How to fix Total War: Warhammer 3 failed to join game no response from host error in multiplayer

Multiplayer is one of the biggest selling points of Total War: Warhammer 3, with simultaneous turns and up to eight players able to play at the same time. But some players have struggled, and received an error message stating, "Failed to join the game. No response from host." So, how do you fix the dreaded No Response from Host error?

This issue most often occurs when players are playing on different platforms, meaning Steam players attempt to play multiplayer with Game Pass owners, and vice versa. The quickest option is for both players to play on the same platform.

Related: How to claim the Daemon Prince soul in the Chaos Realm of Slaanesh — Total War: Warhammer 3

Alternatively, the next option is to make sure the Game Pass player hosts the game. For some reason, there's an internet optimization issue with Game Pass that causes them to struggle to connect to Steam games. You can sometimes bypass this by making sure your version of Windows and Game Pass is fully updated to the latest version.

If you're both on the same platform and you're receiving this error, stop trying to use the Join with Code function. Instead, join the player's game directly through the app. In Steam, you can do this by right clicking your friend's name in your friends list. In Game Pass you can do this through the friends list on the Xbox app. 

Finally, make sure you have forwarded your ports. Sometimes, when playing on different platforms, one platform will use a different port than the other to connect. Making sure you have your ports forwarded will prevent this issue. 

For more Total War: Warhammer 3 guides, check out What is Control and how is it different from Public Order in Total War: Warhammer 3.