Getting a group going
The join code is not working
Almost always because the code belongs to a session that has ended, or because there is now a password nobody told you about.
Changed in version 1.4.9
A join code on its own is no longer enough
Since version 1.4.9 a session password is required to start a game, so every session has one. A join code on its own will not get you in — you need the code and the password. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab) checked 20 Aug 2026
The developers' own changelog for 1.4.9 puts it in one line: “Session Passwords are now required when starting a game.” If your group's habit is to paste the code and nothing else, that habit stopped working.
Do this first. Have the host open the in-game menu, go to Session Details, and read out the join code and the password that are on screen right now. That one step clears the two most common causes at once. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab)
Why a code stops working
In rough order of how often each one turns out to be the answer.
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The code is from a previous session
A join code is not an address for a person, it is a label for one session. The developers say a new one is generated every time the host starts a session, so the code in your group chat from last night points at something that no longer exists. This is the single most common cause and it costs nothing to rule out: have the host read out what is on their screen right now.
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You have the code but not the password new in 1.4.9
Since version 1.4.9 a session password is required to start a game, which means every session now has one. If your host is used to just sharing the code, that is no longer a complete invitation, and nothing on your screen will tell you the password is what is missing.
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The host is not in the world yet
Running the game is not the same as being in it. The developers ask that the host has their character loaded into the world before anyone tries to join, and that they watch for connection warnings in the lower left of their own screen. There is no server holding the session open on their behalf.
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The host stopped playing
When the host ends a session everyone else is disconnected, and the code dies with it. If your evening ended when one person closed the game, nobody else can keep it alive or restart it from their side. The save lives with the host too, so they have to be the one to reopen it.
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Somebody changed the password mid-session
The host can change the password while the game is running, from Session Details in the in-game menu. The developers actually suggest doing this after removing a player. Anyone still outside at that moment is now holding the old one.
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A clock is wrong somewhere
The developers give this its own FAQ entry: a device clock that differs significantly from the online clock will stop that device joining a game and stop it hosting one. It affects hosts and joiners alike and produces no useful error, so it looks exactly like a bad code.
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You are on different major versions
Only the first two numbers of the version have to match. Somebody on 1.4.7 can play with somebody on 1.4.9. Somebody still on 1.3 cannot. Worth a glance if one person in the group has had updates paused.
“The session you are trying to join isn't available”
People search for this exact wording, so it is worth being straight about what we can and cannot tell you.
We cannot source an explanation for that specific string. House House do not publish a list of error messages, and nothing in their FAQ or changelog quotes this one. Any page that tells you precisely what the game means by it is telling you something it worked out by guessing, and you should treat it accordingly.
What the developers do document is how a session can stop existing:
- It only exists while the host is running the game with their character loaded into the world. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab)
- When the host stops the session, everyone else is disconnected. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab)
- A new join code is generated every time the host starts a session, so the previous one no longer refers to anything. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab)
Put together, wording along these lines reads as the thing you asked for is gone rather than you were refused. That distinction matters, because it points at the host's machine rather than at your network, and it means the fix is a fresh session and a fresh code rather than an evening spent on your router.
If instead the game does attempt a connection and then times out, that is a different failure with a different answer, and no confirmed fix.
Two primary sources disagree here
This is unusual enough to flag. The version history says passwords are now required. The FAQ still says the developers “highly recommend” setting one, which reads as optional and was true before 1.4.9.
We follow the changelog, because it is the more specific and more recent of the two, and because it describes the build people are actually running. If the FAQ is updated to say something different, we will change this page and date the change. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab) Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab)
How the two ways in actually work
Friends list. If you are on each other's friends list on the same platform, the host's game appears automatically in a menu of active friend games. Otherwise anyone can join with a Join Code. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab)
Join code. The host's join code is shown in the corner of the host menu before the game starts, and afterwards under "Session Details" in the in-game menu — where the password can also be changed mid-session. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab)
There is no third route: no matchmaking, no public games browser, nothing to fall back on. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab)
One catch that catches people every time: The Mac App Store version does not support Game Center, so players on that version cannot be joined through a friends list and must use a Join Code. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab)
If you stream, cover the code
The developers raise this themselves, and it is easy to forget in the moment: your session is visible to your friends and to other players' friends, and anyone who knows the code can join. If you are streaming, be careful about letting the code or the password on screen. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab)
The password requirement added in 1.4.9 makes this less dangerous than it was, since a code alone no longer gets a stranger in. But both now sit on the same Session Details screen, so a single careless frame can give away both at once.
Common questions
Why is my Big Walk join code not working?
Most often because it is from an earlier session. The developers generate a new code every time the host starts a game, so codes do not persist between evenings. Since version 1.4.9 there is a second common cause: session passwords are now required, so a code on its own is no longer enough to get in. Ask the host to read out both the current code and the current password.
What does "the session you are trying to join isn't available" mean in Big Walk?
House House do not publish an explanation for that specific wording, so we cannot tell you what the game means by it with any authority. What we can say is what the developers document about sessions ending: a session exists only while the host is running the game with their character in the world, the code changes every time they restart, and everyone is disconnected when they stop. Wording like this usually means the session is gone rather than that you were rejected.
Do you need a password to join a Big Walk game?
Yes, now. Version 1.4.9 made session passwords required when starting a game, so every session has one. The official FAQ has not been updated to match and still describes a password as a recommendation, which was true before that patch.
Where do I find my Big Walk join code?
Before you start, it is in the corner of the host menu. Once the game is running, open the in-game menu and go to Session Details, where you can also see and change the password.
Does a Big Walk join code expire?
It does not time out on a clock, but it stops working when the session ends, and a new one is generated the next time the host starts a game. Treat a code as good for one evening only.
Can two people use the same Big Walk join code?
Yes. A code identifies the session, not a seat in it, so everyone joining the same game uses the same code, up to the maximum of 12 players.
Still stuck
If the code is accepted and the connection then fails, that is the other page. If everyone is in and nobody can hear each other, try the voice troubleshooter.