Joining Sessions

This guide explains how to join a multiplayer game session in Unreal Engine using the SteamCore plugin. The Join Session node facilitates connecting to an existing session found via the Find SteamCore Sessions node, with the Steam Online Subsystem (OSS) handling the connection process.

Prerequisites

• SteamCore PRO plugin installed and enabled in your Unreal Engine project.
• A configured DefaultEngine.ini file with SteamCore settings (refer to SteamCore Setup Documentation).
• Steamworks integration with a valid Steam App ID.
• An active session created with Create SteamCore Session and discovered via Find SteamCore Sessions (see Creating Multiplayer Games and Finding Multiplayer Games).

info

A Video Tutorial is available to guide you through the process: Setting Up Steam Multiplayer.

Joining a Session

Once you have identified a session to join (e.g., from the Find SteamCore Sessions node), use the Join Session node to establish a connection.

1. Use the Join Session Node:

   • In your game logic (e.g., Menu Blueprint or Game Instance), add the Join Session node.
   • Pass the session information (e.g., session ID or details from the search results) to the node.
   • The Steam OSS will handle the connection to the target session automatically.

   

Example Workflow

• After calling Find SteamCore Sessions, iterate through the returned session list.
• Select a session (e.g., based on player input from a server list UI).
• Connect the selected session’s details to the Join Session node and execute it to join the game.

Important Note

• The example provided joins the first session found without user selection. This is intended as a demonstration only and should not be used in production.
• For a production environment, implement a server selection UI (e.g., a list of sessions with details like player count or ping) to allow players to choose a session. Refer to the Blueprint sample project for a working example.