, while joining or after spawning. If Steam prevents the game from launching with Error 51, use that launch guide before testing an in-game lobby.

Disconnected: Version Mismatch

This message means the host and joining player are not entering the lobby with the same current How to Fish build. A September 2 Steam thread returned to the top of the forum after Patch 1.0.11; its latest low-risk reply tells every player to restart Steam and install the update. That matches Dazed Games' official Patch 1.0.11 instruction to restart Steam for the update.

1. Exit How to Fish on every PC. Do not leave the host running an older lobby while only the guest updates.
2. Fully restart Steam. Reopen the client so it checks the How to Fish update state again.
3. Install every pending How to Fish update. Wait for the download and installation to finish on the host and each guest.
4. Launch the game again and create a fresh lobby. Do not reuse the session created by the older process.
5. If the message remains, record each displayed build before changing anything else. Report which PC differs and whether Steam still shows a pending download.

Unresponsive after joining: boat loading freezes and crashes

A September 12 community post titled “Unresponsive After Joining A Game” says the main menu opens normally, but selecting a saved game or accepting an invite starts the boat animation, then freezes and crashes. The author already tried driver updates, a reinstall, a PC restart and changing game settings without resolving it. This differs from a lobby freezing after players have spawned.

Because the report includes both loading a save and accepting an invite, do not assume a network-only cause. Close the game, preserve the complete local data folder and record whether the same boat-start failure happens in solo. Include the game version from player.log, the last visible frame and any crash message. The boat-loading checklist covers the related endless-load state; this report ends in a crash and has no confirmed repair.

Game freezes when hosting or joining a lobby

Two September 1 Steam reports describe different freeze points. In one, the host freezes or crashes at unpredictable moments during co-op and all friends are disconnected. In the other, a ROG Ally X runs only a few frames after joining or hosting before freezing, even after the player restarted, closed background apps and ran Steam file integrity.

1. Preserve the host save. Save and leave normally before repeating a lobby test.
2. Confirm solo behavior on the affected device. If the same save freezes without a lobby, use local performance or save troubleshooting rather than a network-only route.
3. Read Steam Relay on both systems. A red status is an official connection-initialization branch from Patch 1.0.9.
4. Align the current game build and restart Steam. Rebuild a fresh lobby after both players return to a clean main menu.
5. Join one player only. Note whether the freeze happens while creating the room, accepting the connection, spawning or after normal play has begun.
6. Change one condition per test. Avoid combining compatibility tools, launch flags, overlays and firewall edits; a stacked result cannot identify which change mattered.

Steam Deck invite opens the game but stays at the menu

A current Steam Deck report says accepting a friend invite launches How to Fish but leaves the player at the left-side main menu instead of joining the host. Patch 1.0.11 now makes the game fully Steam Deck Verified, but that platform label does not prove this particular invite handoff is fixed. The author reports intermittent success, so the symptom is also not a permanent inability to run multiplayer on Deck.

1. Start both players from the main menu. Confirm the same patch and a normal Steam Relay status before the host creates a new session.
2. Send a fresh invite. Record whether Steam brings the Deck to the menu, a loading view or the playable session.
3. Compare one public-session-ID attempt. If the host is comfortable with a short public test, copy the visible ID and close the lobby when the comparison is complete.
4. Do not stack Deck compatibility changes. The thread does not establish a Proton version or launch option as a fix. Keep the first comparison on the current configuration.
5. Report invite versus ID separately. A session ID that works while the invite stays at menu narrows the handoff path; both failing points back to Relay, version or the lobby itself.

Connection Failed at startup and red Steam Relay text

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.

1. Read the Relay status before joining. Do this on the host and the affected friend.
2. If it is red, restart Steam completely. Closing only the game does not rebuild Steam’s connection state.
3. Follow Dazed Games’ current #common-bugs guidance. The official patch points there rather than publishing a universal port or firewall recipe.
4. Retest the main menu status. Create a lobby only after the connection debug no longer reports the same failure.

Connection Failed before joining a friend

An August 29 Steam thread reports Connection Failed in the top-right corner immediately after opening the game, while the other PC shows a successful connection. Further players reported the same symptom in September. The original player had already checked installed files and reinstalled; no successful repair is established in the thread.

First compare the main-menu status on the host and guest before sending another invite. Restart Steam and install pending updates, then read the status again. If initialization still fails, Dazed Games directs players to #common-bugs in its community Discord. Include the exact message, game build and whether solo play opens normally. Repeatedly rebuilding a lobby does not test a failure that is already present before joining.

Patch 1.0.10 allows more time for a connection to complete, with cautious wording about reducing instant disconnects. Patch 1.0.12 does not announce a universal Connection Failed or network-error fix. A generic network-error message also needs its exact wording and failure stage; it does not by itself identify the same cause.

Multiplayer recovery order

1. Align the build. Every player should update How to Fish to the same version; 1.1.0 superseded 1.0.12 on September 28. The older networking reports below retain their evidence dates.
2. Close the game and restart Steam. Do this for the host and the joining players, not only the person seeing the black screen.
3. Create a new private lobby. Patch 1.0.5 added private lobbies that are joinable through invite.
4. 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.
5. Send a fresh invite. Do not reuse the link or session entry from the failed host process.
6. Restart after a session-type change. The official 1.0.5 note explicitly requires a restart after changing session type in server settings.
7. Test with one joining player. Add the rest only after one clean join, which isolates lobby creation from player-count pressure.

Invite-only fails after the host loads a save

One current thread separates a specific state: the host can load the game, but an invite sends the friend to the title screen and the session ID is only visible when the host uses a regular multiplayer session. Another current report describes a black screen with ambient audio after accepting an invite.

1. Preserve the save first. Use Save and leave through Main Menu before changing lobby type.
2. Confirm both players finished the tutorial. A community reply reports that tutorial state can block the expected join path.
3. Change the host to regular multiplayer. Patch 1.0.5 says a session-type change requires a game restart.
4. Restart, then load the same save. Pause only after the host is fully in the session.
5. Copy the visible session ID. Send it directly to one friend for a controlled join test.
6. Compare the result. If the ID works while invite-only fails, report that exact difference. If both fail, return to Steam Relay and build alignment.

A Boss is invisible to some players during the fight

One Steam Community report concerns Albatross, the fourth boss: not every player can see the bird during the battle. It does not say that only the host sees it, and no successful workaround is given. This differs from a black screen while joining and from the invisible-player issue mentioned in Patch 1.0.11.

Ask the host and each guest to compare the bird, health bar and incoming attacks at the same moment. Keep a clip or screenshot from an affected and unaffected player, plus game versions and mod details. See the Albatross guide to separate an active fight from a missing Tuna trigger. Preserve the host save before leaving; official notes through 1.0.12 do not establish a fix for this report.

Do items and cash carry over when joining a friend?

The accepted community reply to a September 12 Steam question says items and money do not carry over to other saves, while skins do. Treat this as a player answer, not an official guarantee of every host-switch or reconnect case. Do not plan on bringing your solo weapons or cash into another campaign.

Within a vanilla co-op session, the crew uses the shared balance described below. That is different from moving your own campaign’s wallet into a friend’s save. The reply does not explain guest equipment restoration on rejoining the same host, weapon upgrades, or whether quest and island progress is copied back to a guest’s separate campaign.

Before switching hosts, note the campaign, current gear and balance, and keep a dated backup of each existing save. Keep skin unlocks separate from world progress: the local skin profile can span saves, but its cross-device Cloud coverage is not specified. If the same campaign reloads with an empty backpack, use inventory missing after load instead.

Can a world stay online without the usual host?

How to Fish does not ship an official dedicated server. Driftwood offers a third-party always-on world for up to eight players. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Dazed Games; every player still needs their own Steam copy.

What self-hosting requires

The project’s setup uses Windows x64, Git and the .NET 8 SDK. It runs a separate copy of the game files, with saves and backups outside that copy. Follow its current setup instructions for the server package, configuration and game-build check before inviting players.

The network needs a UDP game port and the next TCP port. Players, including the owner, connect through the Driftwood app. This is a different joining path from an ordinary Steam invite. Keep the original campaign backed up; installing a server does not establish that an existing co-op save will transfer correctly.

Choose this when the group needs a persistent world and someone can maintain its host. For a normal session with friends, continue with the Steam lobby checks.

Does multiplayer share money?

Yes. Current player reports and the description of an unofficial wallet mod agree that vanilla co-op uses one shared crew balance. Players ask for private wallets or a separate-money toggle, but Patch 1.0.11 does not document an official toggle.

A third-party NoSharedMoney mod exists, but it is not an official game setting. Its listing says every player, including the host, must install it. Preserve a known-good save and read the current mod requirements before considering it; this guide does not present a modded lobby as compatible with every build.

If the game is black before the menu

Start with reversible PC checks. Restart Windows and Steam, install the current game update, 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

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.
• Device model and whether solo play remains responsive on the same save.
• 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.