Saves, changing host, and finding players
Also searched as: will I lose progress / the host is not here / how do I join someone else's game
- Players
- Everyone
- Time
- 5 minutes
- Coordinates
- No fixed coordinate
- Reward
- Avoids throwing away a whole weekend of progress
The short answer
Progress lives in the host's save. To carry on with a different host you have to follow the community procedure for viewing and transferring saves, and there is a separate way to continue when the original host is absent. Also, this game has no matchmaking - finding players means community tools.
This is not a puzzle category, but it is the second largest source of real stuck moments. Understand it before you make any long-term plan.
Before you start
- Before a long run, agree who is hosting and whether that person is reliably online
Step-by-step3 steps
- 1
Establish who the host is
Progress is bound to the host's save, so choosing the host is choosing whether this run can continue. Pick whoever has the steadiest hours.
- 2
When you need a new host, transfer the save
Changing host is a procedure, not an automatic sync. The Steam Community has two guides that cover viewing and transferring saves between hosts, and continuing without the original host.
Faster:Bookmark both guides before you start. Looking for them at the moment you need them costs an evening.
- 3
Use community tools to find players
There is no matchmaking in this game. The community built a server browser guide specifically for joining games. You can also post in r/BigWalk on Reddit or the relevant Discords.
Where it goes wrong
These are the questions real players search for most. Working through them in order usually finds the cause.
After finishing:——
Where this solution came from
From three guides that genuinely exist on the Steam Community - How to View and Transfer Saves Between Hosts, Continue Your Adventure Without the Original Host, and Big Walk Server Browser. The player-count information comes from the official store page and FAQ.
Puzzles in this game are not assigned in a fixed order: most of them reward the same generic red gourd, so you can clear any set of challenges around a tower. That is why two guides list different puzzle line-ups for the same tower — neither is wrong. Unless a coordinate is credited to a named source it is a community measurement, and later versions can shift it; once you are in the area, trust the landmark over the number.