How to Fish already supports 8 players since patch 1.0.4. The Nexus BepInEx mod patches the same ceiling, and 16 or 32-player claims are false.
How to Fish Multiplayer Mod: The Real 8-Player Cap
Quick answer: the official limit is 8 players, and has been since patch 1.0.4 on August 21, 2026. The multiplayer mod players search for is Nexus Mods entry #13, "How to Fish More Players", a BepInEx plugin that patches the lobby creation and connection limit functions and forces the ceiling to 8. That is what the vanilla game already allows, so on the current patch you do not need it. Do not believe the 16-player or 32-player claims on third-party blogs: neither the game nor any working mod goes past 8.
- Official cap: 8 players per lobby, plus private invite lobbies, since 1.0.4
- Steam store page still says 1 to 4 players, which is stale copy
- Mod ceiling: 8 players, identical to vanilla
- Mods need a local install, so cloud sessions are out
The Official Cap Is 8 Players, Not 4
Patch 1.0.4 raised lobbies from 4 to 8 players and added private invite lobbies, and nothing since has lowered that ceiling. The confusion comes from the Steam store page, which still lists co-op as 1 to 4 players.
Official source: How to Fish on Steam — store page co-op text still reads 1 to 4 players
The practical consequence: players who trust the store page assume they need a mod to fit a sixth friend, when the vanilla game already accepts eight.
| Date | Patch | Lobby size |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-20 | Launch | 4 players |
| 2026-08-21 | 1.0.4 | 8 players, private invite lobbies |
| 2026-09-01 | 1.0.11 | No change; voice and connection fixes |
| 2026-09-04 | 1.0.12 | No change; MetaVoice 4.3 voice fix |
Claim vs Reality
Three different numbers circulate online. Only one of them is real.
| Claim you will see | Where it comes from | What is true |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 players | Steam store page text | Outdated since 1.0.4; lobbies hold 8 |
| Up to 8 players | The game itself, and Nexus mod #13 | Correct, and it is the hard ceiling |
| 16 or 32 players | Third-party blog posts | False; no loader, plugin or config raises it past 8 |
Anyone promising 16 or 32 players is repeating a number nobody tested. The connection limit lives in the lobby creation code and the Steamworks server socket, and 8 is where both stop.
Why Players Still Search for a Multiplayer Mod
The demand is real. Four-player squads are the default expectation in co-op fishing games, and friend groups that grew past four during the August launch wanted everyone in.
The mod existed before the developers raised the cap. When it was built, the vanilla ceiling really was 4, so patching the limit to 8 solved a genuine problem. Then patch 1.0.4 shipped the same change officially, and the mod became a fix for a problem that no longer exists.
Our co-op and crossplay guide covers what the lobby supports today: 8 slots, Steam invites, a shared wallet, and no console crossplay because no console version exists.
What the Nexus Mod Actually Changes
Nexus Mods #13, "How to Fish More Players", is a BepInEx plugin. It does not add content, items, maps or players beyond the cap. It patches three things:
ConnectionManager.CreateOnlineLobby— the lobby setup path, where the slot count is writtenFishySteamworks.SetMaximumClients— the transport-level client limit- The FishySteamworks server socket limit that backs both of the above
The result is a forced ceiling of 8 connections. The plugin is a DLL you drop into BepInEx/plugins, with no config file and no in-game menu, and the host is the side that matters. Cloud sessions cannot load it at all, as our GeForce NOW guide explains.
On patch 1.0.12 the vanilla game already allows 8 players, so the plugin's only remaining value is pinning the limit if a future patch regresses it. Most squads can skip it and use the normal invite flow.
Installing BepInEx 5.4.33.2 Step by Step
How to Fish is a Unity Mono build, so the loader you want is BepInEx 5.4.33.2, x64. MelonLoader 0.7.3 is the alternative, aimed at mod-menu mods rather than this plugin.
- In Steam, right-click How to Fish, then Manage, then Browse local files. You want the folder holding the game executable.
- Download BepInEx 5.4.33.2 x64 from the official BepInEx releases page.
- Extract the archive straight into that game folder, so the loader files and a
BepInExfolder sit next to the executable. - Launch the game once, then quit. That run generates
BepInEx/plugins,BepInEx/configand a log file. - Drop the mod DLL into
BepInEx/plugins. Do not leave it zipped and do not nest it in a subfolder. - Launch again and confirm the plugin loaded by checking
BepInEx/LogOutput.logfor its name. - Host a lobby and count the slots. If the lobby still caps at 4, the plugin did not apply.
Antivirus tools sometimes quarantine the loader's winhttp.dll, which stops every plugin loading with no visible error. If mods stop working after a Windows update, check quarantine before reinstalling.
Host vs Client: Who Needs What
The ceiling is enforced where the lobby is created and where the server socket accepts connections. That is the host, so the host is the only player who must install anything.
| Host | Client | |
|---|---|---|
| Plugin required for 8 players? | No on 1.0.4 and later; yes on older builds | No |
| If you install it anyway | Host version decides the cap | Match the host's version to avoid mismatch |
| Where the limit is enforced | Lobby creation and server socket | Nowhere; a client cannot raise another player's ceiling |
| How to join | Steam invite or private lobby | Accept the Steam invite as normal |
| Cheat mods | Avoid in shared lobbies | Avoid in shared lobbies |
When the Mod Dies After a Patch
Patches ship weekly, and a plugin that patches named methods breaks when those methods move. Work through this order before posting that the mod is dead:
- Check the game version and compare it with the mod's last update date on Nexus.
- Open
BepInEx/LogOutput.log: a missing plugin line means the loader never loaded it, while an exception naming a target method means the patch itself failed. - Confirm the DLL is directly inside
BepInEx/plugins. - Confirm the loader is 5.4.33.2 x64. A BepInEx 6 bleeding-edge install will not run a 5.x plugin.
- Re-extract the loader if the game folder lost files to antivirus quarantine.
- Disable every other plugin and test this one alone.
- Host a plain vanilla lobby. If that fails too, the problem is your network or the game, not the mod.
- Re-download the mod, and if it still fails, wait for the author or use the vanilla 8-player lobby instead.
Cheat Mods and the Co-op Boundary
Multiplayer mods and cheat mods are different categories. A multiplayer mod changes a connection limit; a cheat mod changes game state. Mod menus install through MelonLoader 0.7.3 or BepInEx and open an overlay on a hotkey such as INSERT or BACKSPACE.
In co-op the boundary matters because the host is authoritative. Money and progression are shared, so spawned items, edited damage or teleported players hit everyone's session, not just yours. Our mods and trainers guide covers the save-corruption risks of memory editing.
The healthy pattern is host-only quality-of-life mods, which already exist on Thunderstore: an admin and anti-cheat mod, a player mute toggle, and one that disables dynamite damage to your own squad. They change what the host allows rather than what the game gives, so they do not poison other players' saves.
Never join a stranger's lobby with a cheat menu loaded, and never host one. You can be kicked, and the loot and quest flags other players earned with you can be invalidated.
No Steam Workshop, So Where Do Mods Live?
How to Fish has no Steam Workshop page and no modding API, so there is no curated library and no one-click subscribe. Mods come from Nexus Mods and Thunderstore, installed by hand with a loader. Version matching between host and client is your job, not the platform's.
FAQ
Does How to Fish support more than 8 players with a mod?
No. Eight is the ceiling in the vanilla game since patch 1.0.4, and the Nexus multiplayer plugin forces the same number. Claims of 16 or 32 players are false.
Do I need the multiplayer mod to play with 7 friends?
Not on the current patch. The vanilla game hosts 8 players with no mods at all. The plugin only matters on older builds or if a future patch breaks the cap.
Do all players need to install the mod?
No. The host is the only side that must install anything, because the lobby and connection limits are enforced there. Clients joining through a Steam invite need nothing.
Is the mod allowed, and can I be banned?
There is no announced anticheat enforcement for a bigger lobby, and the developers have not forbidden mods. The real risks are version mismatch and broken saves, not bans.
What should I do when the mod stops working after a patch?
Read the BepInEx log first, confirm the loader version and DLL path, then test a plain vanilla lobby. If the game's own 8-player lobby works, just play without the mod.
External Resources
- How to Fish More Players — Nexus Mods #13 — the plugin this page breaks down
- BepInEx releases — official loader downloads, including 5.4.33.2
- How to Fish on Thunderstore — host-side mods, including admin and mute tools
- Steam News for app 4001890 — official patch notes for every version here
- How to Fish on Steam — store page, including the stale 1 to 4 player text
Related Guides
- Co-op and Crossplay Explained — how the 8-player lobby works today
- Mods and Trainers — loaders, mod menus and save risks
- How to Fish on GeForce NOW — why mods cannot run on cloud sessions
- System Requirements and Platforms — what your PC needs for modded play
- Black Screen Fix — when a modded install stops launching
- All Bosses Guide — the fights your squad will queue for
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The Fishipedia completion guide for How to Fish: logging every species, rare variant and drip entry with a checklist order that avoids wasted island trips.
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