Lightyear Frontier Multiplayer and Shared Saves
Set up co-op for up to four players, choose a save type and keep a shared world accessible when the original host is offline.
Choose how your group will host
Lightyear Frontier supports a farm session with up to four players. Before building a long-term co-op world, choose between a Standard save controlled by its creator and a Shared Save that other authorized players can host.
A Shared Save solves the scheduling problem of needing the original host to be online every time. It still needs an active player host; the world is not an always-running dedicated server.
Start a shared farm
Create a Shared Save, or use the save-selection copy action to make a shared copy of an existing world. Host that copy as a multiplayer session and invite the people who will use it. Joining a shared session gives that player access to the shared world for future hosting.
Use one copy as the group's agreed main world. If everyone creates independent Standard copies and continues playing them, you now have separate histories rather than one automatically merged farm.
Hand over the host cleanly
Only one person can host a Shared Save at a time. When switching hosts, let the current session finish and its progress synchronize before the next person opens the world. Have the new host confirm a recent, easily recognized change before the group starts a large project.
For example, agree on a storage chest holding a small test item. Seeing it in the new session is a useful practical check; it is not a replacement for normal saving and cloud synchronization.
Decide the group rules early
| Agree on… | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Main save and usual host | Prevents accidental work in a copied world |
| World playstyle settings | Day length and other settings affect everyone |
| Shared building materials | Keeps deliveries from consuming a planned project |
| Host handoff routine | Reduces uncertainty about which progress loaded |
Host-controlled world settings matter when players have different expectations. Discuss the pace before one person starts optimizing a demanding production line while another is trying to decorate.
Troubleshoot joining
Update each installation and match the selected branch. A beta player and a public-branch player should not assume they can share a session. If joining fails, record the platform pair, version, invite method and exact error before retrying.
Changing platforms through a Shared Save also has limits: world progress can carry over while personal inventory and character-specific progress need separate preparation. Do not assume joining an existing farm duplicates every equipped item from another platform.
See the dedicated-server explanation for hosting limits and save compatibility checks for version-related problems.