Terraria Mobile Multiplayer Not Working? 7 Fixes for Android (2025)

You're ready to build, explore, and fight bosses with friends. You tap the multiplayer button, wait for the connection, and… nothing happens. Or worse, you get a "connection failed" error that makes zero sense.

Terraria mobile multiplayer fails because of network issues, incompatible settings, or version mismatches between devices. Most problems happen when both Android phones aren't on the same WiFi network, when Port 7777 gets blocked by your router, or when one player runs an outdated game build.

The good news? You don't need tech skills to fix these issues. This guide covers three connection methods: WiFi LAN for playing with someone in the same room, Server Host for creating your own game session, and Online Co-op for joining friends over the internet.

Let's get your multiplayer working so you can actually play the game instead of fighting with connection errors.

WiFi LAN Connection Problems

Why Your WiFi LAN Isn't Working

WiFi LAN stops working when your router blocks device-to-device communication or when one phone secretly uses mobile data instead of WiFi. Both Android devices must connect to the exact same wireless network, not just networks with similar names.

Routers sometimes enable a feature called AP Isolation that prevents connected devices from seeing each other. It's a security thing, but it kills local multiplayer completely. You'll sit there refreshing the server list forever because your phone literally can't detect the host.

Dual-band routers create another headache. If your friend connects to the 5GHz band while you're on 2.4GHz, you're technically on different networks even though the WiFi name looks identical. Terraria can't bridge that gap.

Mobile data causes sneaky problems too. Android loves switching to cellular when WiFi feels slow, even for just a second. That brief switch breaks the local connection and kicks you from the session.

Turn off mobile data completely on both Android devices. Swipe down from the top, tap the mobile data icon until it grays out, then check WiFi settings to confirm you're connected.

The host needs to select "Host & Play" from the multiplayer menu, not the regular play option. This tells Terraria to broadcast the server on your local network. Pick your world, set it to "Friends" or "Public," then wait.

The joining player should wait 30 to 60 seconds after opening the server list. Sometimes Terraria takes a minute to scan the network and find active sessions. Refresh the list if nothing appears after a full minute.

Server Host Setup Issues

Fixing "Unable to Connect to Host" Errors

Server Host problems happen when Port 7777 is blocked or the IP address is incorrect. Terraria uses Port 7777 as the default connection channel, and if your firewall or router blocks it, nobody can join your session even with the right IP.

Finding your IP address confuses people, but it's simple. Open Settings, tap "About Phone," then tap "Status" or "IP Address." You'll see something like 192.168.1.8 or 10.0.0.5. That's your local IP, and it's what friends need to type in the "Join by IP" screen.

Android firewalls and antivirus apps love blocking game ports for "security." They don't ask permission, they just do it. You won't get an error message explaining why connections fail, everything just times out.

Minimizing Terraria while hosting breaks things more often than you'd think. Android aggressively kills background processes to save battery, and that includes your server. Keep the app in the foreground with the screen on.

Here's the step-by-step for hosting a session properly. Open Terraria and select "Multiplayer" from the main menu. Choose "Host & Play" instead of the regular world selection.

Pick the world you want to play on. Go to your phone's Settings app (not Terraria settings) and find your IP address under About Phone > Status. Write it down or screenshot it.

Share that IP with whoever wants to join. They'll type it into the "Join by IP" option in their Terraria multiplayer menu. Make sure you keep your screen on and Terraria visible while people connect.

If you're trying to host for people outside your home network, you'll need to set up port forwarding. Log into your router (usually by typing 192.168.1.1 in a browser), find the port forwarding section, and create a rule for Port 7777 pointing to your phone's local IP. This gets complicated, so stick to local WiFi connections unless you really need internet hosting.

Online Co-op Connection Failures

Resolving Friend List and Internet Connection Issues

Online Co-op fails when players use different game versions or privacy settings block connections. Re-Logic pushes updates frequently, and if your friend downloaded Terraria a week after you did, there's a good chance you're running incompatible builds.

Account linking causes silent failures too. Terraria on Android ties into Google Play Games for the friends list and cloud saves. If you never signed in or your account got disconnected somehow, the Online Co-op option won't work even though everything else seems fine.

Privacy settings hide your sessions from friends by default. When you create a world, Terraria asks if you want it set to "Invite Only," "Friends," or "Public." If you picked "Invite Only" and forgot to send invites, nobody can join. The world won't show up in their server list at all.

Internet stability matters more for Online Co-op than the other connection methods. You're sending game data through the internet instead of just across your WiFi router. Laggy connections or packet loss will cause random disconnects that feel like bugs but are actually network problems.

Common Error Solutions

"Version Mismatch" Error: This one's straightforward but annoying. Both players need to open Google Play Store right now and check for Terraria updates. Install any available updates, then clear the app cache to make sure old files don't linger.

After updating, restart both devices completely. Don't just close the app, actually power off and turn back on. This clears any cached network data that might reference the old version.

"Failed to Join World" Error: The host needs to check world privacy settings first. Open the world in single-player, pause the game, go to Settings, and verify it's not set to "Invite Only." Change it to "Friends" at minimum.

Next, disable battery optimization for Terraria. Go to Settings > Apps > Terraria > Battery > Battery Optimization and select "Don't optimize." Android kills network connections when it thinks an app is using too much power.

Android 12 and newer require a "Nearby Devices" permission for local network features. Go to Settings > Apps > Terraria > Permissions and make sure Nearby Devices is allowed. This permission didn't exist in older Android versions, so you might not see it.

Sometimes your social account link breaks silently. Open Terraria settings, find the Social or Account section, and re-link your Google Play Games account. Sign out then sign back in to refresh the connection.

Additional Fixes That Work

When standard troubleshooting doesn't work, these alternative methods usually solve the problem. They're not in the official guides, but they work.

Nuclear Option Fixes:

1. Restart everything: Power off both phones completely (not just restart), turn off your router for 30 seconds, then turn the router back on, wait for it to fully boot, then power on the phones. This clears every possible cached network state.
2. Mobile hotspot method: One player enables mobile hotspot on their phone, the other connects to that hotspot like it's WiFi, then you use WiFi LAN connection. This bypasses router issues entirely and works surprisingly well.
3. Reinstall Terraria: Before you do this, go to Settings > Backup and save your worlds to the cloud. Then uninstall Terraria, restart your phone, reinstall from Google Play Store, and restore your saves. Fresh install fixes corrupted files.
4. Lower graphics settings: Sometimes lag causes disconnects that look like connection errors. Open Settings in Terraria, reduce lighting quality to "Retro" or "White," and lower frame skip. Less graphical stress means more stable connections.
5. Disable frame skip: Counterintuitively, turning frame skip OFF can improve connection stability. Go to Settings > Video and set Frame Skip to "Off." This synchronizes game timing better between devices.

Prevention Tips:

Keep both devices charged above 50% battery. Low power mode throttles network performance and can cause random disconnects that seem like bugs.

Close all background apps before hosting or joining. Instagram, YouTube, and music apps running in the background eat up network bandwidth and processing power that Terraria needs.

Use stable WiFi, not public networks. Coffee shop WiFi and hotel networks often block device-to-device communication completely. Your home router is always the better choice.

Save frequently during multiplayer sessions. Terraria auto-saves, but you can force a save by pausing and returning to the main menu. If you disconnect, you won't lose as much progress.

Helpful Resources

When Nothing Works

If you've tried everything in this guide and Terraria mobile multiplayer still won't connect, the problem might be beyond your control. Check the official Terraria forums or Reddit communities to see if others report the same issue with your specific Android device or game version.

Sometimes Re-Logic introduces bugs in updates that break multiplayer temporarily. The community usually identifies these within days and either finds workarounds or confirms you need to wait for a patch.

You can also try playing on different WiFi networks. If multiplayer works at a friend's house but not yours, the problem is definitely your router configuration and not the game.