PC [WORKAROUND] If you have no invite code button read this

[Sallana]

I just wanted to share this for people struggling with the no invite code bug on PC. If this is not the right place for the post I apologize.

On Sunday, GOG servers went down and it seemed like no one could play co-op games. I was in the middle of a binge session with a couple friends and we weren't ready to let it go. When googling the issue we also came across the many bug reports and never saw the server issue, so we thought it was just a bug we were all stuck with. So we came up with a solution that worked flawlessly.

This will 100% work if you are on PC.

ETA: 10 minutes

Overview:
For this workaround we are going to be using the LAN co-op option and in simple terms, basically tricking the game into thinking we and our friends are all on the same network by leveraging a VPN.

Step 1: You and all your friends should download Radmin VPN - https://www.radmin-vpn.com/
Step 2: The host should create a new network and give it a unique name & password and share it with their friends
Step 3: Have your friends connect to a private network and enter in the credentials provided. You should now all be on the same VPN.
Step 4: The host should open stardew and start hosting a co-op.
Step 5: The rest of the party can now open Stardew and click co-op and join LAN game. Enter in the IP next to the host's PC name.

That's it!

Here is the guide from Radmin:

Multiplayer Stardew Valley with Radmin VPN

radmin-club.com

They also have a very friendly discord server.

I do hope this helps some other people continue to enjoy this game with their buddies. Happy farming.

 

[imnvs]

This should also work with other VPN programs and servers.

Gotta say, also, that it's just a little suspicious that your first post is plugging a particular company instead of offering a generic fix and listing a couple companies' products that could help or saying, "and this is what I use". You know what I mean?

 

[Sallana]

This should also work with other VPN programs and servers.

Yep it should! This was the one I found while googling. Evolve was the one I tried first but it is no longer being maintained. Then I tried another one that was just a bit complex. This one was the easiest. But any software that lets you create a VPN should work fine.

Gotta say, also, that it's just a little suspicious that your first post is plugging a particular company instead of offering a generic fix and listing a couple companies' products that could help or saying, "and this is what I use". You know what I mean?

Oh come off it. I hit a wall and found a bug while playing a game I really enjoy, found a solution and wanted to share it with people who may be in a similar boat. I'm not a corporate shill, take off the tinfoil hat.

 

[imnvs]

Hey, I didn't report your post or scream into the internet about how you're an ad bot. I was just saying that you came off a bit off. Relax.

 

[Sallana]

Hey, I didn't report your post or scream into the internet about how you're an ad bot. I was just saying that you came off a bit off. Relax.

Bro I mean one look at your profile indicates that you have a history being problematic. You decided to accuse me of plugging software for profit instead of just genuinely trying to help because you like to cause drama. If you had taken like, literally any time to do your own research you'd see that the pool of software available for this use is fairly shallow but on top of that, the software I cited is completely free & ad free. So there's not even any benefit to plugging it aside from just wanting to share a useful tool. Thanks for not reporting my post and screaming into the internet, but you know exactly what you did.

 

[CryogenCrystals]

This should also work with other VPN programs and servers.

Gotta say, also, that it's just a little suspicious that your first post is plugging a particular company instead of offering a generic fix and listing a couple companies' products that could help or saying, "and this is what I use". You know what I mean?

Thanks for sharing this tip for folks Sallana, I'm sure it will be appreciated the next time someone runs into an issue like this and maybe other's can later expand with some added free VPN options. There is a help and guides section on the forum, it might make a good addition for mods to move there? As a VPN user (paid) I know the options for reliable free ones are indeed slim and a hassle to find (hence why I use paid, though a different VPN).

I think it is important not to jump on new posters with insinuations they will likely feel they must defend against, particularly when trying to be helpful--that kind of first experience on the forum can be off-putting, drive folks away, and/or lead to a quickly (understandable to some degree when provoked) devolving conversation. Some never come back afterwards, I know that was my first compulsion here when it happened, then I decided to call it out every time instead.

One thing people can do (I know it is hard not to react and upgrade) is to use the ignore button on the person's profile, and/or immediately report it. I myself had unblocked because of short-term improvement (was genuinely hopeful), I now realize it was premature.

If the OP were spamming the VPN name everywhere, that would be different, and I think the encouraged way to handle that is to report it and let the mods decide (bearing in mind it is a single post with significant context). To me, this post related directly to yesterday's GOG issue for which we had 4 separate threads created within a few hours, complaining of not being able to connect with friends to play. I'm sure those folks would appreciate any (particularly free) decent workaround for next time, so again thanks for posting it! If folks try this method out and finding it not to their liking, or find a better free VPN or other method, please do post it here, because that would be additive to post a helpful, informed experience/opinion to the already good suggestion.

The mods encourage anyone who encounters trolling/inflammatory behavior to report it, though keeping in mind that responses can be subject to the same.

 

[Magically Clueless]

I wanted to note the GOG servers (which PC SDV uses) went down a few days ago, but they went back up later, so that's the source of some of the frequent reports, though the "no co-op visible" issue has been present for some time and it does take trying a few different things if your internet isn't the problem. I appreciate the VPN suggestion! Another one that's worked for folks is to briefly change your Steam name (if you're playing on Steam) and seeing if that fixes the problem, then changing the name back. Even if your name is not offensive, we think it might be just something messing with GOG's servers and changing your name resets it

Also, it's already been said but let's all behave here and use our best intentions when interacting with others. We want this environment to be warm and welcoming, and people from all over will arrive with solutions. If you're suspicious of a post, it's better to just report it than comment about it. Of course, in this context (and the conversation that followed) the VPN link is fine. Similarly, if a post towards you is rude, it's better to just report that than reply (even though we understand that it is tempting to do so, we don't want the main topic to derail and we don't want you to break the rules either, so we'd rather just take care of it asap). If you ever have any other issues or concerns, feel free to talk to us about it.

 

[CryogenCrystals]

Thanks for clarifying and posting this solution MagicallyClueless! It's a good one for me to bookmark.

Edit: I also see an old VPN method (in case the renaming steam account thing doesn't work one day for some strange reason) that directly connects computers as if they were on a LAN. No idea if it would still be of any use or not, certainly what Magically Clueless mentioned is the first thing to try, but found it my googling and thought I'd post that workaround too for a rainy day situation:

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