over the hill Multiplayer Loading: Portal & Server Checks

Identify where joining stops

Distinguish not seeing a session, failing to join it, and joining successfully but hanging during a later area transition. Record who hosted, who was affected and the last successful action. For the named portal case, whether the group camped earlier in that session is relevant. For an initial join, that history may not exist at all. Keep a short sequence rather than reporting only that multiplayer is broken.

OfficialFunselektor / Steam source

Retest the specific portal sequence on the current build

Have each participant finish the available Steam update before starting a normal session. Revisit the travel action once if it is safe to do so, and record whether the guest still hangs. This is a controlled confirmation of the named correction, not advice to recreate failures repeatedly. If the same sequence still fails, include the installed versions and host/guest roles in the report rather than assuming your router is the cause.

Official status: Portal after camping and server-list refresh cases named in October 16 release

FixedFunselektor / Steam source

Separate discovery from saved progress

The official FAQ says online objectives are tracked for each player. A friend reaching a checkpoint does not prove that you reached it too. Therefore a missing completion after joining may require checking the objective rather than rebuilding the lobby. Do not overwrite your save to solve a discovery problem. The FAQ's planned crossplay wording is not proof that every future console can join today's Steam session.

OfficialFunselektor developer / Steam source

When to stop local troubleshooting

If the group cannot establish one reproducible case, write down the available facts and use the official discussion/support channel. There is no evidence here requiring port forwarding, a VPN, antivirus exceptions or disabling a firewall. Do not present one friend's working connection as a universal service-health check. A remaining problem needs its own time, region and error details; this guide does not claim live server uptime.

Official status: Universal connection fix and live uptime unverified

OfficialFunselektor / Steam source