When Serious Sam 3 launched, Croteam used Steamworks for its multiplayer backend. Normally, even "LAN" games send a handshake to Steam's servers. If Steam is offline, or you aren’t logged in, the multiplayer button grays out. The goal is to decouple the game from Steam's DRM and redirect its network discovery to pure IPX/ UDP broadcast.
Extract the downloaded archive to a temporary folder on your desktop. Step 2: Replace the Steam API DLL how to play serious sam 3 multiplayer lan without steam
These programs create a secure, encrypted virtual local network over the internet. Once all players join the same virtual room, you can apply the exact same Steam Emulator steps listed above, and the game will treat your internet connection as a local, physical network cable. If you want to tweak this guide further, let me know: When Serious Sam 3 launched, Croteam used Steamworks