Safe order of checks
- Confirm the same game version. Close and update Steam on every machine before testing the lobby again.
- Have the host create a new session. Do not reuse a lobby that has been open for a long time while diagnosing the problem.
- Join early. Use a Steam invite or the in-game join path immediately after the fresh session starts.
- Try a private lobby. Patch 1.0.5 added an invite-only private lobby option. It is useful for reducing variables; it is not a guaranteed black-screen fix.
- Restart both the game and Steam. Do this after the fresh-session test, not before every single attempt.
- Test one variable at a time. Note whether solo play works, whether the join button responds, and whether the failure is a black screen or a frozen menu.
What the evidence says: the Steam thread has 17 comments and includes reports from Windows and Linux users, a no-response join button, and one player who said joining a recently created session helped. That is enough to justify a troubleshooting page, not enough to claim a universal fix.
When the menu says Connection Failed
Connection Failed is a wider symptom than the join-only black screen. A current third-party troubleshooting guide recommends restarting Steam fully, checking for a game update, verifying files and testing a fresh lobby before changing network settings. Those are reversible checks; firewall, VPN, antivirus and network-reset changes should be last-resort diagnostics, not the first answer.
- Exit Steam completely. Use Steam's exit command, wait for it to close, then relaunch the client and the game.
- Match the game version. Every player should update before another lobby test.
- Verify the installed files. Use Steam's Installed Files check and record whether it changes the symptom.
- Switch the host. Create a fresh session with another player if the same host cannot create or join a lobby.
- Only then test local network variables. Record any VPN, proxy, firewall or security change and undo it if it has no effect.
Evidence boundary: Steam reports confirm the symptom, and the independent Pro Game Guides checklist supports the reversible order above. No source here proves that one firewall, DNS or administrator setting fixes every How to Fish connection failure.
Patch context
Patch 1.0.4 listed a “hopefully” fixed black screen when trying to join a lobby. The same patch also added support for larger lobbies and changed the final-island path. Patch 1.0.5 added private lobbies, while 1.0.6 focused on save-file checks and crash-save behavior. Patch 1.0.9 adds Steam connection debug in the main menu, and Patch 1.0.10 increases the allowed connection time. Patch 1.0.11 does not list a new relay fix; use relay status and version matching as diagnostic signals, not as proof of a universal fix.
Separate these symptoms
| Symptom | Start with | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Black screen after join | Fresh lobby, join early, same version. | That a GPU driver is definitely the cause. |
| Join button does nothing | Steam invite and a new host session. | That waiting longer will repair the lobby. |
| Solo works, co-op fails | Compare host/join timing and session type. | That your save is corrupted. |
| Menu remains open but cursor disappears | Quit cleanly, restart, then test a new session. | That the session is safe to keep using. |
If it still fails
Capture the game version, host platform, join method, approximate lobby age, and whether solo mode loads. That information is more useful than a generic “multiplayer broken” report. Link the report to the official Discord/bug-report path if the developer requests it.