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Freedom251 › Blog › Don't Starve Together

How to Join a Don’t Starve Together Server (Public, Friend, or LAN)

By Freedom251 Team · · 10 min read

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To join a Don’t Starve Together server, connect the game to your Klei account, choose Browse Games, search for the server by name or use filters, select it, and enter its password if the host set one. For a Steam friend’s world, the host can use Invite to Game, or you can right-click the host in your Steam friends list and choose Join Game. LAN worlds appear under the LAN tab; if one is missing, the host can provide its IP address and port for the c_connect console command.

The standard way to join a public server

The public-server browser is the normal route for worlds that the host has made visible. It does not require you to know an IP address, and it lets you narrow a long list with a name search or filters.

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  1. Connect to your Klei account. From the game’s opening screen, confirm that Don’t Starve Together is connected to a Klei account. The Playdigious Help Center identifies this as the first requirement.
  2. Open Browse Games. Choose Browse Games on the main screen. This opens the list of servers currently available to your game.
  3. Search or filter. Type the server name if the host gave you one, or apply filters to reduce the list. Server names can be similar, so compare the displayed name with the host’s exact spelling.
  4. Select the matching server. Check that the name and other visible details match what your host described, then select the entry.
  5. Enter the password, if prompted. A host can protect a server with a password. Type the password exactly as provided; capitalization and punctuation can matter.
  6. Join and wait for the world to load. Once accepted, the game connects you to that server. If the entry disappears or the connection fails, return to the troubleshooting section below rather than switching immediately to an IP command.

A password does not automatically make a server invisible. A password-protected world can still appear in the browser when the host’s visibility settings allow public listing; the password is simply checked when a player attempts to enter.

Joining a friend’s hosted world on Steam

If your friend is hosting a world through Steam, an invitation is usually faster than searching the browser. The host must be in the world for these join methods to work.

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Have the host send Invite to Game

  1. Ask the host to launch the world and remain in the game.
  2. Have the host open Steam’s friends interface and choose Invite to Game for your account.
  3. Accept the invitation through Steam. The game should open the appropriate connection flow.
  4. If the world is password-protected, enter the password the host selected.

Use Steam’s Join Game command

Klei forum guidance also describes a player-initiated option. Open your Steam friends list, right-click the friend who is hosting, and choose Join Game. This is useful when an invitation notification was missed or the host did not send one. The host still needs to be actively playing, and Steam-related joining depends on the server being configured to allow that functionality.

When the friend does not appear as joinable

  • Ask whether the host is currently inside the world rather than at a menu.
  • Have the host verify that the world was not configured as an offline or local-only cluster. Those modes can disable Steam functionality.
  • If the world is public, use Browse Games and search by its server name instead of relying on the Steam presence indicator.
  • Confirm that both players are using the intended platform combination. The game is sold on several platforms, but platform availability alone does not establish that every pair can share a server.

Joining a LAN server

LAN joining is intended for players on the same local network as the host. The host should already be playing before you look for the world.

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Use the LAN tab first

  1. Make sure the host has started the world and is in-game.
  2. On your own copy of Don’t Starve Together, choose Browse Games.
  3. Open the LAN tab rather than the normal public-server list.
  4. Select the host’s world when it appears and enter a password if one was configured.

A LAN listing is not expected to behave like a public listing. Looking only in the public tab can make a correctly configured local world seem absent.

Use the console when the LAN listing is missing

Klei forum guidance documents a direct fallback for a LAN server that does not appear in the tab. This requires cooperation from the host and should be used only for a server you are authorized to join.

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  1. Ask the host to open the cluster configuration and read the values named master_ip and master_port.
  2. Have the host send those values exactly. Do not substitute a guessed address or a port from a different world.
  3. Open the DST console on your computer.
  4. Enter the command with the supplied address and port: c_connect("IP address", port, "password").
  5. If the server has no password, omit the password argument as shown by the host’s configuration. Use the exact syntax and the exact port.

The console command is a technical fallback, not a replacement for the public browser. It does not make a local-only world available to people outside the local network, and an incorrect IP, port, or password will prevent the connection.

Why a server does not appear

Most missing-server problems are caused by the server’s visibility mode, the tab being used, or the host not being online in the way that a particular join method requires.

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The host chose local-only or offline access

Klei’s dedicated-server settings guidance describes an offline_cluster as a cluster that “will not be listed publicly, and only players on the local network will be able to join, and any steam-related functionality will not work.” In practical terms, a player outside the host’s LAN should not expect to find that world in Browse Games, and Steam invitations or the Steam Join Game action may not work.

Ask the host which access mode was selected. If it is local-only, use the LAN tab while connected to the same network, or use the host-provided IP and port with c_connect. If it is offline, Steam-based joining is not the appropriate method.

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You are looking in the wrong list

  • Public world: check the ordinary server list in Browse Games.
  • LAN world: check the LAN tab while the host is playing.
  • Steam friend world: use Invite to Game or Steam’s Join Game while the host is in the world.

The name search is too narrow

Search by the complete server name the host supplied. If no result appears, clear the search and filters and scan the unfiltered list. A typo, an extra space, or a filter that excludes the server can hide an otherwise visible entry.

The host is not currently playing

A friend-hosted session is tied to the host’s active game. Ask the host to enter the world before you try the Steam invitation, the Steam Join Game command, or the LAN tab.

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You expected a password-protected server to be hidden

Password protection and listing visibility are separate choices. A server can remain visible and request a password only after you select it. If the host intended a private, non-public world, they must use the corresponding local-only or offline visibility setting rather than relying on a password alone.

Your Klei account is not connected

The Help Center’s first step is connecting to a Klei account. Return to the game’s account connection flow, complete it, and then reopen Browse Games. Without that account connection, the standard browser path may not work as expected.

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Dedicated servers and persistent worlds

A dedicated server is a separate, advanced setup rather than another button in the ordinary server browser. Klei’s settings documentation identifies several values an administrator can configure, including the cluster name, password, LAN-only behavior, and offline mode.

Why groups use a dedicated server

A persistent dedicated world can remain available without the original host’s game client running. That is useful for a group that wants to return to the same world on its own schedule instead of waiting for one player to launch and host a session.

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What the administrator must decide

  • Cluster name: choose a distinctive name that players can search for without confusing it with similarly named worlds.
  • Password: decide whether players must provide one and distribute it only to the intended group.
  • LAN-only behavior: enable it when access should be limited to the local network; do not expect public listing from that mode.
  • Offline mode: understand that an offline cluster is not publicly listed, permits only local-network players, and does not provide Steam-related functionality.

How players join a dedicated world

For a publicly listed dedicated server, use the ordinary Browse Games flow, search for the configured cluster name, select it, and enter the password if required. For a LAN-only dedicated server, use the LAN tab from the same local network. If the LAN entry is absent, the administrator can provide master_ip and master_port for the authorized player to use with c_connect.

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Platform availability and cross-platform limits

Klei describes Don’t Starve Together as a standalone multiplayer expansion and lists versions for Steam, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, iOS, and Android. Klei’s product page also identifies the Apple App Store and Google Play alongside Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch.

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Those availability lists do not constitute a cross-platform compatibility matrix. The authoritative material does not state whether every listed platform combination can join the same server. Before promising that a particular pair can play together, verify the exact two platforms and the server’s supported connection method. If compatibility is uncertain, do not infer it from the fact that both devices have a DST release.

Which joining method should you use?

Method Server visibility Must the host be playing? Ease Password Platform note
Browse Games Publicly listed worlds Not stated as a universal requirement for every public server Browser search and filters; simplest general method Only when the host configured one Use only with a confirmed compatible platform pairing
Steam Invite to Game Friend-hosted Steam world with Steam functionality enabled Yes; the host sends the invite from the active session One-click invitation Enter it if the host enabled a password Steam-specific join path
Steam Join Game Friend-hosted Steam world with Steam functionality enabled Yes; the friend must be in the world Right-click friend, then choose Join Game Enter it if requested Steam-specific join path
LAN tab Local-network worlds Yes, for the normal LAN listing Open Browse Games and select LAN Enter it if configured Players must be on the host’s local network
c_connect Authorized direct connection, commonly used when a LAN listing is missing The host must supply current configuration values; normal LAN hosting still applies Technical; requires IP, port, and optional password Include the password argument only when one exists Not a way to bypass local-only restrictions

The table’s platform column intentionally avoids a universal promise: the available platform lists do not provide a current, pair-by-pair cross-play matrix.

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A practical troubleshooting checklist

If a public server is missing

  1. Confirm that your Klei account is connected.
  2. Open Browse Games, not only the LAN tab or Steam overlay.
  3. Clear the name search and filters, then search again using the exact name.
  4. Ask the host whether the world is public, local-only, or offline.
  5. Ask whether the host is already playing if you are trying to join a friend-hosted session.

If the password is rejected

  • Request the password again from the host and copy it exactly.
  • Check whether the host changed the password after you first received it.
  • Make sure you selected the intended server; similar names can lead to the wrong password prompt.

If a Steam invitation or Join Game action fails

  1. Have the host enter the world rather than waiting at a menu.
  2. Ask whether the cluster is offline or local-only; those settings can disable Steam functionality.
  3. Try the public browser if the world is meant to be publicly listed.
  4. If the world is LAN-only, move to the LAN tab and ensure both players are on the same local network.

If the LAN tab is empty

  1. Verify that the host is currently playing.
  2. Verify that both devices are on the same local network.
  3. Ask the host for master_ip and master_port from the cluster configuration.
  4. Use c_connect with those exact values and include the password argument only when required.
  5. If the command still fails, recheck every character in the IP, port, and password with the host; do not substitute a guessed port.

If players on different platforms cannot connect

First identify the exact platforms involved, such as Steam and Switch or Android and PlayStation. The published platform lists confirm availability, not compatibility between each pair. Treat cross-platform support as unverified until the specific combination is confirmed by the current platform documentation.

What to ask the host before you try to join

These five details eliminate most back-and-forth:

  • The exact server or cluster name.
  • Whether the world is public, Steam-hosted, LAN-only, or offline.
  • Whether the host is currently inside the world.
  • The password, if one is configured.
  • For a LAN fallback, the exact master_ip and master_port.

With those details, choose the method that matches the visibility mode instead of trying random tabs or an IP command on a server that was never configured for that kind of access.

Quick decision guide

  1. You have a public server name: connect your Klei account, open Browse Games, search, select, and enter the password.
  2. A Steam friend is hosting: ask for Invite to Game, or right-click the friend in Steam and choose Join Game.
  3. You are on the same local network: open Browse Games, select LAN, and choose the host’s world.
  4. The LAN world is not listed: obtain master_ip and master_port from the host and use c_connect with an optional password.
  5. You are outside the host’s network: a local-only or offline cluster will not be publicly listed; ask the host to use an access mode appropriate for remote players.

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