Connection issues with Windrose are frustrating because the game doesn't always give you a helpful error message. Sometimes it says nothing at all – you enter the invite code and just... nothing happens. I've seen most of the common causes at this point, so let's run through them.
Complete the Tutorial First
This is the number one cause, and it trips up almost everyone.
Windrose requires you to finish the singleplayer tutorial before you can join a multiplayer server. If you haven't completed it, entering an invite code will silently fail. No error popup, no message, nothing. The game just doesn't connect.
Boot up a singleplayer world, play through the initial tutorial sequence until the game explicitly tells you multiplayer is unlocked, and then try connecting again. It's annoying, but it's how the game works right now.
Infinite Loading Screen When Joining a Friend
This one catches people off guard because it seems obvious in hindsight. If the person hosting loaded their save in Solo/Offline mode, nobody else can join – the game simply doesn't open the server for connections. There's no error on the joining player's side, just an infinite loading screen or a silent fail back to the menu.
The fix: the host needs to back out to the main menu and re-open the same save using Host a Game with a password set. The world data carries over fine – it's just a different launch mode. If you created your world in singleplayer to do the tutorial (which is the recommended approach), you still need to switch to Host a Game afterwards for multiplayer to work.
On a LOW.MS dedicated server this doesn't apply – the server always runs in multiplayer mode. But if one of your players is trying to host from their own PC and people can't join, this is probably why.
Invite Code Problems
Windrose uses invite codes instead of IP:port connections. There's no server browser. This is cleaner in some ways but introduces its own issues.
The codes are case-sensitive. A lowercase a and an uppercase A are different characters. If you're reading the code off someone's screen or a Discord message, double-check the casing. Copy-paste when possible.
If you get a message saying the server is "not available yet," that usually means the server hasn't finished its first boot. Windrose takes a bit to fully initialize, especially on the very first startup. Give it a few minutes.
Your invite code is visible in the LOW.MS Control Panel at control.low.ms under Service Settings. If you're not sure what the code is, check there rather than guessing. For a walkthrough of the whole invite code process, there's a dedicated guide.
Version Mismatch
Both the game client and the dedicated server need to be on the same version. Windrose is in Early Access, so updates happen frequently. If your client auto-updated through Steam but your server is still on the previous version, you won't be able to connect.
Log into control.low.ms, go to your Windrose service, and click Steam Update in the sidebar. Run the update, restart the server, then try again. This fixes it more often than people expect.
Tell your players to check for updates too. Steam usually handles this automatically, but sometimes it doesn't grab the update until you manually verify the game files.
Server Not Fully Loaded
Windrose isn't instant. The server needs time to load the world, especially if it's a large save with lots of structures. If you try connecting before the server is ready, it'll either refuse the connection or time out.
Go to Web Console in the panel and watch the log output. You're looking for messages indicating the server has finished loading and is ready to accept connections. Don't try joining until you see that.
After a server restart or update, I'd give it at least two to three minutes before attempting to connect. Longer if it's a mature world with significant builds.
DNS and Network Issues
Sometimes it's not the server at all – it's your local network.
Windrose connects through a relay for multiplayer, and some DNS providers block the domains it needs to reach. NextDNS in particular has been confirmed to block windrose.support by default, which kills the connection silently. If you're using a third-party DNS service, either whitelist that domain or switch to something more permissive.
Try switching to Google's DNS servers (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare's (1.1.1.1). On Windows:
- Open Settings > Network & Internet > your connection > DNS server assignment
- Switch to manual and enter 8.8.8.8 (preferred) and 8.8.4.4 (alternate)
After changing DNS, open a command prompt and run ipconfig /flushdns to clear the cache. Then restart Windrose and try again.
VPN and Proxy Interference
VPNs can interfere with the P2P relay that Windrose uses for multiplayer. If you're running a VPN, try disconnecting it and connecting to the server directly. Some VPNs work fine, others don't – it depends on how they handle UDP traffic and relay connections.
Same goes for proxy software. If you've got anything sitting between your PC and the internet that inspects or redirects traffic, it's worth disabling temporarily to test.
Firewall Blocking the Game
Windows Firewall or third-party security software might be blocking WindroseServer-Win64-Shipping.exe or the game client itself. Check your firewall rules and make sure Windrose is allowed through for both inbound and outbound UDP traffic.
Some routers have their own security features that can interfere too – Spectrum's "Security Shield" has been reported as a culprit. If you've ruled out everything else, check your router's admin panel for anything that might be filtering game traffic.
On a LOW.MS server, the firewall is already configured correctly – this is only relevant on your local PC.
Mod Mismatches
If the server is running mods, every player connecting needs the same mods installed at the same versions. A mismatch will either prevent connection or cause weird behavior after joining.
Check which mods are installed on the server via File Manager in the panel, and make sure everyone's local mod setup matches. The mods installation guide covers this in detail.
Delete Local Save Data (Nuclear Option)
If absolutely nothing else works and you've been through everything above, there's one more thing to try. Corrupted local save data can occasionally prevent connections, especially if you played during the demo or an earlier build.
Delete (or rename, if you're cautious) this folder:
C:\Users\{YourUsername}\AppData\Local\R5\Saved\SaveProfiles
This wipes your local character data. You'll lose singleplayer progress, but it can unblock multiplayer connections that nothing else fixes. Your server-side world and progress are stored on the server, not locally, so those are safe.
If you're running a dedicated server and it's the server itself that won't accept connections, you can try the same thing server-side – delete the R5/Saved folder via File Manager in the panel. Obviously back up first with Cloud Backup. This is genuinely a last resort.
Still Stuck?
If none of the above helped, the general troubleshooting guide covers additional scenarios including config file problems and performance issues. Sometimes it really is just Early Access being Early Access – the game is still in active development and the devs have acknowledged that connectivity issues are being worked on. Each patch should improve things.