How to Fish black screen when joining: Fix Guide

For a black screen that occurs specifically while joining a multiplayer lobby, update How to Fish first, fully restart Steam and the game, check the Steam relay indicator, and have the host create a fresh lobby before inviting everyone again. This order follows the official patch evidence and the most relevant community retry report. If it still fails, record the version, host or joiner role, relay state, and exact loading stage rather than applying unrelated startup fixes at random.

Confirm which black-screen problem you have

The join-lobby black screen is not automatically the same as a black or gray screen when the game starts. The official notes separate a multiplayer joining issue from a gray screen caused by forced fullscreen at startup. Use the lobby sequence below when the main menu works and the screen becomes black only during or after joining.

Patch 1.0.4 lists an attempted fix for a black screen while joining a lobby. “Attempted fix” is important because it does not guarantee that every network state or later build is covered. The first diagnostic step is therefore confirming that both host and joiner are running the current game version.

Patch 1.0.9 later added a brief Steam connection diagnostic to the main menu. A red Steam relay indicator is a network clue, not proof of one universal cause. Record that state because it makes a report more useful and helps distinguish the lobby path from a purely local display failure.

Try the lobby recovery sequence

Begin with a clean restart of the relevant software. Fully close How to Fish and Steam rather than returning only to the main menu, then relaunch them and retry after confirming the update. This removes a stale session without changing game files or Windows settings.

1. Update How to Fish for both the host and every joining player.
2. Fully close How to Fish.
3. Restart Steam and then relaunch the game.
4. Check the Steam relay indicator on the main menu.
5. Have the host exit the game completely if the old lobby was still active.
6. Let the host relaunch and create a fresh lobby.
7. Send new invitations and retry the join.

The host-recreation step comes from a Steam discussion where affected players reported success after the host fully exited, relaunched, and invited the group into a new lobby. It is a community workaround rather than a developer-confirmed universal fix. Treat it as a controlled retry after the official update check.

What to record if it still happens

A useful report should describe the failed path precisely. State whether the affected player hosted or joined, whether the main menu loaded normally, and the exact moment the screen became black. Avoid combining this with a separate startup crash unless both symptoms actually occurred.

• Current How to Fish version for the host and joiner.
• Whether the affected player was the host or a joining client.
• Steam relay indicator state, including whether it was red.
• Whether lobby loading began or completed before the black screen.
• Whether controls, audio, or the application remained responsive, if directly observed.
• Whether a full host restart and fresh lobby changed the result.

The official announcement directs affected players toward the Community Discord common-bugs channel when the relay diagnostic shows a problem. Include only behavior you directly observed and the retry steps already completed. A clear version and role report is more actionable than claiming a cause the evidence does not establish.

Use PC startup checks only for startup symptoms

If How to Fish also black-screens, freezes, or crashes before the main menu, the provided videos offer a general Windows checklist. Fully close the game and restart Windows, then verify installed game files through Steam. Update the graphics driver through the official Nvidia, AMD, or Intel channel and apply Windows updates before retesting.

Other general checks include closing high-usage background programs, recording or overlay tools, and checking DirectX and Microsoft Visual C++ redistributables. The videos also demonstrate disabling Steam Overlay, updating the Steam client, restarting Steam as administrator, and clearing the download cache, which may require another sign-in. These are broad local diagnostics and are not demonstrated as specific repairs for the multiplayer join bug.

Running the executable as administrator is likewise a general launch test, not a confirmed lobby fix. Do not jump to it when the main menu works and only one host's lobby fails. Keep the symptom scope clear so that a successful or failed step produces useful evidence.

What the evidence does not confirm

The provided material does not establish one permanent cause, a guaranteed router setting, a port list, a launch option, a save-file repair, or a reinstall requirement for this join issue. It also does not prove that a red relay indicator always causes the black screen. Do not invent those fixes or erase local data based on the current evidence.

To be confirmed: whether the active patch fully resolves every lobby state, which network condition triggers remaining cases, and whether host and joiner roles fail differently. The safe evidence-based order remains update, full restart, relay check, fresh host lobby, retry, and detailed reporting. If the symptom occurs before the main menu instead, follow the separate local startup checklist and label it as a different problem.