How to Fish Game Co-op Setup and Troubleshooting

Prepare every player before hosting

1. Close How to Fish on every PC and restart the Steam client.
2. Let Steam finish the current game update, then compare versions across the group.
3. Confirm each participant is signed into the intended Steam account and is visible to the friends they expect to invite.
4. Choose one host for the first test and agree whether the session should be discoverable or private.
5. If a player previously had launch trouble, run Verify integrity on that PC before the session.
6. Launch only after updates and verification are complete.

Create the lobby with the right privacy

Have the host create a new lobby using the controls present in the current game. Patch 1.0.5 added private invite-only lobby and session settings. For a private group, choose the invite-only option and send a new invitation from that new session rather than relying on an old invite notification.

A private lobby is not expected to behave like a public listing. Tell guests which path you selected so they do not wait for discovery when an invitation is required. If settings are unclear, close the session normally and create a fresh one; changing random Windows networking settings is not a substitute for confirming lobby privacy.

Grow the group in controlled steps

Patch capacity means the lobby can support up to eight; it does not promise that every connection or PC environment is identical. Incremental joining gives you a usable reproduction if something breaks and lets the rest of the group avoid unnecessary configuration changes.

1. Invite one guest and wait until that player reaches a usable session.
2. Confirm host and guest can both interact normally before inviting the next person.
3. Add one player at a time and note the join order.
4. Stop at the first failed join and record player count, host, and what each screen shows.
5. For an eight-person goal, remember that up to eight includes the host; do not plan for eight guests plus a host.
6. If one guest repeatedly fails, test that person in a fresh two-player lobby before rebuilding the entire group.

Save progress safely around co-op

Patch 1.0.6 documents manual Save, Main Menu, Quit, and an autosave about once per minute. It also says a crash no longer causes an immediate save. Use a deliberate Save before risky join tests and leave through Main Menu or Quit when the session is responsive.

For important progress, close the game and copy C:\Users\<name>\AppData\LocalLow\Dazed Games\How to Fish\Saves in full to a dated location. Each player should back up their own folder. Never merge a host folder with a guest folder, and never delete files to fix invitations.

Recover when a guest cannot join

When Steam Relay debug turns red, the patch notes point players to current common-bugs guidance in the official Discord. Record the indicator and use that route. The cited official material does not provide a port-forwarding list, so do not improvise one or permanently disable security controls.

1. Have the group exit the old lobby normally.
2. Restart Steam on host and affected guest, then reconfirm matching versions.
3. Verify files on the affected PC and create a completely fresh lobby.
4. Send a fresh invitation to that guest only.
5. Swap host roles for one comparison if the join still fails.
6. If the screen turns black, use the focused black-screen guide rather than repeating the same invite.

Understand the patch and store mismatch

The one-to-four wording on the Steam store is older descriptive copy, while the 1.0.4 news entry explicitly announces lobbies of up to eight players. Treat the later patch as the current capacity evidence. Patch 1.0.5 then adds the privacy controls needed for an invite-only group.

Because multiplayer behavior is patch-sensitive, always include your actual version when asking for help. A guide, discussion reply, or screenshot from an older build may show different options. Prefer the current official patch notes and developer common-bugs information over an undated workaround.

Questions players ask

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