Quick answer
[Official] Before joining, wait until the host has started the session and their character is loaded into the world. Confirm that the host has no connection warning in the lower-left corner, check that the joining PC is online, then fully close and reopen Big Walk on the joining device. If the connection still fails, have the host fully close and reopen the game as well.
Run the official connection checklist
- Ask the host to enter the world before anyone tries to join.
- Check the host's lower-left corner for a connection warning. Resolve the host's internet problem before retrying.
- Confirm that the guest PC can reach other online services.
- Fully quit Big Walk on the guest PC, reopen it, and try the active friend game or current Join Code again.
- If that fails, fully quit and reopen Big Walk on the host's device, start the session, wait until the host is in the world, and retry.
Check the session and version
[Official] A new Join Code is generated each time the host starts a session, so an older code may no longer identify the active session. Big Walk version numbers use three parts; the first two numbers must match between players, while the third number may differ.
What players are reporting
[Community-reported] The cited Steam topic displayed 25 comments from launch-week players describing timeouts, failed reconnects, and groups that could not get every member back into one session. These reports establish that the problem is repeated, but they do not establish one cause or one reliable workaround.
[Community-tested, single report] One identifiable player says they restarted the PC, reinstalled the game, and verified the installed files without resolving the timeout. That negative test applies only to the reported setup; it does not prove those actions can never help a different failure.