Animalkind Multiplayer Guide
Animalkind shines in co-op. Playing with friends lets you build faster, explore further, and share the joy of growing your village together. Here's everything you need for a smooth multiplayer experience.
1. How Multiplayer Works
Up to 4 players can share a single world. One player hosts the session while the others join. You share the same village, resources, and NPCs — but each player has their own inventory and stamina bar.
- Co-op Building: Everyone can place, move, and deconstruct structures. No permission system needed — just collaborate!
- Shared Storage: Place communal chests that every player can access. Sort them by resource type to avoid chaos.
- Divvying Up Tasks: Assign roles like Builder, Gatherer, and Explorer so nothing falls through the cracks.
2. Setting Up a Session
Host a World
- Select Multiplayer from the main menu
- Choose Create New World
- Set a world name and optional password
- Send your session code or platform invite to friends
Join a Friend
- Select Multiplayer from the main menu
- Choose Join World
- Enter the host's session code, or
- Accept a direct invite from your platform friend list
3. Co-op Roles
Dividing responsibilities makes multiplayer much more efficient. Here are the four key roles:
Builder
Focuses on structures, town planning, and decoration. Keep a steady supply of wood and stone flowing.
Gatherer
Scouts the map, harvests resources, and stocks the communal storage. Essential in the early game.
Crafter
Manages the workbenches, forge, and crafting queues. Keeps tools and equipment upgraded.
Explorer
Venture into distant biomes to find rare resources and recruit new animal villagers.
Pro Tip: Set Up a Dedicated Storage Area
Build a small storage building near your town center with labeled chests. Assign one chest for each resource type (wood, stone, ores, food). This keeps everyone's gathering trips efficient and prevents valuable materials from getting lost in overflowing inventories.
4. Known Multiplayer Limitations
World saves: Only the host can save the world. Make sure the host saves before everyone logs off!
Story quests: Certain villager quests may only advance for the host player. Coordinate quest objectives in chat.
Deconstructing: Any player can remove any structure. Establish a "no-teardown" rule to avoid accidental damage.
5. Troubleshooting Connection Issues
- Same game version: All players must be on the same version of Animalkind. Check for updates before joining.
- NAT type: If joining fails, the host should try enabling UPnP on their router or enabling port forwarding for the game.
- Firewall: Make sure Animalkind is allowed through your firewall on both the host and client machines.
- Password: Double-check you're entering the correct password if the host set one.
6. Cross-Play
Animalkind supports cross-play between PC (Steam / Epic) and consoles (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch). This means your friend on a PlayStation can join your world hosted on a PC — no problem.
Want to build something big?
Larger projects are much more manageable with a co-op partner. Check out our building guide for layout inspiration.
Building GuideShare resources efficiently?
Plan your resource-gathering routes together before heading out to explore.
Resource Planner