Guide coverage: patches through 1.0.12
How to Fish Co-op: How to Join a Friend’s Lobby
The Steam store recommends 1–4 players. The lobby can support up to 8 players, so a 5-player game is possible, but encounters and balance are designed for groups of up to 4. For the most stable experience, stay at 1–4.
Quick answers
Is there a match ID?
No. How to Fish does not give a numeric match ID, room code, or lobby number. Friends join with a Steam invite or a Public lobby.
How do friends join?
The host creates an Invite-only or Public multiplayer lobby, then sends a Steam invitation. Do not start in Single-player if friends may join later.
Can 5 people play?
Yes. The lobby cap is 8. The Steam page still says 1–4, and combat is balanced for at most 4. Extra players raise boss health.
There is no match ID
How to Fish does not give a numeric match ID, room code, or lobby number. Friends join through a Steam invite or by entering a Public lobby. If a guide or friend asks for a 對局 ID, send a Steam invitation instead.
Steam says 1–4; lobby cap is 8
A 5-player lobby is allowed because the cap is 8. The store page and combat scaling still assume at most 4. Extra players raise boss health and make the screen harder to read. Use 5–8 only if everyone accepts the chaos. Shared Money is a lobby setting and can be changed before you start.
Create a lobby
- The host should start a multiplayer lobby and choose Invite Only or Public. Some lobby options show “Requires server restart” after you change them — close the lobby and create a new one. Do not start in Single-player mode if friends may join later, because a single-player lobby cannot be opened to other players afterward.
- For an Invite-only lobby, create the lobby first and then send invitations through Steam. Friends can accept the Steam invitation to join the host.
- Make sure every player is running the same game version. Players on different patches may fail to connect.
- The game does not automatically find teammates for you. If you need other players, use a Public lobby or look for a group through the Steam discussions or the developer’s Discord.
Cannot join or see only a black screen
- Confirm again that the host and every joining player use the same game version. A version mismatch disconnects with the message “Disconnected: Version mismatch”.
- Close the game and restart Steam for everyone, then try the invitation again.
- Ask the host to close the old lobby and create a new Invite-only or Public multiplayer lobby.
- If the problem continues, let another player become the host and create the lobby.
Patch 1.0.10 increased the time allowed to connect, which should lower instant disconnects after joining. It also attempted to fix items falling through the world when a player loads a save or joins a lobby. See the full black-screen and save troubleshooting page.
Quest items and rewards in co-op
- Boss quest items are physical objects. The player carrying the shell, skeleton, fin, or head should give it to the required NPC. If another player needs to hand it in, press Q to pass or drop the item first.
- A Reel of Fortune cosmetic skin is unlocked only for the player who throws the accepted item into the machine. Other players in the lobby do not receive that skin automatically.
- Seagulls can steal catches and can also carry away a downed player. Kill nearby seagulls or move important catches indoors before starting a boss fight. Patch 1.0.10 fixed a break that happened if a player and a seagull grabbed the same item at the same time.
- Chat no longer accepts rich text. Patch 1.0.10 removed it after griefers exploited formatting in public lobbies.
Friendly fire
Friendly fire is a lobby setting. When it is enabled, guns, melee attacks, and dynamite can damage teammates. Check the setting before starting, and keep distance from other players when using explosives during a boss fight.
Difficulty settings
Difficulty is selected in the lobby. It changes creature health and the damage players receive; it does not change the basic quest route.
| Difficulty | Creature health | Damage received |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 75% | 50% |
| Normal | 100% | 100% |
| Hard | 125% | 125% |