On the Terraria title screen, choose Multiplayer. Use Join via Steam for a friend’s Host & Play session, or choose Join via IP for a dedicated or public server and enter its address, port, and password. Terraria’s default server port is TCP 7777, unless the host configured another port.
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Choose the connection method that matches the server
Terraria has three practical ways to enter a multiplayer world on PC. The correct menu depends on how the host started the world, not on whether the world is private or public.
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| Route | What you need | Does the original host need to stay online? | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Join via Steam | A Steam friend running Multiplayer > Host & Play; a password if the host set one | Yes. The Host & Play session ends when that host leaves. | Quick sessions with Steam friends |
| Join via IP | The server’s IP address, TCP port, and any password or login details | No, if the server is a separate dedicated process | Direct connections, public servers, or a home-hosted server |
| Dedicated server | The address and port of a separately running Terraria server | No. The server process can continue independently. | Persistent worlds and larger groups |
A dedicated server is software that runs outside the normal Host & Play game session. Windows installations include server software, and official dedicated-server files are available from terraria.org. Joining one still uses Join via IP; “dedicated” describes how the server is hosted, not a separate join button.
Join a friend’s Steam Host & Play world
This is the least complicated option when the host and players already use Steam. The host creates the session first, then the other player selects that friend from Terraria’s Steam list.
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What the host does
- From Terraria’s title screen, select Multiplayer.
- Choose Host & Play.
- Select an existing world or create a new one.
- Set a password if you want to restrict entry, then finish starting the world.
Keep Terraria running while friends connect. Host & Play is tied to that active game session: when the host exits, the world shuts down for everyone else.
What the joining player does
- Open Terraria and select Multiplayer.
- Choose Join via Steam.
- Select the hosting friend in the Steam friend list.
- Open the small triangle or drop-down beside the friend’s name and click Join Game.
- Enter the host’s password if Terraria asks for it, then wait for the world to load.
If the friend does not appear, confirm that the host has completed Host & Play rather than merely launching Terraria or opening a world in single-player. The Steam route depends on the host account being visible to the joining player.
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Use this route when the host gives you a server address directly, when you are joining a public server, or when a dedicated server is running separately from a player’s game.
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Enter the address and port
- At the title screen, select Multiplayer.
- Select the character you want to use.
- Choose Join via IP.
- Enter the server’s IP address exactly as supplied by the host or server operator.
- Enter the port in the port field. Terraria’s default is TCP 7777; use a different number if the operator configured one.
- Submit the connection and enter the server password when prompted.
Do not replace a stated port with 7777 automatically. The default is useful only when the operator has not changed it. An address and port are a pair: using the right IP with the wrong port reaches a different service—or nothing at all.
Public-server requirements
Public servers can impose rules that are separate from Terraria’s connection screen. An operator may require a particular character difficulty, an account registration step, or a server-specific login. Read the server’s instructions before repeatedly retrying a connection that appears to succeed but refuses your character.
Joining a dedicated server
A dedicated server runs as its own Terraria server process. Because it is separate from a player’s Host & Play session, the world can remain available after the person who started it leaves the game. The operator may run the process on a Windows PC or use the official server files obtained from terraria.org.
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Information to request from the operator
- The reachable IP address or hostname.
- The listening TCP port; use 7777 only when the operator confirms the default is still in use.
- The server password, if one is set.
- Any required character difficulty, registration, or login procedure.
- The Terraria version or mod setup the server expects.
How you connect
There is no special “dedicated” option in Terraria’s multiplayer menu. Select a character, choose Join via IP, and enter the operator’s address and port. A server that is running independently can accept you even when its administrator is not currently playing, provided the process and network connection remain available.
What the host must configure for Internet players
Joining over the Internet is different from joining a friend listed through Steam. A home-hosted server normally sits behind the household router’s network address translation (NAT). In that arrangement, the host generally has to forward the Terraria port from the router to the computer running the server.
Port forwarding
The host should create a router forwarding rule for the server’s configured TCP port—7777 by default—to the local network address of the Terraria server computer. Router interfaces use different names and layouts, so the exact clicks vary by model. The important values are the protocol (TCP), the external port players will use, the internal destination computer, and the internal port used by Terraria.
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If the operator deliberately chose another port, friends must use that number in Join via IP. Forwarding 7777 while the server listens elsewhere will not work.
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The computer running the server may also block incoming connections. The host should allow the Terraria server application—or its configured TCP port—through the operating-system firewall. A successful local launch does not prove that outside players can reach it; the firewall and router each have to permit the traffic.
Which address friends should use
Players outside the host’s home network generally need the host’s external Internet IP address, not the server computer’s private address inside the home network. The host should provide the external address together with the forwarded port and password. Players on the same local network may be given a local address instead, depending on the network setup.
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Steam Host & Play versus IP or dedicated hosting
| Consideration | Steam Host & Play | IP or dedicated server |
|---|---|---|
| Setup effort | Low: the host selects Host & Play and friends use the Steam friend list. | Higher for a home server because the operator may need router forwarding and firewall permission. |
| Host availability | The host must remain in the session; leaving ends the world. | A separate dedicated process can keep the world available without the original player. |
| Steam dependence | Uses the Steam friend list and the Join via Steam menu. | Players connect with an address and port, regardless of the Steam friend-list route. |
| Router forwarding | Not normally part of the Steam friend-list workflow. | Commonly required when friends connect to a server hosted behind residential NAT. |
| Persistence | Limited to the active Host & Play session. | Suitable for a world intended to run while the operator is away, assuming the server process stays online. |
| Rules and access | The host controls the session and can set a password when starting it. | The operator controls the listening port, password, and any public-server requirements. |
For a short cooperative session, Steam is usually the fastest path. Choose a dedicated or directly addressed server when persistence, independent administration, or public access matters more than the extra network setup.
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Troubleshoot a failed connection
Work from the simplest causes to the network configuration. Change one thing at a time so you know which correction fixed the problem.
The friend is missing from Join via Steam
- Ask the host to verify that the world was started through Multiplayer > Host & Play, not just opened in single-player.
- Confirm that both players are looking at the same Steam account relationship and that the host has not already closed the session.
- If the host left Terraria, start a new Host & Play session before trying the friend list again.
“Connection failed” when using an IP
- Check every character in the IP address and confirm that you selected the intended character before choosing Join via IP.
- Verify the port with the operator. The default is TCP 7777, but a configured non-default port must be entered exactly.
- Ask whether the server process is currently running and listening on that port.
- For a home-hosted Internet server, have the host confirm router port forwarding to the correct computer and an operating-system firewall exception.
- Confirm that the host supplied the external address for Internet players rather than a private home-network address.
The password is rejected
Have the operator restate the current password and check whether the server was restarted with a different configuration. Public servers can also require registration or a separate login, so a correct connection password may not be sufficient.
The server accepts the connection but refuses the player
Check the server’s stated character-difficulty requirement and any registration or login rule. Public operators can enforce requirements that are not part of Terraria’s standard address-and-port prompt.
Only some players can connect
That pattern usually points to an address or network-path difference rather than a world-selection problem. Compare the working player’s address and port with the failing player’s entries, then have the host verify that the router forwards the configured port and that the firewall rule applies to the active server computer.
Players are using incompatible setups
Everyone should confirm that their Terraria game and any mods or server-side configuration are compatible with the server. A server can be online and reachable while still refusing a client with a mismatched version or mod setup.
Quick Recap
Port, capacity, and session facts to remember
- Default port: TCP 7777, unless the operator changed it.
- Player limit: the official server documentation lists a default maximum of 16 players; the limit can be changed in server startup or configuration settings.
- Host dependency: a Host & Play world ends when its host leaves.
- Dedicated operation: a separately running server does not require the original Host & Play player to remain connected.
- Home Internet hosting: residential NAT commonly means router port forwarding is needed, in addition to allowing the server through the host computer’s firewall.
A quick join checklist
- Identify whether the world is Host & Play, a direct IP server, or a dedicated server.
- For Steam, open Multiplayer > Join via Steam, select the friend, open the adjacent drop-down, and choose Join Game.
- For an address-based server, open Multiplayer > Join via IP, select your character, and enter the supplied IP and port.
- Use TCP 7777 only when the operator has not specified another port.
- Enter the password and complete any stated registration, login, or character-difficulty requirement.
- If the attempt fails, verify that the server is running, the address and port are correct, and—on a home-hosted Internet server—forwarding and firewall access are configured.
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