diff --git a/launcher/App.xaml b/launcher/App.xaml
index 4df9a14..50e69b5 100644
--- a/launcher/App.xaml
+++ b/launcher/App.xaml
@@ -240,6 +240,15 @@
             <Setter Property="FontFamily" Value="Segoe UI Variable, Segoe UI" />
         </Style>
 
+        <!-- Numbered-step bullet used in walkthrough text. -->
+        <Style x:Key="StepBullet" TargetType="TextBlock">
+            <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="{StaticResource Ink}" />
+            <Setter Property="FontSize" Value="13" />
+            <Setter Property="LineHeight" Value="22" />
+            <Setter Property="Margin" Value="0,0,0,6" />
+            <Setter Property="TextWrapping" Value="Wrap" />
+        </Style>
+
         <!-- Pill-style "status chip" used in section headers. -->
         <Style x:Key="StatusChip" TargetType="Border">
             <Setter Property="Background" Value="{StaticResource BgElev2}" />
diff --git a/launcher/MainWindow.xaml b/launcher/MainWindow.xaml
index cae9de4..c7fd683 100644
--- a/launcher/MainWindow.xaml
+++ b/launcher/MainWindow.xaml
@@ -174,14 +174,20 @@
                         <!-- Photon panel -->
                         <Border Style="{StaticResource Panel}" Margin="0,0,0,16">
                             <StackPanel>
-                                <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource SectionTitle}" Text="Photon AppIds" />
+                                <Grid Margin="0,0,0,12">
+                                    <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource SectionTitle}"
+                                               Text="Photon AppIds" Margin="0" />
+                                    <Button HorizontalAlignment="Right" Style="{StaticResource Btn}"
+                                            Content="Setup walkthrough" Click="OnOpenPhotonWizard"
+                                            Padding="14,6" FontSize="12" />
+                                </Grid>
                                 <TextBlock Foreground="{StaticResource InkSoft}" FontSize="12"
-                                           Margin="0,-8,0,12" TextWrapping="Wrap">
+                                           Margin="0,0,0,12" TextWrapping="Wrap">
                                     Photon Cloud powers in-room realtime sync. Free to register at
                                     <Hyperlink NavigateUri="https://dashboard.photonengine.com"
                                                Foreground="{StaticResource Brand}"
                                                RequestNavigate="OnNavigate">dashboard.photonengine.com</Hyperlink>;
-                                    DorkNet never bundles one.
+                                    DorkNet never bundles one. First time? Click "Setup walkthrough" above.
                                 </TextBlock>
 
                                 <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource FieldLabel}" Text="REALTIME APPID" />
diff --git a/launcher/MainWindow.xaml.cs b/launcher/MainWindow.xaml.cs
index a97a0d9..3167768 100644
--- a/launcher/MainWindow.xaml.cs
+++ b/launcher/MainWindow.xaml.cs
@@ -231,6 +231,22 @@ public partial class MainWindow : Window
         _state.Save();
     }
 
+    private void OnOpenPhotonWizard(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
+    {
+        var wiz = new PhotonWizard(_state.PhotonAppId, _state.PhotonVoiceAppId, _state.PhotonRegion)
+        {
+            Owner = this,
+        };
+        if (wiz.ShowDialog() == true && wiz.Result is not null)
+        {
+            _state.PhotonAppId = wiz.Result.RealtimeAppId;
+            _state.PhotonVoiceAppId = wiz.Result.VoiceAppId;
+            _state.PhotonRegion = wiz.Result.Region;
+            _state.Save();
+            ReflectStateInUi();
+        }
+    }
+
     private void OnHostingModeChanged(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
     {
         // RadioButton.Checked fires twice on selection-change (once for
diff --git a/launcher/PhotonWizard.xaml b/launcher/PhotonWizard.xaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5574dce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/launcher/PhotonWizard.xaml
@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+<Window x:Class="DorkNet.Launcher.PhotonWizard"
+        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
+        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
+        Title="Photon setup"
+        Width="640" Height="560"
+        MinWidth="540" MinHeight="460"
+        WindowStartupLocation="CenterOwner"
+        Background="{StaticResource Bg}"
+        TextElement.Foreground="{StaticResource Ink}"
+        FontFamily="Segoe UI Variable, Segoe UI"
+        TextOptions.TextFormattingMode="Ideal"
+        TextOptions.TextRenderingMode="ClearType"
+        ResizeMode="CanResize"
+        ShowInTaskbar="False">
+
+    <Grid>
+        <Grid.Background>
+            <LinearGradientBrush StartPoint="0,0" EndPoint="1,1">
+                <GradientStop Color="#2A1E48" Offset="0" />
+                <GradientStop Color="#16102A" Offset="0.6" />
+                <GradientStop Color="#16102A" Offset="1" />
+            </LinearGradientBrush>
+        </Grid.Background>
+
+        <Grid Margin="28,22">
+            <Grid.RowDefinitions>
+                <RowDefinition Height="Auto" />
+                <RowDefinition Height="*" />
+                <RowDefinition Height="Auto" />
+            </Grid.RowDefinitions>
+
+            <!-- Header -->
+            <Grid Grid.Row="0" Margin="0,0,0,16">
+                <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal" VerticalAlignment="Center">
+                    <TextBlock Text="Photon setup" FontSize="20" FontWeight="Bold"
+                               Foreground="{StaticResource WordmarkBrush}" />
+                    <Border Style="{StaticResource StatusChip}" Margin="14,0,0,0"
+                            VerticalAlignment="Center">
+                        <TextBlock x:Name="StepIndicator" FontSize="10" FontWeight="Bold"
+                                   Foreground="{StaticResource Brand}"
+                                   Text="STEP 1 OF 5" />
+                    </Border>
+                </StackPanel>
+                <Button HorizontalAlignment="Right" Style="{StaticResource GhostBtn}"
+                        Content="✕" Click="OnClose" FontSize="14" Padding="10,4" />
+            </Grid>
+
+            <!-- Step card — only one Visible at a time -->
+            <Border Grid.Row="1" Style="{StaticResource Panel}">
+                <ScrollViewer VerticalScrollBarVisibility="Auto">
+                    <Grid>
+                        <!-- Step 1: What is Photon? -->
+                        <StackPanel x:Name="Step1" Visibility="Visible">
+                            <TextBlock Text="What's Photon?" FontSize="22" FontWeight="Bold"
+                                       Margin="0,0,0,16" />
+                            <TextBlock Foreground="{StaticResource Ink}" FontSize="14"
+                                       TextWrapping="Wrap" LineHeight="22" Margin="0,0,0,12"
+                                       Text="Rec Room rooms run on Photon — a real-time service that keeps players in sync. DorkNet doesn't include one because Photon's free tier is plenty for friend groups and each host should use their own account." />
+                            <TextBlock Foreground="{StaticResource Ink}" FontSize="14"
+                                       TextWrapping="Wrap" LineHeight="22" Margin="0,0,0,12"
+                                       Text="This wizard walks you through making a free Photon account, creating one (or two) apps, and pasting the keys back here. Takes about two minutes." />
+                            <Border CornerRadius="10" Padding="14,12"
+                                    Background="{StaticResource BgDeeper}"
+                                    BorderBrush="{StaticResource Border}" BorderThickness="1"
+                                    Margin="0,8,0,0">
+                                <TextBlock Foreground="{StaticResource InkSoft}" FontSize="12"
+                                           TextWrapping="Wrap"
+                                           Text="What you'll end up with: a 32-character &quot;AppId&quot; for realtime, and optionally a second one for voice chat. You'll paste both into the form at the end." />
+                            </Border>
+                        </StackPanel>
+
+                        <!-- Step 2: Make an account -->
+                        <StackPanel x:Name="Step2" Visibility="Collapsed">
+                            <TextBlock Text="Make a Photon account" FontSize="22" FontWeight="Bold"
+                                       Margin="0,0,0,16" />
+                            <TextBlock Foreground="{StaticResource Ink}" FontSize="14"
+                                       TextWrapping="Wrap" LineHeight="22" Margin="0,0,0,16"
+                                       Text="Click the button below to open the Photon dashboard. If you already have an account, sign in; otherwise hit &quot;Sign up&quot; and use any email + password." />
+                            <Button Style="{StaticResource PrimaryBtn}"
+                                    Content="Open dashboard.photonengine.com"
+                                    Click="OnOpenPhotonDashboard"
+                                    HorizontalAlignment="Left" />
+                            <TextBlock Foreground="{StaticResource InkSoft}" FontSize="13"
+                                       TextWrapping="Wrap" LineHeight="20" Margin="0,20,0,0"
+                                       Text="Photon won't ask for a credit card. The free plan covers 20 simultaneous players in a room, which is more than enough for most servers." />
+                            <TextBlock Foreground="{StaticResource InkFaint}" FontSize="12"
+                                       TextWrapping="Wrap" LineHeight="18" Margin="0,12,0,0"
+                                       Text="Already signed in? Just click Next." />
+                        </StackPanel>
+
+                        <!-- Step 3: Create Realtime app -->
+                        <StackPanel x:Name="Step3" Visibility="Collapsed">
+                            <TextBlock Text="Create a Realtime app" FontSize="22" FontWeight="Bold"
+                                       Margin="0,0,0,16" />
+                            <TextBlock Foreground="{StaticResource Ink}" FontSize="14"
+                                       TextWrapping="Wrap" LineHeight="22" Margin="0,0,0,14"
+                                       Text="On the Photon dashboard:" />
+                            <StackPanel Margin="6,0,0,12">
+                                <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource StepBullet}" Text="1. Click the orange &quot;Create a new app&quot; button (top right)." />
+                                <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource StepBullet}" Text="2. Under &quot;Photon Type&quot; choose Photon Realtime." />
+                                <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource StepBullet}" Text="3. Name it anything (e.g. &quot;DorkNet Realtime&quot;)." />
+                                <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource StepBullet}" Text="4. Click Create." />
+                                <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource StepBullet}" Text="5. Back on the dashboard, click the new app's tile — the AppId is the long string near the top, looking like 12ab34cd-56ef-..." />
+                                <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource StepBullet}" Text="6. Copy that AppId. You'll paste it on the last step." />
+                            </StackPanel>
+                            <Border CornerRadius="10" Padding="14,12"
+                                    Background="{StaticResource CardBgHost}"
+                                    BorderBrush="{StaticResource Brand}" BorderThickness="1">
+                                <TextBlock Foreground="{StaticResource Ink}" FontSize="13"
+                                           TextWrapping="Wrap"
+                                           Text="💡 You only need to do this once. The same AppId works every time you host." />
+                            </Border>
+                        </StackPanel>
+
+                        <!-- Step 4: Voice app -->
+                        <StackPanel x:Name="Step4" Visibility="Collapsed">
+                            <TextBlock Text="Create a Voice app (optional)" FontSize="22" FontWeight="Bold"
+                                       Margin="0,0,0,16" />
+                            <TextBlock Foreground="{StaticResource Ink}" FontSize="14"
+                                       TextWrapping="Wrap" LineHeight="22" Margin="0,0,0,14"
+                                       Text="Voice chat needs a separate Photon app. Skip this step if you don't care about voice." />
+                            <StackPanel Margin="6,0,0,12">
+                                <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource StepBullet}" Text="1. Back on the Photon dashboard, click &quot;Create a new app&quot; again." />
+                                <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource StepBullet}" Text="2. This time pick Photon Voice." />
+                                <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource StepBullet}" Text="3. Name it (e.g. &quot;DorkNet Voice&quot;) and Create." />
+                                <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource StepBullet}" Text="4. Copy the Voice app's AppId — also a long 32-character string." />
+                            </StackPanel>
+                            <TextBlock Foreground="{StaticResource InkSoft}" FontSize="13"
+                                       TextWrapping="Wrap" LineHeight="20" Margin="0,8,0,0"
+                                       Text="Without voice, players can still chat via Discord or any other voice call. The room sync (movement, ink, gizmos) all runs through the Realtime app." />
+                        </StackPanel>
+
+                        <!-- Step 5: Paste -->
+                        <StackPanel x:Name="Step5" Visibility="Collapsed">
+                            <TextBlock Text="Paste your AppIds" FontSize="22" FontWeight="Bold"
+                                       Margin="0,0,0,16" />
+
+                            <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource FieldLabel}" Text="REALTIME APPID" />
+                            <TextBox x:Name="WizRealtime" Margin="0,0,0,4"
+                                     FontFamily="Cascadia Mono, Consolas" FontSize="12"
+                                     TextChanged="OnAppIdChanged" />
+                            <TextBlock x:Name="WizRealtimeStatus" FontSize="11"
+                                       Foreground="{StaticResource InkFaint}"
+                                       Margin="0,0,0,12"
+                                       Text="32-character ID with hyphens, like 12ab34cd-56ef-78ab-90cd-12ef34ab56cd" />
+
+                            <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource FieldLabel}" Text="VOICE APPID (LEAVE BLANK TO SKIP)" />
+                            <TextBox x:Name="WizVoice" Margin="0,0,0,4"
+                                     FontFamily="Cascadia Mono, Consolas" FontSize="12"
+                                     TextChanged="OnAppIdChanged" />
+                            <TextBlock x:Name="WizVoiceStatus" FontSize="11"
+                                       Foreground="{StaticResource InkFaint}"
+                                       Margin="0,0,0,12"
+                                       Text="Optional — leave empty if you skipped step 4." />
+
+                            <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource FieldLabel}" Text="CLOUD REGION" />
+                            <ComboBox x:Name="WizRegion">
+                                <ComboBoxItem Content="US" Tag="us" />
+                                <ComboBoxItem Content="EU" Tag="eu" />
+                                <ComboBoxItem Content="Asia" Tag="asia" />
+                                <ComboBoxItem Content="Japan" Tag="jp" />
+                                <ComboBoxItem Content="South America" Tag="sa" />
+                                <ComboBoxItem Content="Korea" Tag="kr" />
+                                <ComboBoxItem Content="India" Tag="in" />
+                                <ComboBoxItem Content="Australia" Tag="au" />
+                            </ComboBox>
+                            <TextBlock Foreground="{StaticResource InkFaint}" FontSize="11"
+                                       Margin="0,4,0,0" TextWrapping="Wrap"
+                                       Text="Pick the closest region to where most of your players live." />
+                        </StackPanel>
+                    </Grid>
+                </ScrollViewer>
+            </Border>
+
+            <!-- Footer with nav buttons -->
+            <Grid Grid.Row="2" Margin="0,16,0,0">
+                <Button x:Name="PrevBtn" HorizontalAlignment="Left"
+                        Style="{StaticResource GhostBtn}"
+                        Content="← Back" Click="OnPrev" Visibility="Collapsed" />
+                <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal" HorizontalAlignment="Right">
+                    <Button x:Name="SkipBtn" Style="{StaticResource GhostBtn}"
+                            Content="Skip" Click="OnNext" Visibility="Collapsed"
+                            Margin="0,0,10,0" />
+                    <Button x:Name="NextBtn" Style="{StaticResource PrimaryBtn}"
+                            Content="Next →" Click="OnNext" />
+                </StackPanel>
+            </Grid>
+        </Grid>
+    </Grid>
+</Window>
diff --git a/launcher/PhotonWizard.xaml.cs b/launcher/PhotonWizard.xaml.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3388813
--- /dev/null
+++ b/launcher/PhotonWizard.xaml.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,189 @@
+using System.Diagnostics;
+using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
+using System.Windows;
+using System.Windows.Controls;
+using DorkNet.Launcher.Backend;
+
+namespace DorkNet.Launcher;
+
+/// <summary>Five-step walkthrough for first-time Photon setup. Opens
+/// dashboard.photonengine.com on step 2, walks the user through app
+/// creation in steps 3–4, then collects + validates AppIds on step 5.
+///
+/// <para>Result lives in <see cref="Result"/> when <see cref="DialogResult"/>
+/// is true. Caller (MainWindow) writes it back into AppState.</para></summary>
+public partial class PhotonWizard : Window
+{
+    public PhotonResult? Result { get; private set; }
+
+    // Photon AppIds are GUIDs — accept with or without hyphens; user
+    // gets confused if we're strict about formatting. We render the
+    // canonical form back into AppState.
+    private static readonly Regex AppIdRegex =
+        new("^[0-9a-fA-F]{8}-?[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-?[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-?[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-?[0-9a-fA-F]{12}$",
+            RegexOptions.Compiled);
+
+    private readonly StackPanel[] _steps;
+    private int _stepIndex;
+
+    public PhotonWizard(string? existingRealtime, string? existingVoice, string? existingRegion)
+    {
+        InitializeComponent();
+        _steps = new[] { Step1, Step2, Step3, Step4, Step5 };
+
+        // Pre-fill so a user re-opening the wizard sees their existing
+        // values — they might just want to fix the region or swap apps.
+        WizRealtime.Text = existingRealtime ?? "";
+        WizVoice.Text = existingVoice ?? "";
+        SelectRegion(existingRegion ?? "us");
+        UpdateAppIdStatuses();
+        ShowStep(0);
+    }
+
+    private void ShowStep(int index)
+    {
+        _stepIndex = Math.Clamp(index, 0, _steps.Length - 1);
+        for (var i = 0; i < _steps.Length; i++)
+            _steps[i].Visibility = i == _stepIndex ? Visibility.Visible : Visibility.Collapsed;
+
+        StepIndicator.Text = $"STEP {_stepIndex + 1} OF {_steps.Length}";
+        PrevBtn.Visibility = _stepIndex == 0 ? Visibility.Collapsed : Visibility.Visible;
+
+        // Step 4 (Voice) is optional — surface a Skip button so the user
+        // doesn't feel stuck if they don't want voice chat. Final step
+        // swaps Next for a Save action.
+        SkipBtn.Visibility = _stepIndex == 3 ? Visibility.Visible : Visibility.Collapsed;
+        NextBtn.Content = _stepIndex == _steps.Length - 1 ? "Save" : "Next →";
+    }
+
+    private void OnPrev(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) => ShowStep(_stepIndex - 1);
+
+    private void OnNext(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
+    {
+        if (_stepIndex < _steps.Length - 1)
+        {
+            ShowStep(_stepIndex + 1);
+            return;
+        }
+        TrySave();
+    }
+
+    private void OnClose(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
+    {
+        DialogResult = false;
+        Close();
+    }
+
+    private void OnOpenPhotonDashboard(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            Process.Start(new ProcessStartInfo("https://dashboard.photonengine.com")
+                { UseShellExecute = true });
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            MessageBox.Show(this, "Could not open the dashboard: " + ex.Message,
+                "Photon setup", MessageBoxButton.OK, MessageBoxImage.Warning);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void OnAppIdChanged(object sender, TextChangedEventArgs e) => UpdateAppIdStatuses();
+
+    private void UpdateAppIdStatuses()
+    {
+        var realtime = WizRealtime.Text.Trim();
+        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(realtime))
+        {
+            WizRealtimeStatus.Text = "32-character ID with hyphens, like 12ab34cd-56ef-78ab-90cd-12ef34ab56cd";
+            WizRealtimeStatus.Foreground = (System.Windows.Media.Brush)FindResource("InkFaint");
+        }
+        else if (AppIdRegex.IsMatch(realtime))
+        {
+            WizRealtimeStatus.Text = "✓ Looks like a valid AppId.";
+            WizRealtimeStatus.Foreground = (System.Windows.Media.Brush)FindResource("Ok");
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            WizRealtimeStatus.Text = "⚠ That doesn't look like a Photon AppId. Should be 32 hex characters (with or without hyphens).";
+            WizRealtimeStatus.Foreground = (System.Windows.Media.Brush)FindResource("Danger");
+        }
+
+        var voice = WizVoice.Text.Trim();
+        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(voice))
+        {
+            WizVoiceStatus.Text = "Optional — leave empty if you skipped step 4.";
+            WizVoiceStatus.Foreground = (System.Windows.Media.Brush)FindResource("InkFaint");
+        }
+        else if (AppIdRegex.IsMatch(voice))
+        {
+            WizVoiceStatus.Text = "✓ Looks like a valid AppId.";
+            WizVoiceStatus.Foreground = (System.Windows.Media.Brush)FindResource("Ok");
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            WizVoiceStatus.Text = "⚠ That doesn't look like a Photon AppId.";
+            WizVoiceStatus.Foreground = (System.Windows.Media.Brush)FindResource("Danger");
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void TrySave()
+    {
+        var realtime = WizRealtime.Text.Trim();
+        var voice = WizVoice.Text.Trim();
+        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(realtime))
+        {
+            MessageBox.Show(this,
+                "A Realtime AppId is required — without it nobody can connect to your server. Voice is optional.",
+                "Photon setup", MessageBoxButton.OK, MessageBoxImage.Warning);
+            return;
+        }
+        if (!AppIdRegex.IsMatch(realtime))
+        {
+            MessageBox.Show(this,
+                "Your Realtime AppId doesn't look right. It should be 32 hex characters (with or without hyphens). Double-check that you copied the entire string from the Photon dashboard.",
+                "Photon setup", MessageBoxButton.OK, MessageBoxImage.Warning);
+            return;
+        }
+        if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(voice) && !AppIdRegex.IsMatch(voice))
+        {
+            MessageBox.Show(this,
+                "Your Voice AppId doesn't look right. Either fix it or clear the field to skip voice.",
+                "Photon setup", MessageBoxButton.OK, MessageBoxImage.Warning);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var region = WizRegion.SelectedItem is ComboBoxItem item && item.Tag is not null
+            ? item.Tag.ToString() ?? "us"
+            : "us";
+
+        Result = new PhotonResult(Normalise(realtime), Normalise(voice), region);
+        DialogResult = true;
+        Close();
+    }
+
+    private void SelectRegion(string tag)
+    {
+        foreach (var item in WizRegion.Items.OfType<ComboBoxItem>())
+        {
+            if (string.Equals(item.Tag?.ToString(), tag, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+            {
+                item.IsSelected = true;
+                return;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Render the AppId in canonical 8-4-4-4-12 form regardless
+    /// of how the user pasted it — the server's Photon SDK accepts both
+    /// but normalising keeps the rest of the launcher tidy.</summary>
+    private static string Normalise(string appId)
+    {
+        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(appId)) return "";
+        var stripped = appId.Replace("-", "").Trim();
+        if (stripped.Length != 32) return appId;
+        return $"{stripped[..8]}-{stripped[8..12]}-{stripped[12..16]}-{stripped[16..20]}-{stripped[20..]}";
+    }
+}
+
+public sealed record PhotonResult(string RealtimeAppId, string VoiceAppId, string Region);