Terraria multiplayer not working: how to host and join

Host & Play

For a session with friends, Host & Play is the fastest option and needs no extra files.

1. Open Multiplayer → Host & Play from the main menu.
2. Select the character and world you want to host.
3. Set the world to a mode your friends can reach: LAN if you are on the same network, otherwise the internet option.
4. Start the server and share the address shown with your friends.

Host & Play stops the moment you quit. Nobody can join while you are offline, and your machine is doing the simulation, so a bad connection for you is a bad connection for everyone.

Dedicated server

A dedicated server keeps a world online without you playing. The official server is a free separate download from terraria.org — it is a server component, not a copy of the game, so everyone still needs their own Terraria licence.

• It runs as a console application rather than a window with graphics.
• Its settings live in a plain text configuration file, which is where you set the world file, password and player limit.
• Because it has no graphics, it is the usual choice for a world that stays up between sessions.

Ports and forwarding

The dedicated server listens on TCP port 7777 by default. This single number explains most join failures.

If you change the port, everyone joining needs the new number. A friend who assumes 7777 will fail against a server running elsewhere.

Common join failures

Work through these in order rather than trying them at random — each one rules out a layer.

1. “Connecting” forever, then a timeout. The port is almost certainly not forwarded, or the host firewall blocked the first prompt. Terraria asks for firewall permission once; if that prompt was dismissed, the rule may never have been created.
2. Works on LAN but not over the internet. Forwarding is the missing piece, not the game.
3. Joins, then desynchronises or disconnects. Usually an unstable connection or a VPN. A VPN can split traffic so the game reaches the server by a different path than the one the host opened.
4. Friend connects to the wrong machine. If the host has more than one device, the forward has to point at the machine actually running the server.
5. Version mismatch refused. Both ends need the same game build. Check the version shown in the main menu against the version status page.

Console and mobile

Console and mobile do not use the PC server files, and they cannot join PC servers. Consoles rely on the platform’s own online service, which means a subscription where the platform requires one, and mobile players join other mobile players. The wider picture is on the crossplay page.