If you and your friends fired up Vintz’s chaotic 1-to-4 player co-op party game only to hit a brick wall in the very first session, you are not alone. The cooking zone step not validating Barbecue bug has been the single most frustrating progression blocker since the game launched its Early Access build on Steam. Players were successfully picking up the meat and achieving the required "golden cook" status, but the game simply refused to register the action, trapping hosts and clients alike in an endless loop of Step 3.
The good news? As of June 2, 2026, developer Vintz deployed Patch 0.7.45 to eradicate this exact issue. If you are currently stuck, the primary fix is to force-update your Steam client to ensure you have the latest build. For those who want to skip the hassle of the guided tour entirely, you can toggle the tutorial off in the settings menu and jump straight into the backyard chaos. Here is the complete breakdown of why the bug happened, how the patch fixes it, and what else is new in the latest update.
The Anatomy of the "Cooking Zone Step Not Validating Barbecue" Bug
To understand why the cooking zone step not validating Barbecue error occurred, we have to look at how the game’s logic handles trigger volumes during its introductory phase. In the tutorial, players are tasked with managing a quiet backyard grill before the game's signature Friday night chaos truly begins. The sequence is straightforward: you light the fire, throw on some sausages, crack open a beverage, and learn the basic interact controls.
Step 3 specifically requires players to place perfectly seared meat into a designated serving area. However, a scripting oversight meant the validation flag for this specific "cooking zone" was never actually firing. You could drop the meat flawlessly into the highlighted area, but the objective UI would remain permanently frozen.
According to the May 28 Steam community threads, players tried everything to bypass the block. Lobbies attempted restarting the session, juggling the meat between different players, and even trying to burn the food to reset the sequence. Because the trigger itself was hard-coded incorrectly by the developer, no amount of player ingenuity could force the tutorial to advance. The meat would occasionally even glitch through the grill geometry if players attempted to add herbs to it while stuck in this phase, compounding the frustration for newcomers who were just trying to learn the basic mechanics of the kitchen.
How Patch 0.7.45 Fixed the Cooking Zone Step Not Validating Barbecue Error
The definitive fix for the cooking zone step not validating Barbecue issue arrived with Patch 0.7.45. The solo developer, Vintz, explicitly targeted this progression blocker in the official June 2 patch notes, confirming that the broken validation step was entirely rewritten. The trigger volume now properly detects when the "golden cook" meat enters the serving area, immediately advancing the UI to the next objective.
If you are still encountering the glitch today, you are almost certainly running an outdated version of the client. Steam usually auto-updates Early Access titles, but occasionally a manual restart of the Steam application is required to force the download queue to recognize the new patch. Once updated, Step 3 will clear the moment the seared meat touches the serving platter.
Beyond fixing the tutorial blocker, Patch 0.7.45 also introduced a highly requested quality-of-life feature: adjustable pickup speed for placeable items. Players can now navigate to the options menu and toggle the pickup speed between three distinct modes—slow, normal, and fast. This addition dramatically changes the pacing of the mid-game, where managing inventory space and rapidly moving plates becomes the difference between a successful party and burning the entire backyard down.
Workarounds for the Cooking Zone Step Not Validating Barbecue Issue
What if you want to bypass the introductory phase entirely? Even with the cooking zone step not validating Barbecue bug officially patched, many veteran players or impatient partygoers prefer to jump straight into the fire without a guided tour.
Vintz confirmed a built-in workaround that was present even before the patch: the tutorial can be toggled off entirely in the game's main settings menu. By navigating to the Options menu, selecting the Gameplay tab, and unchecking the "Enable Tutorial" box, your lobby will skip the quiet backyard setup and launch directly into the main gameplay loop.
This is highly recommended for returning groups who already know how to light the fire, grill the sausages, and manage the escalating backyard disasters without hand-holding. If you are introducing three new friends to the game on a Friday night, turning off the tutorial and letting them learn through trial by fire (sometimes literally) often results in a much more hilarious and memorable first session anyway.
Understanding the Adjustable Pickup Speed Mechanic
One of the hidden gems tucked inside the June 2 update was the introduction of the adjustable pickup speed toggle. While the community was heavily focused on the tutorial blocker, Vintz quietly added this feature to address complaints about the game's frantic mid-game pacing. In the Options menu, players can now select between three distinct speeds:
- Slow Mode: Ideal for players who want a more methodical, relaxed simulation experience. It gives you an extra fraction of a second to ensure you are grabbing the correct plate rather than accidentally picking up a raw sausage.
- Normal Mode: The default setting, balanced for the intended Friday night chaos where mistakes are part of the fun.
- Fast Mode: Designed for veteran speedrunners and highly coordinated 4-player lobbies who need to maximize their serving output before the backyard inevitably catches fire.
This level of customization proves that the developer is not just squashing bugs, but actively tuning the core gameplay loop based on Early Access feedback.
The Impact of the Loading Screen Bug on Multiplayer Lobbies
Prior to the latest patch, the tutorial wasn't the only thing breaking lobbies. A severe multiplayer bug was actively preventing clients from joining a host's game. When a host sent out a Steam invite, the clients would accept, only to be left stranded indefinitely on the main loading screen. The host, meanwhile, would load into the backyard alone, staring at an empty grill.
The June 2 update completely overhauled the network handshake protocol between host and client. Now, the game holds the host in a pre-lobby state until all 1 to 4 players have successfully loaded the map assets, ensuring that everyone spawns into the session simultaneously. This fix alone has salvaged the game's reputation among friend groups who were previously forced to refund the title after spending thirty minutes staring at a frozen progress bar.
Furthermore, community feedback has highlighted secondary glitches, such as the "invisible knife" bug during food prep and instances where meat clips through the grill geometry when herbs are applied. While Vintz has noted these in the Bug Reports & Feedback subforum, the priority was rightly placed on hard progression blockers. The stability introduced in 0.7.45 lays a much firmer foundation for the game's chaotic scaling difficulty, ensuring that when the party inevitably spirals out of control, it is due to player error rather than a broken loading screen.
Why Co-Op Party Games Live or Die by Their Onboarding
The swift response to the tutorial bug highlights a crucial reality for indie co-op games: onboarding is everything. Titles in the chaotic management genre rely heavily on immediate accessibility. When a group of four friends gathers on Discord for a Friday night session, their tolerance for technical troubleshooting is incredibly low. A bug that traps the entire lobby in Step 3 of a tutorial doesn't just ruin a run; it often results in immediate Steam refunds.
By deploying Patch 0.7.45 within days of the community raising the alarm, the developer successfully protected the game's momentum. The addition of the adjustable pickup speeds alongside the bug fixes shows a strong understanding of community feedback. As the game continues to evolve through its Early Access period, maintaining this level of responsiveness will be critical to competing with established giants in the co-op party genre.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is Barbecue available on Steam? Yes, the game officially launched its Steam page on April 18, 2026, and is available for PC players via Early Access.
How many players does the game support? The game is designed as a cooperative party experience for 1 to 4 players. It scales in difficulty depending on how many chefs are currently active in the lobby.
Can I play the game solo? Yes, solo play is fully supported, though the developer notes that the intended experience is optimized for the chaos of multiplayer communication and divided tasks.
What is the "golden cook" status? During the cooking phase, meat must be left on the grill just long enough to achieve a perfect sear, referred to by the community as the "golden cook." Removing it too early results in raw food, while leaving it too long will start a fire that can spread to the rest of the backyard.
How do I report other bugs like the invisible knife? The developer maintains an active "Bug Reports & Feedback" subforum on Steam. Players are encouraged to post whether they were the host or client, how many players were connected, and what actions preceded the glitch.
Sources
- Steam Community Discussions: "Can't Get Past Step 3 “Cooking Zone” — Are We Missing Something?" (May 28, 2026)
- Official Patch Notes: "Patch 0.7.45 — Fixes and a New Option" (June 2, 2026)