MULTIPLAYER CO-OP

Two commanders. One house.

Share a base, an army and a treasury. Build your colony while a friend leads the attack, or bring a QuantBot partner. Play a campaign together, carry on to the next mission, and save your progress for another session.

How to Host Join a Friend

Build requirement

Use the same current release on both clients. The desktop game and browser edition can share online campaign and custom lobbies. Both players need matching versions and mod content.

Download the desktop release or play in your browser. These instructions cover the current campaign and custom-game menus; Android uses a separate release.

Share control

Both players command the same house, with shared units, buildings and credits. Agree who handles construction and who handles combat.

Human or QuantBot

Open the second controller slot for a friend, or select QuantBot Easy, Medium, Hard, Brutal or Defend.

Keep your progress

Campaign partners continue to the next mission together. Host a saved campaign when you want to pick up where you left off.

Play with AI support

Open Campaign → Offline, choose a house and mod, then use AI partner. Choose Dune City to include city management. Enemy AI is a separate setting that changes your opponent.

AI Support

Easy, Medium, Hard and Brutal support partners build and manage your economy while you command combat units. This is the choice when you want help with the base and city while learning the battles.

Full QuantBot partner

QuantBot Easy, Medium, Hard or Brutal also commands combat units and launches attacks. QuantBot Defend develops the economy and defends the base.

None

You handle construction, city management, production and combat yourself. Try an Easy enemy while learning the opening.

All partners share your house’s credits, buildings and units. The AI’s purchases use the same treasury as yours. A full QuantBot can issue army orders too; choose AI Support if you want to keep combat in your hands. Read the city economy and strategy guide to understand what it is managing.

For custom games, enable Shared house and choose a support bot or QuantBot in your house’s second controller slot. A bot in a different house on your team is an ally with its own economy.

FOR THE HOST

Start a campaign together

  1. Choose Campaign, then Online

    Open Campaign from the main menu and select Online. You can also enter your player name in Join Online and choose Create Campaign.

  2. Choose your campaign

    Pick your house, mod, starting mission and enemy difficulty. Choose Full campaign and adjust Game Rules if needed. Choose Private - invite code for a friend or Public - anyone to list the lobby.

  3. Create the lobby

    Choose Create Lobby. Your name occupies Player 1. Leave Player 2 open for your friend. Use Copy code to share the invite code; both controller slots belong to your selected house.

  4. Start when your partner is ready

    Wait for your friend's name to appear in Player 2, then choose Start Campaign. The game checks the players' versions and mod settings before the countdown and shared mission begin.

FOR THE SECOND PLAYER

Join your friend's house

  1. Use the same build and mod

    Use the same version as the host. Choose the matching mod in Join Online; manage installed mods in Extras → Mods. For a Dune City campaign, both players should use Dune City.

  2. Join by code or find a public lobby

    Open Join Online and enter your player name. Paste your friend's invite code and choose Join with code. For a public lobby, use the campaign filter, select the game and choose Join Game.

  3. Check your shared house

    Your name should appear beside the host under the same house. Wait for the host to choose Start Campaign. Both players load the same mission and can control the house together.

Host a custom game, allied match or single mission

For one campaign mission, open Campaign and choose Single mission and Online. Pick the mission and create the lobby. The same joining steps apply.

For a custom map, open Custom Game, browse the map list and preview, select the map and mod, then choose Online. Enable Shared house if you want to control a house together. Choose Players, then leave an open player slot for your friend, choose Create Lobby, and use Start Game once everyone has joined.

For separate allied houses, assign the same team in Players. For opponents, use different teams. Shared house gives both controllers the same units, buildings and treasury; being on the same team alone does not. Agree who handles construction and combat before starting.

Save, reload and continue

Use Options → Save Game during play. To reopen a multiplayer save, return to Load Game → Online saves and choose the file.

Reopen the lobby

The saved game opens its hosting setup. Let your partner join again before starting the resumed game.

Keep the matching content

Use matching game versions and the same mod on both clients. The host needs the saved game file.

Save before ending a session and keep a copy of the host’s file. Online games continue while menus and guides are open. The earlier 1.0.681 release pass did not verify multiplayer save/resume or play across different networks; its local browser/desktop campaign hosting check used the preceding 1.0.673 candidate.

If you cannot find or join a game

The lobby is missing

Private games are joined with an invite code. For a public game, check the campaign/custom and mod filters in Join Online, then refresh the list. The host must have selected Create Lobby.

The game reports a version or mod mismatch

Use the same game release and mod on both clients. Match any custom mod settings or files too, then rejoin the lobby.

The lobby appears, but the connection fails

Check that your firewall allows the game or browser to connect. Online play uses a direct connection between players, which some networks may block. Try a different network if the connection cannot be established. Desktop LAN and direct-IP connections are available separately from Join Online.

Need a hand? Join the community on Discord.