September 2024

Co-op mode in Space Marine 2 faces unexpected difficulty due to bug

With over 2 million players since its launch, Space Marine 2 is the most played Warhammer 40,000 game on Steam. However, a significant bug is currently affecting many players: the infamous "join server" bug.

Space Marine 2 launched without private PvE rooms. As a result, players in co-op missions must rely on a frustrating matchmaking system.

Joining a random group of two players as a solo player in co-op mode is usually fine. Creating a full group of three players with friends is also straightforward.

But things get tricky when you try to play with one friend and need a random player to complete the group. The game often refuses to add another human player, replacing them with a random class bot instead.

Challenges with the Bug

To get the best rewards and unlock powerful weapons, you must play Operations mode on higher difficulty levels. With this bug, it's extremely challenging, if not impossible.

Facing relentless waves of enemies with a bot instead of a human player makes the game much harder.

Temporary Solution

My friend and I found a workaround. One of us opens a private lobby with random players and votes to kick one player out. The second player must quickly join the lobby before another random player takes the spot.

It's not ideal, but it works. However, there's always the fear that the "join server" bug will cause you to lose your rewards. Sometimes, the game crashes while doing this.

Hoping for a Fix

We hope that the first major update will fix this matchmaking issue. The game's publisher, Focus Entertainment, has promised better servers and crash fixes.

Season 2 of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 starts in October and runs until the end of 2024. It promises to address another major issue and introduce a new map, enemy, higher difficulty mode, new weapon, and more improvements.