Windrose launched into early access on April 14, 2026, bringing its pirate-themed survival crafting adventure to Steam. One of the most common questions from players looking to assemble a crew is straightforward: how many people can actually play together at once?
Quick answer: Windrose supports up to 8 players on a self-hosted world and up to 32 on a dedicated server, but the developers strongly recommend groups of 4 or fewer for the best performance.
Windrose multiplayer player limits
The player cap in Windrose depends on how you host your game. When you self-host a world through the in-game "Host a game" option, up to eight players can connect simultaneously. Dedicated servers — available through providers like Nitrado — push that ceiling even higher, supporting up to 32 players on a single server.
That said, the developers at Kraken Express include an explicit performance warning on the Steam store page: "due to performance, especially in the late game, we recommend to play in the party up to 4 players for the optimal experience." In practice, going beyond four players can lead to noticeable FPS drops, texture loading issues, and general stuttering — particularly as your world becomes more complex with late-game content.
| Hosting method | Max players | Recommended players |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted (in-game) | 8 | 4 |
| Dedicated server (Nitrado) | 32 | 4 |
| Solo / Offline | 1 | 1 |
Online co-op only — no local or PvP modes
Windrose's multiplayer is strictly online co-op. There is no local split-screen option, and there is no PvP — you cannot fight other players or attack friendly ships. Every player in a session works cooperatively, which fits the game's PvE survival design. Each player needs their own PC and an internet connection to join.
The game is currently a PC exclusive on Steam, so cross-platform play with consoles is not a factor at this stage of early access.
How joining and hosting works
Step 1: From the main menu, select "Play" and then choose "Host a game." You can either create a new world or convert an existing solo world into a multiplayer session. Solo worlds can be opened to friends at any time without starting over.
Step 2: After selecting your world, the game generates an invite code. Share this code with friends so they can connect using the "Connect to server" option in their own Play menu. Once a friend joins for the first time, the server is saved in their list for easy reconnection later.
Step 3: Optionally, set a server name and password to prevent uninvited players from joining. There is currently no public server browser, so players can only join worlds when someone shares the invite code directly.
Character progress carries over between different worlds. If you play on a friend's server and later join another, your character's advancement comes with you.
Shared quest progress settings
Windrose includes a "Shared Quest Progress" toggle in the World Properties menu. When enabled, any quest marked as a "co-op quest" auto-completes for all players in the session who have that quest active, as soon as one player finishes it. The tutorial quest, for example, completes for everyone simultaneously since all players receive it at the start.
You can disable this toggle if your group prefers that each player completes quests independently. The World Properties menu also lets you customize enemy scaling, adjusting difficulty based on how many players are active on the server at any given time.
Can five players play together comfortably?
This is a common request from groups who regularly play survival games like Valheim or Enshrouded with five-person squads. Technically, yes — Windrose allows up to eight on a self-hosted world, so five is within the hard cap. But the developers' recommendation of four players exists for a reason. Performance degrades as player count rises, and five players sit right at the edge of that comfort zone.
Whether a five-player session runs smoothly depends on your hardware, how far you've progressed in the game, and how much you've built in your world. Early-game sessions with five players may run fine, while late-game worlds with extensive builds and more demanding boss encounters could struggle. Since Windrose is still in early access with an estimated 1.5 to 2.5 years of development remaining, performance optimizations may improve larger group play over time.
Windrose gives you flexibility in how you play — solo offline, a tight crew of four, or a larger group if you're willing to accept some performance trade-offs. For most players, sticking to four or fewer will deliver the smoothest experience while the game continues through its early access development cycle.