Multiplayer Issues

Are you shutting down all non-essential programs before launching the game? Things like anti-virus, firewalls, overlays from graphics tweaking or monitoring programs, as well as chat programs, have all been known to cause issues.

Have you tried switching who is hosting? You may be able to test in a new game or have the current host provide the latest save from an existing playthrough, if applicable.

Each save is a folder in the 'C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\PlayerProfiles\Public\Savegames\Story' folder. The fastest way to get there would be to copy the following line into the location bar in Explorer and hit Enter: %LocalAppData%\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\PlayerProfiles\Public\Savegames\Story

If applicable, have you tried testing in pairs to check if the issue is just with a specific system, particular combinations, or everyone?

If the host proceeds into character creation, does that work any better than joining in the game lobby?

Have you tried at different times of the day, especially off-peak hours, in case either ISP is having bandwidth issues, or is throttling, etc?

Try creating a multiplayer lobby, then exit back to the main menu and try joining.

If all players are using Steam, or all GOG, have you tried joining by invitation as well as the online lobby? There is also Direct Connection using a Server ID or IP address.The host can get the Server ID in the lobby of a new game or the Session Settings after loading a save.

LAN may be an option, but if you are not on the same local network, it would require VPN software, such as Hamachi, or similar.

Try switching between a wired and wifi connection, if available, to see if that makes a difference.

If possible, testing with a mobile phone's wifi hotspot feature / USB tethering, or other available network, could help confirm if it is a network or system issue.

Try verifying local files: in the Steam library, right click on the game and select Properties, switch to the Local Files tab and then click on the 'Verify Integrity of Game Files...' button. If you are using the GOG version, in the Galaxy client, select the game, then the settings icon at the top right, beside the Play button and under Manage Installation, select 'Verify / Repair'.

Does anyone have any mods installed, or were you using any in previous game versions? If so, try completely removing them. Check the 'Mods' and 'Public' folders in the '..\SteamApps\common\Baldurs Gate 3\Data' folder, etc; and if present, both folders are safe to delete.

If you can not connect to anyone else, try starting the game and switch to windowed display mode and lower the game resolution. Then from the main menu click on Multiplayer, switch to the LAN tab, and create a lobby. In the Lobby Settings on the right, make sure LAN connections are enabled. Next, start another instance of the game directly from the bg3.exe or bg3_dx11.exe executable, in the '..\SteamApps\common\Baldurs Gate 3\bin' folder,  then when it loads select Multiplayer, switch to the LAN tab,  and try joining. With only the local networking involved and identical data, that should work.

Try resetting your network adapters. To do this, click Start or if using Win 10 click Search. Next type ‘cmd’ into the search box, then click Command Prompt and select run as administrator. Type ’netsh winsock reset’ and hit enter. When that is done, there should be a message 'Winsock reset completed successfully'. At that point, type ‘exit’, hit enter and reboot your computer.

If applicable, in your routers try enabling UPnP. Check if there is a DMZ function, or any NAT settings you can adjust. Whoever is hosting can try setting up port forwarding in their router to connect to the PC (ports 23253-23262 and 23243-23252).

 

If that doesn't help, please reply with a dxdiag report, preferably for at least the host and any of the other systems. Press WinKey-R, type in dxdiag and hit enter, then when it finishes loading click on the 'Save All Information...' button and save the report somewhere handy to then attach to your email to support. Also check the respective '..\Baldurs Gate 3\bin' folder for the network.log and gold.log files to include.