Co-op & Multiplayer — Play With Friends

Co-op is the whole point of How to Fish — and “how do I get my friends in” is the single most-asked question about the game. Here’s the short version, plus the fixes when the lobby fights back.

Last checked: September 1, 2026

The basics

Players: 1–4, online co-op (Steam lists up to 4).
Solo: yes — the full game is playable alone.
Chat: in-game voice and text.
Family Sharing: supported.

What it is NOT

No split-screen / local co-op — online only.
No crossplay needed — it’s PC-only, everyone’s on Steam.
No console version to connect from.

How to invite a friend

Make sure you and your friends all own the game (or use Steam Family Sharing).
Launch How to Fish and start or load a game.
Open the in-game menu / lobby and use the invite option, or invite them through the Steam friends overlay (Shift+Tab → right-click friend → Invite to Game).
Have your friend accept the invite — they’ll drop into your world.

Progress is hosted by the person who starts the game, so play on the same host if you want to keep a shared save going.

Co-op not working? Try these

Can’t see or accept an invite: both players restart Steam, confirm you’re on the same game version (matchmaking breaks across a mid-session patch), and re-send from the Steam overlay.

Invite fails / infinite loading: a broadband connection is required — this is online co-op, not LAN. Have the host check their firewall isn’t blocking the game, and try having the other player host instead.

Friend not showing up: confirm your Steam friends privacy and game details are set to visible, then re-invite through Shift+Tab.

Whether co-op uses a host (peer-to-peer) or dedicated servers isn’t officially documented — the broadband requirement points to peer-hosted games, so a strong host connection matters. We’ll confirm and update.

Steam’s own discussion board for the game is dominated by team-finding and lobby threads — if you just want randoms, that board is the fastest place to find a group.