If you’ve spent hours mining for Hellstone alone or fending off the Eye of Cthulhu with no one to high-five afterward, you’ve probably wondered how do I play multiplayer on Terraria. The game’s co-op and PvP modes turn a fun solo survival sandbox into a chaotic, memorable adventure with friends, whether you’re building a floating base together or competing to take down the Moon Lord first. I’ve tested multiplayer setups across every major platform over the last 6 years, so I’ve sorted out all the tricky parts to make setup as painless as possible. You don’t need fancy tech skills to get a lobby running, just a few minutes and a clear idea of what kind of session you want to host or join.
How Do I Play Multiplayer on Terraria: Core Setup Options for Every Platform
Terraria offers three main multiplayer access points that work across all supported devices, with small variations based on what you’re playing on. You can join a public open lobby, join a private lobby hosted by a friend, or host your own session for other people to join. PC players on Steam or GOG have the widest range of public lobby options, while console and mobile players rely more on platform friend lists or Re-Logic account syncing for online play.
Before you start any multiplayer session, there are a few non-negotiable boxes you need to tick to avoid headaches later:
- An updated copy of Terraria matching the version of the lobby you’re joining (modded lobbies require the exact same mod list and versions too)
- A stable internet connection with at least 3 Mbps upload speed if you’re hosting a lobby for 4+ players
- For private cross-platform sessions, you’ll need to link your Terraria account to a free Re-Logic account first
- PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch users will need an active platform online subscription to access online multiplayer
Always double check your game version before joining a friend’s lobby, because version mismatches are the #1 cause of failed connections. If you’re playing modded, use a mod manager to sync your load order with your group to avoid crashes mid-session. If you’re playing on PC via Steam, you can also browse thousands of public lobbies directly through the Steam overlay, filtered by game mode, player count, and mod status. Console players can browse public lobbies through the in-game multiplayer menu, though there are far fewer public lobbies available on console compared to PC. Local Wi-Fi multiplayer is completely free on all platforms if you’re in the same house as other players, no online subscription required.
Hosting a Private Terraria Multiplayer Lobby for Friends
Hosting your own lobby gives you full control over who joins, what rules are active, and how your world progresses. First, load the world you want to use, or create a new one specifically for multiplayer. I always recommend making a separate multiplayer world if you don’t want your solo save altered by other players’ builds or item use. Then open the in-game menu, select “Multiplayer”, then “Host & Play”. You’ll see options to set a password, adjust player count (max 8 players for vanilla, up to 16 for modded with server tweaks), and toggle PvP on or off by default.
Set a strong password if you don’t want random players joining your private session, even if you set it to friends-only, as platform privacy settings occasionally glitch. If you’re hosting for players outside your local network, you may need to port forward 7777 (the default Terraria port) on your router, or use a virtual LAN tool if port forwarding feels too complicated. The biggest upside of hosting your own lobby is that you have full admin control, so you can kick disruptive players, adjust game settings mid-session, and the world saves directly to your device. The only real downside is that if your internet cuts out, the whole lobby disconnects, and you’ll use more upload bandwidth than other players in the session. If you want to host a 24/7 dedicated server that stays up even when you’re not playing, you can download the free Terraria dedicated server tool from Re-Logic’s website, though that requires a bit more technical know-how than the basic Host & Play option. Dedicated servers are great if you have a large group of friends who play at different times, so no one has to wait for the host to be online to access the world.
Fixing Common Terraria Multiplayer Connection Issues
Even if you follow all setup steps correctly, you’ll probably run into a connection error at some point. I’ve had my fair share of “lost connection” pop-ups mid-boss fight, so I’ve narrowed down the fastest fixes for most common problems. First, if you can’t see a friend’s lobby at all, check that you’re both on the same game version, and that crossplay is enabled if you’re playing across different platforms. Restarting your game and router fixes 70% of basic connection issues in my experience, so try that before messing with more advanced settings.
If you keep getting kicked out of a lobby mid-session, it’s usually either because your internet is unstable, or the host’s upload speed is too slow to support all connected players. If you’re playing modded, make sure no one in the group has added or removed mods after you first synced your load order, even a small cosmetic mod can cause crashes. If you get a “version mismatch” error, make sure you haven’t opted into any beta versions of Terraria on Steam, as most public lobbies run on the stable public release. On console, check that your game has downloaded all available updates, as console updates sometimes roll out a few days after PC updates. If port forwarding doesn’t work for hosting, use the Steam Remote Play feature (for Steam users) to invite friends directly without port forwarding, it’s slower than a direct connection but works for small groups of 2-3 players. If you’re trying to play cross-platform between PC and console, note that not all modded versions support crossplay, so stick to vanilla if you’re playing with friends on different systems.
Fun Ways to Customize Your Terraria Multiplayer Session
Once your lobby is up and running, you don’t have to stick to the standard survival playthrough. I’ve run dozens of custom multiplayer sessions with friends, and a few small tweaks make the experience way more fun. For example, you can set a “hardcore only” rule where if a player dies, they’re banned from the lobby for 10 minutes, which makes boss fights way more tense. Or you can do a build contest where everyone gets 30 minutes to build a themed structure, and the group votes for the winner at the end. Modded multiplayer opens up hundreds of custom game modes, from zombie survival apocalypses to full RPG progression systems with unique classes and quests.
If you’re playing with new players, turn on the “friendly fire off” setting at first, so no one accidentally kills each other while testing new weapons. You can also set up PvP arenas for duels between boss fights, or set a shared chest system so everyone can contribute resources to group builds. Another fun custom mode I’ve tried is the “randomizer” mod, where every item drop, enemy spawn, and recipe is completely randomized, so no one knows what to expect next. That works great for multiplayer because everyone is equally confused and has to work together to figure out how to progress. If you’re playing with younger players, you can turn off all enemy spawning and just do a creative build session, where everyone has unlimited resources to build whatever they want.
At the end of the day, figuring out how do I play multiplayer on Terraria doesn’t have to be a confusing hassle, even if you’re new to the game or not great with tech. The best sessions don’t need perfect setup or mod lists, just a group of people who want to mess around, build weird bases, and fight bosses together. Don’t stress if you run into connection issues the first few times, even experienced players run into those. Once you get your first lobby running, you’ll wonder why you ever played Terraria solo for so long.