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Multiplayer and Co-Op - Version 8 vs Version 9
Aug 26, 2026, 03:58 PM
Removed an unsupported claim that groups larger than eight players can be invited
Sep 21, 2026, 06:09 AM
Added the Autumn Update network rewrite, the connection quality indicator, longer tolerance of bad connections, the server config reset fix, and the store's host-or-peer-to-peer wording
11Romestead is built to be played either as a standalone single-player journey or as a cooperative experience. The world supports one to eight players, and difficulty scales depending on how many players are in the world.22Player Counts44The game is finely tuned for one to four players and scales for groups up to eight. Steam lists the game as supporting single-player, online co-op, and LAN co-op.6+The game is finely tuned for one to four players and scales for groups up to eight. Steam lists the game as supporting single-player, online co-op, and LAN co-op, and the store description says you can host your own server or connect peer to peer.77AspectDetailPlayers supported1 to 8Tuned for1 to 4 playersCo-op typesOnline co-op and LAN co-opCross-playNot applicable (PC-only)DifficultyScales to the number of players in the worldFriend invitesSteam friends menu (Steam Friend menu improvements landed in 0.20.2_5)Session privacyPassword setting for hosting (added 0.23.3_0)8+AspectDetailPlayers supported1 to 8Tuned for1 to 4 playersCo-op typesOnline co-op and LAN co-opCross-playNot applicable (PC-only)DifficultyScales to the number of players in the worldFriend invitesSteam friends menu (Steam Friend menu improvements landed in 0.20.2_5)Session privacyPassword setting for hosting (added 0.23.3_0)Connection qualityNetwork quality indicator and warning, including the quality of other players' connections (added in 0.26.1)99Specializing in Co-op1010Cooperative play is where role specialization shines. While solo players do a bit of everything, a co-op group can divide responsibilities so members focus on:1212Fighting the dead and biome bosses.Gathering and hauling heavy resources.Crafting at the Workbench, Blacksmith, Leatherworker, and Carpenter's Workshop.Farming and managing the Farmstead, Beehive, and food chain.Automating production via the Logistics Tent and Trading Post.Growing the settlement and recruiting citizens.1414Group Worship Choices1616Restoring the gods is also a group decision: players choose together which deities to empower. Because each god offers different buffs and technology unlocks, a co-op group usually picks one or two gods to focus on first. See The Gods and Worship.1818Network Changes in the Autumn Update20+Network optimisation was priority II on the Early Access roadmap, and the Autumn Update (0.26.1, August 31, 2026) delivered it. The patch notes list four changes, all marked as inspired by community feedback: the network code was made more efficient and responsive; it was made more stable and handles connection issues better; a network quality indicator and warning were added, including the ability to see the quality of other players' connections; and the game now tolerates longer periods of bad connection before disconnecting. The studio asked players who had been having connection problems to try the update and report whether it helped. Hotfix 0.26.1_3 (September 1, 2026) fixed the server config sometimes resetting. See Updates and Patches for the full lists.22+Dedicated Servers2024Standalone dedicated server software was released alongside the Early Access launch, letting players host their own persistent worlds from day one. The dedicated server runs without a player connected. The game also supports Steam Cloud and Family Sharing.2226A launch-week hotfix added a SleepThresholdMs config option for dedicated servers. It controls whether the server thread sleeps when load is low: the default of 10 lowers CPU use, accepted values run from 1.0 to 16.5, and setting it to -1 restores the previous behaviour that minimises timing jitter at the cost of using a full CPU core. The server thread also now sleeps while no players are connected, cutting idle CPU usage.2428World Persistence and Joining2630Each world stores its own state, including buildings, citizens, quest progress, and the seed visible via the }worldseed chat command. Players can join an existing world hosted by a friend through Steam, or via a direct IP for LAN play. Demo saves are not compatible with Early Access, so groups returning from the demo should start a new world together.2832Player graves: when you die, your gear is left at a grave in the world. A launch-week update made grave recovery more reliable: invalid grave markers are cleaned up when you reconnect, an unreachable grave can be relocated to the start of its dungeon, and if a grave is lost or destroyed the gravestone is recreated at the world spawn point the next time the world loads. This recreation was not applied to graves that were already lost before the fix.3034Group Tips3236Agree on the chosen first god before lighting the Altar: switching mid-progression wastes Worship Points.Assign a single player to citizen management; happiness and food are easier to maintain with one set of eyes on them.Use shared Storage Boxes with renamed labels (added in 0.21.1_3) to avoid confusion over where things go.In ranged/melee/magic mixed parties, route caster offerings through Diana once Vulcan is reserved for forging.3438For getting a group started, see Getting Started.
